New Sushi Bar in Town

Have you been to the new Sushi Bar? If not you really should check it out – It looks like a real first class operation. It’s called Tops’l and it’s upstairs above Cask & Schooner.

I popped in there last weekend when sushi chefs Kazu and Yuki were preparing for the grand opening and they were kind enough to let me snap some pics to share with you.

The whole place has been remodeled and looks a lot different now from when we last played Music Trivia there several years ago.

This is them taking a quick break from their work to smile for my camera:

Kazu and Yuki preparing for the Tops’l grand opening last weekend

And as I was shooting the Tops’l sign down below on the sidewalk, Shanna invited me into the Schooners North office and showed me around a bit, and gave me a small history lesson. I didn’t realize it, and this may be old news to you, but the Spike Africa schooner down at Spring Street Landing, the Cask and Schooner restaurant, and the Tops’l sushi bar, are all part of Schooners North.

The Spike Africa is being restored and owner Gary Gero says that it is very expensive, but he doesn’t want to have to rely on donations or grants or things like that. Instead he wants it to pay for itself. So the tours and cruises they offer on that beautiful old schooner are doing just that. As well as some of the profits from the restaurant and sushi bar.

What’s also pretty cool is that their office is built as an exact replica of the interior of the wheelhouse of the the Nereid, a beautiful old fish packer that used to ply these waters years ago. (You can see a painting of Nereid on the side of the Ace Hardware building in one of the murals mounted there). I really miss that old boat so it was really nice to “step inside her wheelhouse” for a few minutes. If you’re not going to be near Ace Hardware anytime soon, you can see a photo of her here. Just scroll down a bit and you’ll see her tied up at the old cannery.

Shanna Quigley gives a quick tour and history lesson of the Nereid wheelhouse and office for Schooners North

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