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Just don't drag em in the sushi.

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Fantastic!
Thanks guys.
I didn't mean to hijack, but figured it was kinda on topic.

I will report back my Sushi Virgin experiences in a couple weeks.

Now I just have to learn how to pronounce some of it so I don't look like an even bigger ass than normal!

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Not a thread jack at all my friend :tu All things Sushi are discussed here!

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St Lou Stu, i will agree with LasciviousXXX about trying sushi first a a GOOD local restauraunt first. unless you are an adventurous type eater. I grew up eating a lot of different foods thanks to my dad.

you mentioned that you like tuna, how do you usually eat, i like the seared on the outside raw inside. if you are the same way try tuna first. try some the cooked stuff first, like uni.

i went to japan about 5 years ago, as far as dinning experiance goes, basically i ordered by pictures. not to bad, but then again i eat most anything.

best thing i had there was the mini soup and noodle places by the train stations. every thing was fresh cooked right in front of you. and even paying for it was a kick, vending machine style. pop in 50 - 100 yen (about $5 or $10) push a button and out comes a ticket, give it to the cook and they just whip it up right in front of you. best part is the bowls are pretty big, i'm a big boy and i got nice and filled up by these simple meals even walking around all day.

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thanks for the tip sonic_mike

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The secret is fresh ingredients ( & how you flavor the rice ;))

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Stu, that "fish taste" arrives when heat is applied. I think that you'll find a serious lack of it with sushi. Enjoy the trip!

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what's OBDG?

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not to step on 'ya but I think you meant unagi (eel) and not uni....don't think you wanna cook that sea urchin! :D

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Except mackeral. Raw mackeral is very fishy in taste.

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you sir are right, no toes stepped on :ss i did mean unagi

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Totally agree; while I like mackerel, it's not for those who don't like 'fishy'. Spanish Mackerel is much more mild, however, and sometimes it will dance flamenco.

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Lately I have been on a White Tuna kick. I love it.

Yellowtail is another favorite. Fatty Yellowtail (belly meat) or the Yellow Tail version of Otoro is probably my all time favorite raw fish.

I like a few pieces of Uni occasionally with quail egg on top to finish a meal.

Aside from that I eat just about all of it. I used to be really anti Mackerel but in the past few years I have a really developed a taste for the stronger fish. I enjoy Aji or Spanish Mackerel.

Recently a Korean guy that was eating next to me at the bar intoduced me to Korean Style sushi. (According to him) This is sashimi served with pieces of seaweed (Nori). You wrap the fish with the seaweed and dip in sesame oil or a mix of sesame oil, soy sauce and wasabi. No rice.

ALWAYS ASK FOR FRESH WASABI! - It is different and not made with the paste. It is the actually ground root and is 10x better. Better Sushi Bars will have it.

For desert one of my favorites is called Mochi Ice Cream. It's a rice paste that is similar to a dough. This is wrapped around small portions of ice cream. The Red Bean kind is very good.

Suki desu!

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When I was in San Diego a couple of weeks ago I went to Nobu inside the Hard Rock Hotel. Their sushi was to die for even though that is not their specialty.
I try and have sushi at least once a week. There is a place around my house called Sushi Para that has all you can eat for 18.99 it is not bad but lately they have been doing something with their rice to make it sweet and it is not good.
But when I am at work there is another place called Nobu's that has great sushi for lunch that is reasonably priced unlike for dinner. I all about the salmon and tuna sushi. I do love a good spicy salmon roll. And yes I do like the roll with smoked salmon, cream cheese and scallions.

OK I want some sushi. Who's buying!! :)

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you missed an opportunity to herf. :hn

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Obento Daikon Gobang -- a box lunch with radish eaten while playing Gobang (no, not that, like the game Othello ;))

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Gotta agree with that bro. :pu

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Ah, good old Pier Ave in Hermosa…Club Sushi is one of my old haunts. I haven’t been there in years, but we used to go all the time for happy hour. I agree that the sushi wasn’t the best, but was good. Definitely can’t beat it for happy hour! After filling up there, we’d cruise to Sangria, Sharkeez (before it became a nub :r) and/or Hennessey’s. :tu

I'll have to check out that roll whenever I'm down on Pier.

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Mmmmmmmm...... Otoro.....



http://media.timeoutnewyork.com/resi....matsugen.jpg?

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Cut it out, your killing me. Now it's dinner time and I only want one thing......SUSHI!!

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That's EXACTLY what I'm doing brother :D Ramping myself up because I am going to have some good sushi tonite :tu

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oh man, that's it. I'm totally getting some sushi tomorrow. I've been eating since I could chew and it's definitely a huge world of flavours. I've been to some great restaurants and have had some awesome culinary experiences due to relationships with a few chefs and restaurateurs. Gotta love raw food.

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I was able to get a herf in with some other cigar friends. I was too new to this site to ask! don't kill me!!:tu

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Reminds me of Olestra...
From Wiki as well.

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We don't kill you.... we just hunt you down and FORCE you to smoke Gurkha's :D

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And again on Friday!

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I believe that it stands for 'Old Ball Dragging Geezer'. If I am wrong, corrections will be on their way shortly.:r:r

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So for those of us who are new to sushi. How does Sea Urchin taste? I'm willing to try new stuff (had Octopus and liked it, eel not so much). I always see it and wanna try it, but am not really into anything too fishy. Should I? My current fave is yellowtail. Just don't want to look like a complete idiot if its a stronger tasting item.

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No correction necessary. :)

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The closest that I can go to sushi is a lightly seared tuna steak. The funny thing is that I will eat raw clams all day and be happy though.

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I'm with you on the clams (must be a New England thing) but I can't stand Uni (sea urchin).

Gimme some clams with lemon and and a dash of Tabasco - :dr

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When I worked downtown there were 2 sushi joints within walking distance and I'd hit one every week. Now that I'm our in the 'burbs I'm lucky to get it once a month. I usually stick to the traditional stuff, but I'll get a spicy tuna roll occasionally and a spider roll (fried soft-shell crab) when the season is in.

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Speaking of soft shell crab.... I LOVE THE STUFF! There is a Japanese restaurant I frequent on a regular basis that has a soft shell crab tempura dinner. It is fantastic. A whole soft shell crab tempura battered and friend with a side of veggies. A great dinner when I'm in the mood for it!

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thats what happened to me. had to have it for lunch

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We are a BAD influence huh Freddy :D :D

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Urchin is, shall we say, an acquired taste.

I been munching on sushi for a fairly long time, and still don't care much for urchin. No, that's not true. I don't care at all for urchin. :D On the other hand I love mackerel, which many find too fishy. Just depends on your taste buds.

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Love sushi, but just cannot do Uni. I have been to Japan many, many times and have been told that "supreme Uni" is great (it depends on the freshness and where you go), but a couple bad experiences has killed it for me.

Now, I have had all sorts of sashimi, including horse, chicken and just about all parts of beef (be creative). Interesting stuff can be very tasty sometimes.:tu

Luckily, I have found several great sushi places in the Raleigh area (Waraji is fantastic).

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I love uni while I know many who don't.

Not sushi related, but one food item I cannot stomach is natto. Just the smell of it gags me.

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Cell rang as I was getting ready to leave work last night. It's my cousin and he says "Hey there is this new Sushi place I go to and they have happy hour specials. Do you..." YES I'LL GO :dr!

He didn't even have a chance to finish asking me after reading this thread yesterday.

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No not that please. I would rather just smoke dirt then smoke a Gurkha. Wait was is the difference???:r

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ROFL! Too funny. I come into work today and my boss says "Hey I've been meaning to sit down with you and talk about some changes I want you to make to our training program". "Great" I say, "How about we discuss it over lunch... sushi?" "Sure" he says :D

I'm such a bastard :ss

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So how was sushi dinner fellas? I'm still holdin' out....for what, I'm not sure. And mrsreindeer don't do no sushi so I have to find a chance to fit it in when she's busy!

Sharkeez nub :D....NO MO! They rebuilt it and it looks NICE! No wonder they set themselves on fire. The old joint was a dive.

When you do roll down there Mike.....call me, I'm down, whenever I can break away. And we can smoke outside Naja's at the Redondo Pier afterwards and try 70 of their 77 beers on tap. It's all about moderation.

UNI - do it - try it - do it

Like others have said and I've touched upon, Sea Urchin is definitely an acquired taste. It's not fishy like mackerel and I'm definitely impressed you tried Octopus and liked it. Not sure what you didn't like about the eel...some don't like that it's EEL (bottom dweller, scavenger, etc.) but I find it quite good. And it's cooked (which takes away the 'fear' or 'grossness' of eating something raw) with the sweet eel sauce (which is more like teriyaki sauce) on top. If you're feeling like giving it another try, I much prefer freshwater eel so give that a shot. And good octopus sure is good. You can even ask them to put eel sauce on top of that and it's a nice combo.

So, back to Uni (sea urchin)....again, the best comes from Santa Barbara, California, not Japan. I wonder if the Japanese order from us? When you look at a piece of the Uni sushi, the Uni (and correct me if I'm wrong here but I believe what we eat is the roe or eggs and not the actual urchin....and it doesn't look like any fish eggs I've seen before) resembles a tongue.

I don't believe there's much of a smell to it and some add the quail egg on top for an extra 'wow' factor and more creamy, silky, yolky, goopy goodness. I, on the other hand, tend to be more of a purist. I like the plain 'ol uni, resting on a bed of rice, surrounded by a crown of seaweed.

So imagine an orange-y tongue as you lift the piece to your mouth. As you bite, the roe tends to kind of melt/liquefy in your mouth. Not like popping the larger salmon roe that is also served the same way but just kind of melting, creamy in your mouth. The first taste, well, tastes like the sea.

As I've mentioned before, I order this every chance I get. This is the one item on the menu that truly reminds me (as if I need reminding) that I'm eating something that came from the sea. Sometimes, the sushi chef will tell me they don't have it when they actually do and that's because they make the decision for you as to whether or not it's fresh enough. It's unfortunate that some of you have ordered it and those places haven't taken this step in quality control, but I'm not surprised. Also, I think we're spoiled out here on the West Coast because we're so close to Santa Barbara and it's almost always going to be available good & fresh.

So, that first bite is 'of the sea' and then you get on in to the rice & the seaweed and they complement the wonderful salty, creamy, sea-like flavors really well. Some folks don't like the texture but I love it. And again, I wouldn't say it's 'fishy' tasting, just like swallowing some seawater...but better!

Down in Redondo Beach at the pier, I even shared a live urchin with a buddy of mine as it crawled across our plate. I don't like harming living things myself, so that was a bit tough. But tasty!

I'm dying. Must have UNI now!

I hope that helps and I wish you luck on the Uni slope. Please tell us about it if you do end up trying it!

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I love sushi, I just started eating it about a year ago but since then I have enjoyed it so much I always want to go. Now you all have me very hungry!!!

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Just got back from my Sushi lunch meeting :) Had a great lunch, Maguro, Shiro Maguro, Tako and Unagi.... MMmmmmmm!

It was great!

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Damn it, rub it in Dustin! :fu:fu

Didja get any UNI???

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LOL I told you I've been just eating a crap load of sushi lately :r

Nope didn't get any Uni, I have to be in a special mood to enjoy Uni. I don't dislike it but I have to totally be in the mood for it

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Go to hear Sharkeez is back up. I guess it made too much $$$ for them not to rebuild it.

Ah, Najas...another old haunt. I filled up my passport when I was in undergrad. It was great. :chr

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Uni is made from the urchins gonad's....so eat up! You can have my share. :tu

It's all about the OTORO!!! And Dustin, that pic you put up of the toro...damn! Haven't seen fatty tuna like that in while. yum!

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:) I love being a Sushi Tease LOL

What makes me really happy is that at two days old we are almost at six pages worth of sushi talk :D

God I love this ****.

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Guh, I hate that stuff. My wife loves the stuff. It's disgusting