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This venue is closed.

After Toshi, the long-time owner of this snug, quirkily original Japanese restaurant and sushi counter, died, his son and wife transformed the room into a sleek spot with rosy wood paneling, track lighting, and satiny cushions for the benches along each brick wall. That their business is largely local is confirmed by the list of special sushi rolls named after staff or regulars. The family, to the relief of Toshi's fans, is carrying out the menu and adding more to the mix. They still serve deep bowls of soul-warming udon noodle soup, fresh cuts of salmon teriyaki, and glazed, butter-soft nuggets of skewered yakitori sweetened with teriyaki and crispy on the edges, and enough sushi and sashimi to tide you over. But if you want dynamic, transporting rolls, Taste of Tokyo is peerless. The rolls are thick as golf balls and stuffed with unusually winning, well-blended combinations. Encircled in the Wall Street roll, a 2005 addition, are tender slabs of tuna and white fish, plus ruby-red fish roe and fresh avocado crowned with gold leaf. The spicy rolls, made with a chili-based sauce, are what fanatical regulars crave: Spicy tuna, a salty, hot mix of tender, chunky tuna tartare and chives, is crowned by more tuna tartare, so you get enough for two; spicy California shuns imitation sticks for real, cooked crabmeat. Vegetarians who want to graduate from bento boxes and tempura will be pleased at many unusually good sides, like the mandolin-shaped eggplant in a darkly thick, musky miso sauce. — Diane Mehta

Spicy tuna roll, $5.50; spicy California roll, $5.50; Dargon roll, $10; Wall Street roll, $10; toshi roll, $9.50; Mexican roll, $6.50