We broke one of our cardinal dining rules last night, to wit: "NEVER eat sushi more than 50 miles inland." Well, The Big(ger) CityTM is pretty far from the ocean but we heard tell there's a passable sushi bar at one of the Thai restaurants in Clovis. So we took the plunge, like this:
What you see is four pieces of maguro, three pieces of sake, two pieces of tamago, a big-ass pile o' wasabi, and a bowl o' miso soup (not pictured is a bowl of greens in sesame oil... that was my salad). It was good. Not great, mind you, but good enough that I think we'll go back to Thai City again.
What's great sushi? Well, it's served in a place like this:
That's a long ways to go for raw fish, innit?
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| Yet another crappy cell-phone pic. |
What's great sushi? Well, it's served in a place like this:
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| The Second Mrs. Pennington and I in a Tokyo sushi bar, 1991. |
We actually have a little sushi place in Duncan. It's pretty good, but then I don't know the difference between good and great sushi. I'm such a hick.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it amazing how sushi has gone mainstream? You couldn't find it outside of the BIG cities 20 years ago.
DeleteWe're a bit sushi spoiled in my neck of the woods. About a mile from my house. We walk there once a month or so. Come to think of it, it's been about a month since the last. And the weather's nice.
ReplyDeleteYou, Sir, are SPOILED. There were a couple o' sushi places within walking distance of us when we lived in Nippon and we patronized the Hell outta them. Ah... Former Happy Days.
DeleteTalk about going mainstream! You can get the pre-packaged stuff (made either on-site daily or shipped in fresh daily) in about any national chain grocery store in the nation--Ralphs, A&P, Krogers, Save-a-Center, Albertsons,--you name it. Even the Target Super-Centers have it in the deli section. Strangely, I can't recall if Wal-Mart sells it or not, but I don't think they do (they probably know their clientele, lol.) (Hey, we're no snobs, we shop Wally-World too--A LOT--besides COSTCO & Trader Joe's. Whole-Foods? Occasionally for stuff we can't find elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteI've seen the pre-packaged sushi at Albertson's in Clovis but never had the guts to actually TRY it. But not at Wally-World... prolly coz o' that infamous Terry Bradshaw ad that went sumthin' like "Soo-chee? We call that BAIT." Rednecks. Can't love 'em, can't kill 'em, either.
DeletePS: But the Whole Foods in Venice has a dynamite Sushi (and other exotic fare) Bar in the store--you can eat at the counter on at nearby tables.
ReplyDeleteAh... civilization, as YOU know it.
DeleteYeah, when you're exiled... :)
DeleteOf course one could almost apply that 50 nm inland dictum to ALL seafood, Buck, i.e., when in KC go for the steaks,when in San Antone go for the Tex-Mex, etc. going with each regions speciality cusine. Although overnight air delivery of fresh seafood these days mitigates against that old rule somewhat, I guess. We've become a much more "cosmopolitian" nation food-wise in the last few decades..Hell, it was even hard to get good chinese in N.O. in the 60s and Thai/Viet/Korean food was not only unheard of but unthinkable, nevermind Mid-East specalities, now one can't seemingly go more than two blocks w.o. tripping over a Thai restaurant in almost any major city..
ReplyDelete...now one can't seemingly go more than two blocks w.o. tripping over a Thai restaurant in almost any major city..
DeleteWe have three in Clovis now, fer krissakes. And we had one each, even ten years ago.