Lunch; to me it is the most important meal of the day. Oh sure, there are those that claim that breakfast is actually the most important but these are people who’d happily live on eggs, bacon and granola - or “light fare” as I like to call it. Okay, so breakfast does have its merits and there are many good ones out there but I’m not an egg person and I don’t typically get my appetite until at least 10 A.M. For me there is nothing better than sitting down for a mini-dinner at the mid-point of the day. When I worked in Fremont there were wide ranging choices for the midday repast, both within easy walking and driving distance. But for the past year I’ve been working in the suburbia that is North Kirkland and have been relegated to fast food, a run to the local grocery store or a seat at a national feed-bag spot - or so it seemed initially.

As I began to explore more and more of the area around my company’s office complex I started noticing little spots that held, at least potentially, promise. While proximity is still the biggest issue (A good many of these places aren’t within quick walking distance) I’ve decided to see what a short drive could accomplish in the way of a tasty meal. My first stop was at AA Sushi, a kaiten sushi restaurant that reminded me of the sushi lunches I used to enjoy at Blue C Sushi in Fremont. I’m not sure if the owners are former employees of Blue C, ex-partners or just piggy backing off of Blue C’s success by opening a shop in Kirkland but upon walking into the restaurant I noticed similarities that ran deeper than just the moving conveyor belt. For one, the space tries to be industrial chic. Unfortunately they fail to pull this off and the feeling is just cold, like that of a warehouse. Brightly colored art, wall treatments and even the chairs along either end of the belt mimic elements that are found in the kaiten sushi restaurant on the other side of Lake Washington.

But I didn’t come for the ambiance, I only have an hour for lunch and I was starving. “What are they offering on the belt,” I asked myself. For those who are new to conveyor belt sushi I will give a brief explanation. The chef or chefs prepare the sushi at a central location, plating each item on one of three or four different color plates. The colors of the plates represent a price so the more expensive sushi will be on one color while cheaper fare are on others. At AA Sushi the pricing for the plate colors are as follows: Green/$1.50, Yellow/$2.00, Blue/$2.50 and Red/$3.00. My first plate was Yam Tempura Roll ($1.50). The crispy fried tempura batter held tight to the inner roll filling of yam. Providing a nice crunch to a baked potato like texture though did not help the lack of flavor in the yam. This roll could have easily been flavorless expect for the rice. As you continue to read you will see how often I mention the rice. Cooked just right, so that it wasn’t crunchy or mushy, the rice was well seasoned with vinegar giving it a light sweetness that provided some flavor, and as you’ll see, enhanced the flavor of other plates.

My next plate was Salmon Nigiri ($3.00). The fish slices were long and wide but their thickness was relatively thin. Providing this much surface area allowed these two pieces of sushi to be creamy and buttery without a hint of stringy-ness. It also helped that the fish as very fresh and quite flavorful. A bit sweet in its own right the raw salmon had just enough fat content that it almost melted in the mouth.

As I was licking my fingers from the last of the salmon nigiri I spotted what I would later determine was a Kirkland Roll ($3.00). I was a little confused at first because a menu I had read described the Kirkland roll as having spicy tuna along with the tempura shrimp while the roll I choose substituted cucumber for said spicy tuna. But after a quick inquiry I was told it was something new that was being tried for the Kirkland roll. I’m actually glad the substitution was made. While the tempura shrimp was fresh tasting, slightly salty sweet and crunchy the real punch to the roll came from the generous layer of spicy chili sauce that sat atop each slice. The flavors did a little dance on my tongue as I used my chopsticks to tweeze bite after bite into my mouth. Sweet, spicy, chewy and crunchy all had their role in the flavor profile of what I think was the best roll I tried at AA Sushi. And I was thankful for the sweet, not just from the shrimp but also from the rice. That sweetness helped to quell the fire that the chili sauce started.

After such a bold choice of plates I turned to something a little tamer, Scallop Nigiri ($2.00). As with the salmon nigiri the scallop was of very good quality. Firm but not dry the scallop was creamy, sweet and fresh. Most times scallops lose a lot of their texture if they are frozen after being caught but based upon what I ate, the sushi chef must have been at the docks early that morning.

Since I missed out on spicy tuna in the Kirkland roll I decided, as a final plate, on a Spicy Tuna Roll ($2.50). One thing that I will say for this place, when they say spicy, they mean it. This is a shame in this case because the spicy sauce totally obliterates the taste of the tuna in the roll. All I could discern was chili sauce, cucumber and that strangely sweet sushi rice. If I had to do it again, I’d go for the tuna nigiri instead.

So with a little over ten dollars worth of sushi in my belly I paid my check and made the dash back to work. While AA Sushi is far from the best in the Seattle area, for a quick sushi lunch it’s not terrible. My main suggestion to anyone going would be to stick with the nigiri as the quality of their raw fish is well above average and be careful of rolls that include spicy sauce. That’s like playing with dynamite that sauce is.

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I’ll admit it; I’ve not always been a fan of sushi. There was a time when I considered it “bait” and would say things like, “Why would I want to eat raw fish?” Of course it took me actually trying said raw fish to see that I’d looked at sushi all wrong. And this wasn’t even taking into consideration rolls which, I know, most sushi fanatics don’t consider to be real sushi but I’m a little more flexible in my definition. In my initial attempts at sushi dining I always sought out a particular look in a restaurant. My thinking being, that if a place had a certain look then it must be authentic, hence good. But as it turns out a small spot in Wallingford would change my thinking on this. The establishment in question goes by the name Rain.

The restaurant, from the exterior, doesn’t look like much. But inside is a cool, hip, urban sushi joint. The feel is something akin to a beatnik coffee house of the 50s but with Asian decor, raw fish and urban beats bubbling out of the sound system. There was only one server working the floor when I arrived but she was quick to help me. And help, it turned out, was what I would need. After a brief scan of the menu I placed my orders only to find out that some things weren’t available. Fortunately for me though my server was more than willing to offer a couple of substitutions that were of better quality at no additional cost.

The first item to arrive that was also a substitution was Crispy Black Cod ($8.00). Instead of cod I was informed that they had some nice escolar that they could replace it with. Going out on a limb I decided to try it out and I’m glad I did. The fish was firm and slightly sweet with a nicely crisped, pan-seared exterior. Plated along with sautéed cherry tomatoes and baby asparagus as well as some mixed greens the whole dish was drizzled with a sweet ponzu sauce that helped to accentuate the fish with the firm, white flesh.

As I was finishing off the crispy black cod made with escolar a plate arrive with Salmon Nigiri ($2.50), Tuna Nigiri ($2.50) and a Rain Roll ($12.00). I started with the Rain roll which was basically a shrimp tempura roll that was covered in crab salad that was then grilled. Yes, you read this correctly grilled (Or maybe seared). Interesting textures of crispy deep-fried shrimp, smooth avocado and creamy crab salad with crisp bits spotted along the surface were great, when the plate first arrived, but quickly turned soggy. The flavors were fairly mild and the amount of mayonnaise used in total only made the mildness more apparent. Much more appealing were the pieces of nigiri. Large slabs of raw fish flesh perched atop sweet fingers of rice. Each type of fish had its own unique topping. Unifying each was the little dollop of tobiko on each but the tuna also sported a little leaf of cilantro that added a nicely welcome, slightly soapy flavor. The salmon was decked out with a bit of green onion. Both were closer to room temperature than some may like but it was welcome by me on the salmon front as it brought out the oils and fats making the texture smooth and creamy like a pudding. The tuna, while good, was fairly standard issue with its subtle beef-like meatiness.

I spent most of my time at Rain kicked back with sake and a book. This definitely not the feel I usually get when I go out for sushi. While perhaps not the tops in the sushi world if you are looking for a place to go for drinks, conversation and the occasional Japanese bite then Rain may be the place for you.

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This was my first time at En, though I’ve visited many times before. My previous visits were always awkward affairs ending with me standing outside the tightly locked restaurant doors well after the stated 5:30 PM opening time. But today was to be different. Today I was going to review the restaurant that had confounded my plans so many times before. If I had to wearily walk the streets of Belltown for an hour, I’d get my review of En.

Fortunately I didn’t have to walk around for hours. Only fifteen minutes after the promised opening time I was at a table with menu in hand. Made up of chicken, beef, pork and fish dishes, the menu at En seemed less like your average Japanese restaurant. Gone was the sushi bar, its bank of windowed cold storage and the accompanying fresh fish. Nowhere were there tatami mats or shoji screens. In fact the restaurant had a mostly empty factory feel to it.

After taking in my surroundings and scanning the menu I chose to start with Haru Maki ($5.00). Three Japanese style egg rolls arrived with dipping sauce, although I was hard pressed to tell what exactly made these Japanese-style. The exterior was a piping hot, light, crisp wonton wrapper that had been fried golden brown and slightly oily. The inside was a conglomeration of shredded cabbage, shredded carrot and diced pork. I was at quite a loss as to what made these special enough to be called “Japanese style”. It hit me once I tried the dipping sauce - ponzu. The citrus-y soy blend gave the little rolls a nice zing that made my lips pucker. Not overpowering, just right. Nice little appetizers for a happy hour visit.

The main course consisted of the Rib Eye Steak ($17.00). This came recommended from the server and was ninety-five cents cheaper than the other steak offering I had been considering. An interestingly brown cut of meat came to my table. Not the seared brown of a pan-fried or grill-broiled steak but the brown of a saucy coating. While I’m not a hundred percent sure what the sauce was my guess would be a soy-based brown marinade. Nutty and savory it tasted good on the well-done cut of meat. As for beefiness, well, don’t expect that from this meal. The coating, whatever it is, does an excellent job of covering up the true flavor of the beef. There were two small sides that kept my steak company on the plate. The first was a decent little salad of mixed leafy greens dressed simply in bacon vinaigrette and topped with slivered almonds. Neither overpowering nor weak the salad did little to offend but also, nothing to impress. The second side was an odd macaroni salad involving diced elbow macaroni and curry mayonnaise. Topped with paprika (Heavily) I was reminded of being at a weird Asian family picnic.

Was it worth the long wait to finally get a table at En? Well, it was an experience I’ll say that. I felt more like I was at a friend’s house in Japan instead of a restaurant in Seattle. Of course I think that may be what the owner intended in the first place. Japanese style comfort food without all the fuss that one gets at a typical Japanese restaurant. Will I return to En in the near future? Perhaps, but not the near future. While the food was okay, interesting, served in a friendly environment I don’t know that anything really wowed me enough to want to make this a regular on my list. But if you are looking for no-nonsense Japanese food perhaps you’d be willing to give them a try.

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I have a rule to never expect high quality cuisine from a restaurant that uses a heart as part of its name. I have nothing against the use of a heart symbol in non-restaurant settings. I ♥ NY, I ♥ my Dachshund and I ♥ Bacon are all acceptable uses of the heart in one’s name. But for some reason every restaurant I’ve ever patronized with a heart symbol in their name has disappointed me. Maybe it’s the lack of effort in picking a name without symbols for their restaurant that carries over to the food. Whatever it may be I’ve come to expect very little of such establishments. Of course all rules were out the window with I ♥ Sushi as I had heard that they served some of the best sushi in town. Sushi is something you can’t go at half-assed is it? Is it?

Regardless of what I may think or write in this review, I ♥ Sushi will have a huge following as evidenced by the ten people, myself excluded, who were eagerly awaiting their opening at 5 PM. I will say that the hostesses made short work of finding a table for everyone and I soon found myself sitting at the sushi bar. After some musical chairs and a brief look at the menu I was placing my order to the smiling chef behind the fish case.

First up was an order of Yellowtail Sashimi ($10). The portions were generous this I can say as instead of five regular slices of fish I got six monster-sized pieces. The fish was smooth, cool and slightly sweet. Chewy and meaty the whiter part of the flesh was the best while the darker meat closer to the skin tended to be a bit more rubbery.

An order of Salmon and Tuna Sushi ($4.50/each) was presented next. The tuna, while a beautiful shade of ruby, was a bit dull and slightly fishy smelling. The salmon meanwhile was Sockeye and not Atlantic like generic salmon sushi is at most restaurants. With little fat one would think the wilder salmon would be flavorless. While it was milder the fish did have a creamy, savory flavor that was enhanced by a couple of drops of lemon. One complaint that I had was that the rice wasn’t sticky enough to maintain their shape. I needed to move fast if I was going to get the sushi from the plate to my mouth without the rice dropping to the table below.

Depending on where and when you first started eating sushi will determine whether or not you consider a roll as sushi. Myself, I know it’s not traditional but I also like the combinations of flavors you can get from the rolls some chefs prepare. With that in mind I ordered two rolls, a Paradise Roll ($8.00) and a Rock ‘n’ Roll ($6.00). The Paradise roll, once presented, was a beauty to behold with its tiny mounds of colorful roe atop each piece. Unfortunately it was all style over substance. The avocado, while smooth and creamy with a fatty mouth-feel, was overpowered by the spicy sauce. As for the fish, the salmon, tuna and yellowtail, while noticeably there was overpowered by the sauce as well. The Rock ‘n’ Roll was equally disappointing as, for the most part, all I tasted was green onion.

After another quick browse of the menu I was all set to place an order for mackerel sushi when I was told by the sushi chef they were out but he did have some nice Spanish Mackerel Sushi ($5.50) that he could offer me. With a promise that the taste was similar I went forward with his suggestion and I’m glad I did. This had to be the highlight of my meal. Sweet and delicate the texture of the fish flesh was similar to custard. Topped with some green onion, lemon zest and accompanied by citrus-y ponzu sauce the flavors bounced between meaty, tart and sweet with notes of starch from the rice. Had this been my first sushi I most likely would have eaten nothing else during my visit.

So how did my dinner fare against my theory of heart symbol named restaurants (Okay, so the name of the restaurant is actually spoken as “I Love Sushi”)? Unfortunately, it held up pretty well. When all is said and done the sashimi was good, the nigiri sushi average and the rolls, well; let’s just say they were round. Seeming to me as more of an establishment geared toward the general public I’d say that I ♥ Sushi is perfectly acceptable for those who typically eat sushi once a month or once every other month. If you’re looking for stand-out flavors, you may want to look elsewhere.

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I want to visit Japan. More accurately, I want to live in Japan. I love so many aspects of the culture. The efficient design, minimalist, post-modern aesthetics, their cutting edge technologies and of course the food. Not that everything the Japanese eat suits my palate but from yakitori stands, to shabu shabu in restaurants and sushi shops. It’s this latter entry, sushi shops, which pique my interest in the country. I can imagine myself walking down the street at lunchtime, popping into a sushi place and getting high-quality sushi from a neighborhood shop. It is such thinking that drives me, here in Seattle, to try many of the less than name brand Japanese restaurants. One such restaurant is located about two miles from my office building and known as Ken Zaburo.

I went with a large contingent of co-workers and we were shown to a family sized table off to one corner. Fitted with a large lazy Susan in the center of the table, there’d be no problem in passing the soy sauce. Water glasses were filled and menus contemplated. When it comes to full-service Japanese restaurants I like to try as many menu items as possible to get a feel for what a particular place does well. It is with this statement in mind that I placed my order for a Tempura Plate ($8.95), Large Sashimi Plate ($15.95) and a Rainbow Roll ($8.95).

The Tempura plate was a disappointment right off the bat. While not strictly a historically Japanese dish (It was introduced to Japan by the Portuguese) tempura, when made properly, is a menu item that evokes a connection to Japan. Well-made tempura is a crispy yet almost non-existent batter coating delicate shrimp, vegetables or both. What came to the table was a plate mounded with overly battered tempura with a soggy coating. This may be due to being piled onto the center of a small plate, allowing the steam from the food below to become trapped. Whatever the cause, the tempura was less than so-so and not worth the time; it held very little flavor and only a soggy texture.

With the Large Sashimi Plate I fared a bit better. The yellow fin was smooth and tasted slightly of the sea but the salmon was outstanding. Buttery and cool the salmon had very little flavor outside of a creamy fattiness. The tuna was less than desirable. The purple-ish flesh held a liver flavor that, with most bites, was more grainy than smooth. While it has only been within the past year and a half or so that I started to enjoy eating octopus, I have gotten to know what makes for a good bite. The “slices” of tentacle that were plated tended to be more along the medallion shape and size. I’ve found that this makes for an overly chewy piece of octopus and this was no exception. The sweet shrimp was tasty but why only one piece? Surely shrimp is not so expensive that another piece or two couldn’t be placed on the plate.

Finally comes the Rainbow Roll. This is another pseudo Japanese dish, meaning that rolls such as a rainbow are California inspired Japanese cuisine. Yet I consider the proper construction of a rainbow roll as a benchmark of the sushi chef’s skills as much as the preparation of Big Mac ™ would be to a chef at Daniel’s Broiler. While being well below their skill level, it should nonetheless be well within their range to make and make well. This lightly packed roll was filled with crab, cucumber and a slightly spicy mayonnaise then topped with the smallest amounts of salmon, tuna, yellowtail, octopus and shrimp imaginable. So much was left to be desired with this roll. It almost seemed as if the chef had very few ingredients for the lunch rush and my order “broke the bank” for him.

Many times when going to a new restaurant it’s hard to contain my excitement, especially one whose menu I’ve already seen. I’m always up for a hidden gem. A place that very few people know about. It was this excitement, this desire for a hidden gem that I held for Ken Zabura. Unfortunately I was to be disappointed. While not a horrible experience I can safely say that I will not likely return for a second visit. Not with other places in Seattle that provide a far superior dining experience. It is the superior experience that I want to keep in mind as I dream of a time when I can be in Japan to experience these foods in the land that developed them.

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