The first time I went to Romania I enjoyed a dinner with my coworkers at the Benihana in our hotel. Janeen was the only one among us who had ever had sushi and she convinced the rest of us to give it a shot, after all the company was picking up the tab. I was skeptical coming from a conservative household (both with politics and food) but was all in on the idea of new adventures and willing to get outside my bubble. Much to my surprise it was pretty amazing and I left that evening wanting more. As luck would have it the breakfast buffet they had at the hotel also offered a (limited) supply of sushi so I was able to scratch that itch for the duration of my stay.
Back state side my wife at the time wanted nothing to do with raw fish and wasn't willing to try it which meant that it was a number of years before I got to eat it again. Luckily I found my good buddy Steve was a huge fan too and so when the budget allowed we would sample sushi restaurants in the area. When I remarried I introduced my new bride and as luck would have it she was instantly sold on it. It should comes as no surprise then that from the time she could sit upright we introduced our youngest to this delicacy and she is even more voracious than we are. At the age of 8 she can eat about as much sashimi salmon as an adult!
I've sampled a lot of restaurants around town but our two favorites are the unassuming China Hut Sushi Lounge near us in the Northland and the unique train delivery system of Sakura in Shawnee. I will eat pretty much any of it but prefer yellowtail and calamari. I love all things spicy but don't often partake in the wasabi, it either overpowers the flavor or is too much hassle to get and keep on the fish. My wife loves the fried rolls and Bridget could eat salmon for pretty much every meal if we let her. Dave has never touched it and Alexander and Phaedra have had limited exposure. We've introduced a lot of friends and family with mixed results but a lot of wonderful memories are wrapped around sushi meals.
04/25/2021