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Free Express Lunch at Sushi-San

7/13/2018

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Sometimes, signing up for email newsletters is worth junking up your inbox. In this case, Sushi-San's website offers a free Express Lunch for visitors who sign up for their newsletter.

I felt some trepidation about redeeming my free Express Lunch. Sushi-San's appeal lies more in the ambiance than the food. Their menu aims to please a broad spectrum of palates and offers too much variety for my taste. Charcoal grilled beef, pork, chicken, seafood, and rice bowls do not inspire me. When I go to a sushi restaurant, I want sushi and only sushi. 

But free is always a good deal and Sushi-San's lively ambiance and friendly waitstaff more than make up for the salty miso soup in our Express Lunch. So give it a go, enjoy a free lunch and remember to tip your server on the amount you would have paid. 

Express Lunch with San-Specialty: Tako Taco and Raw Tuna and Avocado Rice Bowl.

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The Express Lunch offers an economical way to sample some of Sushi-San's non-sushi items. Diners can choose between 4 different San-Specialty items and 4 Rice Bowl items for their main dishes. My dear friend and artist M.R. Shebesta ordered the Tako Taco for her choice of San-Specialty and enjoyed the fried nori and tempura "taco" shell. She offered the beau and I a bite of the taco shell and I must admit it had a nice crispness. I also enjoyed the last of her Raw Tuna Avocado Rice Bowl which she could not finish. At $16, this is quite the deal.

Express Sushi & Sashimi: Tuna, Suzuki and Salmon

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The beau and I split this one because he has a small appetite and did not want to get stuck with too much food. It happens a lot to us, thanks to the oversize portions in most U.S. restaurants. The American tendency to supersize everything is no joke and we often find ourselves eating the same leftovers from one restaurant meal for days. Not something you want to have happen with sushi.

At $22, this Express Sushi & Sashimi is a bit pricey for most lunch budgets but worth the splurge for the nice variety of preparation. Sashimi, nigiri and makis provide different ways to enjoy each species of fish and get a taste of their Oma-Kaze menu. Thankfully, none of the makis contained those dreadful greasy tempura crumbles that I despise in sushi. And the lotus root in what looked like the Salmon Ginger maki added a nice crunch that complimented the fresh salmon flavor. 

So sign up for your free Express Lunch and let me know your thoughts in the comments.    
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When Negi-Hamachi is Not on the Menu

3/16/2015

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Let them eat escolar

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Escolar is not even a species of tuna. It is a type of snake mackerel that may cause severe gastrointestinal distress for some people. Escolar eats wax esters, a type of fat humans cannot digest but can still enjoy for less calories than other, digestible fats.
Moochi Ball eats at I Love Sushi at least once a week for the first few weeks on the job at a nice downtown office. Spectacular views of the river and lake surround the bright office where most workers get to see actual daylight. Still, the work gets stressful and Moochi needs her escape from the grind of constant deadlines, client notes and useless reports. At least she will enjoy sushi for lunch. She already knows what to order: Negi-hamachi maki, a delightful and minimalist blend of scallions and finely diced yellowtail. A good chef dices the yellowtail into the consistency of deviled ham, almost paste-like to absorb the prickly flavor of the scallions.

She makes her way around 12:45p in eager anticipation. But Dedicated Manager dashes her hopes. No yellowtail, he says and offers to make negi-hamachi with "white tuna." Moochi Ball knows her white tuna and confirms its identity as escolar, the snake mackerel. Dedicated Manager shakes his a bit sheepishly, fully aware of the controversy around escolar. Moochi Ball just smiles and tells him she loves escolar. It tastes mild, almost buttery and a bit squishy with a slightly briny finish. She doesn't eat enough of escolar to experience ghastly gastrointestinal distress so she does not worry.

"It tastes the same, the escolar," says Dedicated Manager, "as the yellowtail." Moochi frowns at his suggestion involuntarily. Escolar and yellowtail do not taste the same. Perhaps similar but definitely not the same. Yellowtail has a deeper, richer taste that is not briny and the flesh is less squishy. It also tastes buttery but with different notes: think sea salt instead of brine. Yellowtail nigiri ranks as one of her favorites and negi-hamachi maki adds scallions for flavor and dicing for texture so that maki melts in the mouth. 

The idea of escolar with scallions negi-hamachi style intrigues her. Why not?
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    Lunchtime sushi adventures of Moochi Ball, sushi slut.

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