Mr Sushi – Encinitas
Dr. Steve and I met up for lunch at Mr Sushi in Encinitas. For the record, the Doctor and I prefer our sushi on the medium to somewhat adventuresome side. That’s to say, California rolls aren’t that interesting, nigiri made from fish (tuna, salmon, yellowtail, halibut, etc.) is awesome, most rolls are delicious, and we don’t prefer the more exotic stuff (uni, mollusks, roe, etc). I know some people might say I’m being a big sissy, but there was a time when the only sushi I’d eat was a California roll, so I expect my sushi palate to continue to develop.
That being said, the Doctor and I are a somewhat hesitant to visit the high-end sushi bars and put ourselves entirely in the hands of the itamae by ordering the “chef’s choice”. That seems to be what true sushi connoisseurs do. Mr Sushi is more suited to my style. The fish is fresh, the mood is relaxed, and the prices aren’t too bad. I apologize for only having 1 acceptable picture from lunch, but I was having a “bad camera day”. Dr. Steve’s lovely wife loves the Crunchy roll, so we ordered one of them. Nigiri (unagi, tuna, yellowtail, scallops), two crab handrolls, and a Spanish roll completed our order.
The Crunchy roll here is Shrimp Tempura and California roll inside with Tempura flakes and eel sauce on the outside. It was very good. I really liked the Spanish roll, which was crab, cilantro, cucumber and green onion inside and salmon, lime juice and Ponzu sauce outside. It was garnished with thin slices of lime, too. I thought it was very tasty, but I’d omit the lime slices next time. The lime skin was a little tough and bitter.
The crab handrolls were made with real snow crab, not Krab, cucumber and avocado. Very good. The fish on all the nigiri sushi was very fresh and served at the right temperature.
The Doctor and I were both pretty full. The above sushi and a couple of iced teas were $65, before tip. Not exactly a cheap lunch, but not off the charts, either.
Personally, I pass on raw fish, but so glad you enjoyed it. Give me spaghetti or one of the other wonderful dishes you wrote about. Wanted to say I like the enlargement of your book picture — looks good. xxxooo
Well, at least some of it was cooked. I agree, it’s an acquired taste, but 130 Million Japanese can’t be wrong. We should try some “beginner” sushi sometime…