June's Taste - Sushi Joa ~ Kirkland, Wa

Where did this month go? The end of June really snuck up on me. We found the time to visit Sushi Joa last Saturday in downtown Kirkland. The day was very hot for this time of year and boy did the heat carry into the dining area. That was one big disappointment for me. I know in the Pacific Northwest we are not used to the temps soaring past 90 degrees for such long periods of time but I don't like to sweat through my dinner either. Hopefully they will be able to remedy the temperature situation at some point because it is starting to look like these hot summers may become the norm. Temperature aside Sushi Joa was very good. They are sitting at #3 for overall sushi appeal and #2 for service.
If I had done my homework better we would have arrived around 3 pm for the start of their happy hour but we walked through the door around 2 pm and were seated right away. There were only 3 other tables seated at that time of day. The service was initially very quick but they became less attentive as the meal went by. I know it was slow and they were focusing on rolling the silverware for the next shift but all the more reason to pay attention to the tables you do have during the slow times. Believe me I was a server all through college.
We started off with our usual order of gyoza. Sushi Joa's has a chicken and vegetable filling and is deep fried to a crisp. As you may know by now I prefer a steamed gyoza but they had wonderful flavor and were brought to the table piping hot. The sauce served along side it was very good and I would have loved to have had it to dip my sushi in later but the server literally stood over me waiting for me to dip my last gyoza into it before she promptly cleared the plate and the sauce bowl right along with it! I was so taken a back by being watched that I didn't know how to tell her I wanted to keep it!

Chicken Gyoza

My better half, C, decided to order the Sushi Combo. It was a beautiful plate of sushi comprised of Tuna, Salmon, Albacore, Shrimp, Himachi, Mackerel and a Spicy Tuna roll. It also comes with a miso soup to start. He thought the Tuna roll was fantastic but the nigiri was hit and miss quality and taste wise. He did mention that the nigiri rolls had wasabi between the rice and the fish which we don't find very often. C really enjoyed this more traditional preparation but wished he hadn't added so much to his soy sauce as he isn't used to having the double dose. He paired his meal with an Asahi.

Sushi Combo

I ordered the L.O.B roll and the Creamy Scallop roll. The L.O.B. roll is made up of a spicy crab-meat mix, crunch bits, avocado and topped with seared salmon, spicy mayo and green onions. It even had a shichimi sprinkled over it. The salmon was silky with the the slightest sear. The roll was creamy and had just a hint of heat on the backend. Over all a very good roll.

L.O.B. Roll

The Creamy Scallop roll is a simple roll with the nori on the outside of the roll and a filling of scallops, masago, cucumber, kalware and kewpie mayo. The scallops were so tender and silky and the radish sprouts gave the roll a fresh, peppery finish. I would order this roll again.

Marina Roll (top), Creamy Scallop Roll (bottom)

We also tried one of the rolls on special, the Marina Roll. It was made up of a tempura shrimp in the middle of the roll and salmon, very thinly sliced lemon and jalapeno on top. The jalapeno was not overpoweringly hot and the lemon complemented the bright salmon on top. The shrimp in the middle gave the roll a slight fried food taste to the roll, so much so that it almost took away from the other ingredients.
Even after all of this I still felt like I didn't really have the full feel of the place so we decided to split one more roll. The server recommended the 7th Heaven roll as it is by far their most popular roll. I can see why. It is so different and the combination of ingredients pays off big. The 7th Heaven roll is made up of spicy tuna, green onion tempura (sooo good), kalware topped with seared albacore, avocado, 7-spice, sesame dressing and garlic chips. The whole roll is so soft it could almost be called melt-in-your mouth. The light heat of the spicy tuna is addicting and the sesame dressing was plate licking good. I was even more surprised at how much I liked the garlic chips. They were toasty and not overpoweringly garlicky. All of the components together made for one great roll.

7th Heaven Roll

The price tag for all of this? $85.41 If I were to go back I would probably try the happy hour menu to see what kind of savings we could find. Another thing that may bring me back to this location of Sushi Joa is that they are just a block away from the shores of Lake Washington. This makes for a wonderful after dinner stroll. Go check them out!

Sushi Joa

104 Kirkland Ave

Kirkland, WA 98033

May's Taste - Sushi in Joy ~ Bellevue, WA

Sushi In Joy is bumping up against Oto Sushi for the number one spot. But Oto holds out for the price point for sure. The restaurant is located just outside downtown Bellevue in an unassuming strip mall. What is it about sushi joints and strip malls? It was actually a bonus that it was outside of the hustle an bustle of downtown. There was no issue finding parking at all!

We arrived around 6:30 pm on a Friday night and had no trouble being seated right away. The staff was very friendly and welcoming. Especially the older lady who delivered our meals to us. One of my favorite things about Sushi in Joy's atmosphere is the mix of music they have playing. There is something for everyone, from country to pop. Loved it! The only awkward point of the evening was when the staff seemed to be arguing loudly in Japanese in front of the sushi bar.

We started out our meal with our traditional steamed gyoza. It was a bit cold once it made it to the table but had an overall pleasing texture and flavor. The wonton wrapper was a bit on the thick side but not too bad. The dipping sauce was slightly sweet and paired well with the stuffing. We also ordered an Asahi beer for me and some cold Sake for my better half, C.

For dinner I started out with the Mariner Roll and a dish called Monkey Brain. The Mariner roll was superb. The scallop on top of the roll was lighted seared but still raw. It was silky and succulent on the tongue. By far the best scallop I have had yet during my 12 months of sushi journey. The roll was beautifully presented with a drizzle of sweet eel sauce over the top and panko bread crumbs. This roll would be just as good without the panko crunch.

The Mariner

The Monkey Brain was amazing in its delicate tempura shell. The creamy avocado was the perfect pairing to the spicy tuna and crab meat. The tuna was not overly spicy but still had an addicting heat that made you want to go back for more. We were both pleasantly surprised by this dish. It is now a favorite of ours and we have told multiple people they must go and try it.

Monkey Brain

C started out with the Cherry Blossom Roll, the Seattle Roll and some Ebi and Salmon nigiri. The Cherry Blossom was very bright on the palate. I thought it tasted slightly citrusy. C liked that it was not overly saucy with allowed the fish to speak for itself. The salmon on top was rather lean so it wasn't as tender and fatty as we like our salmon but still very good quality.

Cherry Blossom & Seattle Rolls

The Seattle Roll is a very simple but tasty roll for sushi lovers that don't like any sauces to muddle the taste of their fish. The Ebi and Salmon nigiri were very good quality seafood. C liked that the ebi was fresh and not dried out at all. The salmon was the same as the product used on the Cherry Blossom roll so it left him wishing for a slightly fattier fish. C remarked that the wasabi was some of the freshest he had tasted and the ginger was very good too.
After finishing all of that we both decided to split one more roll and some nigiri. We ordered the Lion King roll, Scallop nigiri and Surf Clam nigiri. The Surf Clam was a bit on the chewy side for me but C loved it. I have decided it must be an acquired taste because I would not choose to have it again. The Scallop however was heavenly. So buttery and almost melt in your mouth soft. Beautiful.

The Lion King and nigiri

The Lion King

The Lion King was well composed and light in flavor with a slightly sweet sauce drizzled over the top. After all of the other amazing rolls, especially the Mariner Roll, this roll left me wanting more. It fell slightly flat in the flavor department. It needed something to give it a bit of "Pow".
Overall we loved our night at Sushi In Joy. The $110.38 bill was a bit of a wake up call but it is so easy to get carried away when you have good sushi to try right? We will return just when we feel we can splurge a bit.

Sushi In Joy

2618 Bellevue Way NE

Bellevue, WA 98004

April's Taste - Marinepolis Sushi Land - Redmond, Wa

We did a bad, bad thing when we decided to give this place a try. It will be the last time we ever visit. We had some good bites but the majority was lack luster. At the end we both agreed we were full but felt that we had just eaten for the sake of eating and really received little enjoyment out of the experience. The price however was great. $33.47 including tip for the both of us.

Sushi Land is a conveyor belt sushi restaurant. I am always leery of the mass production line and what that can do to the quality of the sushi. This one lived up to my low expectations. They even had an automatic rice ball maker. Efficient yes, high quality sushi guaranteed, no. The presentation on some things was great. Other's looked like they had been thrown on the plate and sauce had been squeezed out on top so thick you couldn't tell what was in the roll underneath.

My other half tried some their seared tuna. His first taste was great. Then he convinced me to try it when another plate came around on the belt.  I couldn't finish it. The taste was so overwhelmingly fishy that it made me wonder how old the fish was.

Our favorites were an unidentifiable tempura, possible bean curd, nigiri and what appeared to be a tempura asparagus roll with cream cheese and spicy sauce drizzled on top. The California roll was also very tasty.

Overall, an under whelming experience that lands right on the bottom of our search for the best Sushi in 2015.

This was the offending Seared Tuna was so beautifully presented.

Marinepolis Sushi Land

8910 161st Avenue NE

Redmond, WA98052

Podcast for Foodies

Do you listen to podcasts? I have recently discovered an awesome podcast for Foodies who are interested in learning about the origins of the food we love to eat. A Taste of the Past is my favorite so far. Some of the best I have listened to yet are the podcasts on Fried Chicken, Chocolate Chip Cookies and Chef Boyardee. Give it a shot!

March's Taste - Oto Sushi, Redmond, WA

By far the best sushi we have had on the Eastside. Simply superb. Their happy hour pricing is amazing!  They are definitely #1 on the Best list so far.
We went in on Sunday around lunch time and had no issue being seated. We sat at the sushi bar. Watching the sushi chefs prepare works of food art is very fun. All of the staff is very friendly and attentive. The fish is very fresh and presented beautifully. They start you off with a complementary Edemame appetizer, my boyfriend's favorite. Included in the happy hour offering is your choice of a side salad or miso soup to accompany your meal.
Sticking to tradition we started off our meal with an order of gyoza. Though I prefer a pan fried gyoza, Oto's deep fried version was pleasantly tender and not over crispy. A happy hour order comes with 3 pieces for $2.50.
I ordered the Seared Salmon Roll($9.99) and Creamy Maguro Roll ($8.25). The Creamy Maguro Roll is by far my favorite. It has Snow crab and cream cheese in the center topped thinly sliced avocado and beautiful, silky, red tuna. It is finished off with a light sprinkling of masago and a light creamy sauce. This is the roll that will keep me coming back.
The Seared Salmon roll was wonderful too. The center is filled with a lightly breaded tempura shrimp, Snow crab, and spicy tuna. The roll is topped with seared salmon, avocado, a creamy sauce and a light sprinkling for panko bread crumbs. The salmon was tender and flavorful with just a slight smokiness brought on by the searing.
My better half ordered the Spicy Tuna Roll ($4.99), the Philly Roll ($5,25) and the Fresh Godzilla Roll ($7.25). All three were great. The fish was fresh and tender and the sushi knife skills were wonderful.
The Spicy Tuna roll was just spicy enough that you felt some heat but it did not overpower the taste of the tuna itself. A very traditional roll with out any bells or whistles. The fish speaks for itself.
The Philly rolls is creamy goodness made up of cream cheese, avocado and melt in your mouth tender smoked salmon. The salmon is not overly smokey.
The Fresh Godzilla Roll had a but more sauce on it than he normally likes but over all it was a solid roll. It is made up of silky yellow fin tuna, eel, avocado, masago and green onion. The roll is topped with a slightly spicy sauce.
Overall a wonderful meal. We will be back. April's tasting has a lot to live up to!

Creamy Maguro Roll (top) and Seared Salmon Roll

The Philly Roll

Fresh Godzilla Roll

Oto Sushi - Redmond
8105 161st Ave NE, Redmond, WA 98052