Sushi
Club stuffs yuppies with great food
By Michael Alian, Outpost contributor
Talking on a cell phone and driving a sport utility vehicle might make you a yuppie. But if you aren't a yuppie and aspire to be one, the best place to get started is Sushi Club. Sushi is in vogue, and Sushi Club in Reno's Independence Square is where you can become a sushi expert.
Walking into this Sushi restaurant, you're bombarded by the pretty 20-somethings with the obligatory cellular phones and pagers. This is yuppie central, but this is also the place to nibble on the best sushi Reno has to offer.
Sushi Club offers all-you-can-eat lunch and dinner. The best part - there are no time restrictions. At most sushi bars in Reno, like Aloha Sushi on Kietzke, you only have a couple hours to gobble-down all the sushi you can. But at Sushi Club, you can take as much time as you like.
I dragged a sushi fan of mine to lunch on a Monday. I'm not an expert; he is. The best place to chow-down on sushi is the bar. This is the only way to eat at Sushi Club. There are tables available. But if you really want to be hip with the sushi crowd, you must sit at the bar. Everyone at the bar is friendly. Don't be surprised if your neighbor asks you what's in your chopsticks.
Sushi Club was hopping. We waited about a half hour to get two spots at the bar. Our mistake was arriving the same time as the rest of the lunch crowd. If we showed up before or after the noon crunch, we probably wouldn't have had to wait. But the wait wasn't bad. Our gracious host kept us occupied with beverages and repeatedly reminded us our seats weren't far away. Nice to know he didn't forget us.
Our host wasn't the only pleasant surprise for this lunch gorge-fest. Wayne was our chef. From the moment we sat down, he was ready to whip up some of the best sushi in town. Wayne was taking care of about 10 customers at the same time, but you wouldn't even know it. Why? Whenever we finished a so-called sushi roll, Wayne was waiting and ready to prepare the next delight. Great service like this keeps you eating, and eating, and eating.
Eating is what you'll enjoy most at Sushi Club. If you're not already a Sushi fan, you will be when you walk out of this restaurant. The whole experience starts with a small salad and soup called Fugu-chiri. That's blowfish soup and probably not really worth your time. It's not a tasty soup; it's water-based and very dull. But the small salad with just grated lettuce and dressing was a pleasant surprise. The dressing is sweet, just perfect for a lunch treat. Plus it's the ideal way to get your stomach primed for sushi.
I'm a baby when it comes to trying new things. But Sushi Club is the ideal place for the sushi virgin to get his feet wet. The menu offers just about anything a sushi lover can want. Some of my favorite rolls: the San Francisco roll, tuna roll, and rainbow roll. But beware, if you need to be back at work right after eating at Sushi Club, you might avoid the rainbow roll. It's covered in fish eggs that will stick in your teeth. Not very attractive. Some of the rolls available I've never seen anywhere before. There's even a Reno roll. What's in it? Who cares, it's a hometown delicacy.
The sushi rolls weren't the only delights at lunch. I enjoyed the fresh salmon and fresh shrimp. They didn't smell, and everything was chilled.
I like my food spicy. Sushi is usually dipped into a mixture of wasabi, a spicy Japanese paste, and soy sauce. I'm a wasabi freak; the more the better. If you like your sushi spicy, just ask your chef. I told Wayne I enjoy a spicy tuna roll, and he once again delivered. Unfortunately, Wayne also delivered the fresh eel. It's fresh all right, but entirely too fishy tasting for a beginning sushi eater.
Sushi Club isn't the best place for children. It's a hip, youthful restaurant, so you probably wont see many youngsters bellying-up to the sushi bar. If you really want to take your children, Sushi Club offers some help. An entire cooked menu for the little ones is available. During our lunch, the kitchen prepared chicken for one preschool-aged boy. Shrimp tempura is also on the cooked menu. No child ever turns down shrimp. Sushi Club does take care of the entire family. But remember, this is sushi, not Chuck E. Cheese.
Most people are turned off by sushi because of the high price. At Sushi Club, the all-you-can-eat lunch is just $12.95 and dinner is $17.95. That's even less than some of Reno's better buffets. You don't have to go the all-you-can-eat route, but I recommend you do. With the average roll costing about $8, it's a great deal. When was the last time you had lunch with a friend and the bill only came to $27.78? A great deal for a great meal.
Don't forget a hefty tip. Sushi Club takes very good care of you with attentive service, hip atmosphere and excellent sushi. Whatever you do, don't forget your cell phone. You wouldn't fit-in without it.
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Independence Square 294 E. Moana Lane, Unit 1 (775) 828-7311 |
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High point: Service with a smile, no time
limits on all-you-can-eat orders. |
Posted
Dec. 1, 1999
Copyright 1999
Nevada Outpost
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