where to go in cincinnati if you want sashimi

living in new york, home of the $12 chirashi, pretty much puts you (or me at least) off of sushi rolls for good.  i will still get them if i am at like dancing wasabi or whatever place that sells half off rolls all the time or with other people who want to share rolls.  i can eat rolls and enjoy them.  but true sushi bliss for me can only be found in straight up pieces of fresh, buttery, tender raw fish.  here are my favorite to least favorite places to go for sashimi (or chirashi if you luck out and they have it).  this is by no means an exhaustive list, i am sure there are other good sashimi options out there.  my rankings are based on the following factors: freshness + selection + good value.

1. ruthai.  this is your absolute best bet for a generous portion of fresh, varied fish.  the sashimi special is $21 and you get way more than the 12 pieces that they say you are going to get, and there is mackerel (my favorite) and tuna and white tuna and salmon and shrimp and snapper and yellowtail and octopus and the pieces are big.  plus this place is byob.  you can't lose.
2. mr. sushi.  surprisingly high quality (i don't know why i'm surprised, i guess i just figured that anything located directly next door to "bartini" was going to give me food poisoning to go with my alcohol poisoning) and the chirashi is a great deal at $17.  you can also get a sashimi platter for i think $20 but whenever i can go for chirashi i do.
3. mei.  this might be higher up in the list if it wasn't so far and if i had been there recently.  chirashi is $21 and excellent.  they just have great sushi and great everything else japanese and a great atmosphere.
4. ko sho.  i used to fear ko sho when it was in the dilapidated, deserted location downtown (how could that scary place possibly be able to store and prepare decent raw fish?) but now that they are in northside i like it.  the sushi is all really fresh and they give you a great selection, it's just a little pricy.  i think the chirashi is $23 and the sashimi platter is $27.  they do have an excellent selection of other delicious japanese treats too so if you are looking for more than just sushi this is a good choice.
5. green papaya.  this is just ok.  there is no chirashi and the sashimi deluxe is $23, and one of your 12 pieces of fish is a fucking crab stick (seriously???) and the rest is just tuna, salmon, shrimp, and yellowtail... yawn.
6. painted fish.  i have been there twice and see no reason to ever go back.  there are white people making your sushi which scares me right there, sorry to be racist about it but they are proving my stereotype right.  service is slow and one time i was there, all of the sushi (rolls) we got were made with undercooked rice.  it was impossible to enjoy.  the other time i got the chirashi and it took two hours to get it so i don't even remember if it was good or not because i was delusional from hunger.  also i feel like it was expensive but was too lightheaded to be able to remember any prices.

totally unacceptably omitted from this list: ando.  i feel certain that they have amazingly delicious sashimi but i have actually never gotten sushi there any time i have gone... i always go for one of the traditional japanese dinners and last time i was there i got the shabu shabu.  this is just wrong and i strongly urge you to try the sushi if you are there because i am sure based on the freshness of everything else i have had there, and how authentic their menu is, and how good the sushi on other people's plates looks that it is delicious.

yes i have seriously never been to: jo an.  i know.  i know.  i need to go.  but it's far.  someone please take me there.  and buy my dinner.  no stalkers need apply.  thanks.