Could this be the year the signs hoisted in front of Asian restaurants are measured by the size of their chopsticks? On Fitzhugh Avenue, Dalat's recently installed pho-beacon reaches up into the clouds with bright red utensils. Now Oishii is set to build on the trend with another sign outfitted with massive chopsticks large enough for Big Tex.
Signage trends aside, Oishii's return is a welcome one -- especially to neighborhood fans. Late last year a fire ripped through the Oak Lawn strip mall that houses the restaurant. While Sal's, the pizza restaurant next door, was able to reopen quickly, Oishii's re-birth has been a long time coming. Nine months later, they're still not there.
The waiting might be drawing to a close, though. Owner Thanh Nguyen estimates his restaurant should be open in mid-October. A news release about the open describes golden wall tiles that were shipped in from Italy and oversized Italian lighting fixtures amongst the finer points of Oishii's new decor. Otherwise you can expect the same sushi and pan-Asian cooking that made the place popular in the first place.
Perhaps you've been missing the #42 roll? Or was it the 911 roll? With so much customized sushi it's hard to tell, but either way your wait is almost over.