Ignore those curmudgeonly chowhounds who grumble that the new Oishii in the South End isn’t as cozy as the original in Chestnut Hill. If they savor long waits in a cramped foyer at 9 on a weeknight, fine. But for us more civilized folk, the long-awaited city location exceeds expectations. Instead of no ambiance, there’s a calming, two-story waterfall, low lighting, and—hooray!—well-spaced seating. The service is gracious; the sake list an inspiration; the tableware, especially the metallic ceramic bowls for soy sauce, breathtaking. The catch? It’s shockingly expensive. New York expensive. A sashimi appetizer of tuna, yellowtail, sweet shrimp, and wild salmon in ponzu sauce, exquisitely served atop a carved ice block, for example, costs $25. Two creamy Kumamoto oysters served with a dash of hot sauce are $9, and a few of the specialty maki rolls top $20. Looking for a bargain? Try the “real” California maki, $11, which forgoes that imitation stuff found in most California rolls in favor of sweet snow crabmeat.
