My roommates and I live near a good sushi restaurant that offers all-you-can-eat sushi on Tuesday and Wednesday nights (for a hefty price). One of my roommates is in grad school at a very small college and recently got the position of TA . . . for her entire department! We decided that was a good excuse to finally stuff ourselves silly on sushi. Tomorrow night, I finally get to ignore the prices and order whatever I want. I’m no sushi novice, and I’m fairly adventurous, but there’s a lot I haven’t tried simply becuase I usually stick to what’s cheap and what I know I like. At the same time, I don’t think I have the stomach capacity to try everything on the menu. So, what are your favorite sushi/sashimi? What should I be sure not to miss?
I’m partial to eel and the cream cheese & salmon rolls.
I love the eel/yakuza rolls, anything with cream cheese, anything with smoked salmon, and anything with spicy mayo. If you can get any rolls dipped in tempura batter and lightly fried, by all means try them too.
I love all-you-can-eat sushi, and especially the opportunity it gives me to ignore the high prices and experiment with new tastes. You should try all the larger and more intricate rolls they usually list on the rear side of the menu, which are always more expensive than your usual tuna/salmon/California rolls.
Hey! I go to that place! Or at least the one nearest my house (there are 2(?) in the area)
My faves:
Tamago (egg)
Scallop
Vegetable tempura (roll)
We’re thinking of going for the all-you-can-eat evening sometime soon.
So far we’ve only been for by-the-piece.
Try the scallop sushi, samon skin rolls, and Unagi (cooked Eel) if they have it. Give fish eggs a try since you won’t fell you have to finish it if you don’t like it.
Second the tempura recommendation. Also, if they have a smoked salmon roll, try that. It is very different from regular salmon.
Just be careful - Some all you can eat sushi places also have an eat it ALL policy - didn’t finish? Ate the fish but not the rice? Pay full price!
If it is not to probing, may I ask how much is, “a hefty price?” It sounds interesting, but I’m curious what would be an average charge for something like that from a decent restaurant.
There’s a place a couple of miles up the street from us that has AYCE sushi every night ('cept Monday’s, when they’re closed) for about $22.00 a head. Not only can you get all the sushi you want, you can also order anything else on the menu. kaylasmom usually likes to get a couple of crunch rolls (a tempura-battered shrimp inside), a California roll, some yellowtail, and some eel. I’m quite partial to the rainbow roll. Maguro (tuna) is another favorite.
At this place, you’re allowed one hour to gorge yourself, and they’re speedy enough to fill you to the top of your esophagus in that time.
Anything tempura. Also anything crab. I don’t care for salmon, but anything else is OK by me!
Todai is a chain that is all-you-can-eat. You either love it or hate it.
If you are ever in the Seattle/Bellevue WA area, try a place called Sushiland. The stuff comes round to you on a conveyer belt. They have color coded plates so you just stack what you eat. Cheap, too.
Second the recommendation for any tempura-battered-and-fried rolls. I don’t really like sushi in general, but those are a gift from God. Especially the tempura-dipped California rolls. Dang.
May favorites are the eel and crab.
Motorgirl, we’re going to Mr. Sushi in Arlington Center.
The all-you-can-eat is around $22-$25, I don’t remember exactly. Which, I admit, is not too hefty as sushi goes, but it’s a splurge for us.
My favorites are the broiled eel, salmon roe and sea urchin roe, but I’ve never tried smoked salmon or anything with cream cheese or tempura.
I hope they don’t have a time limit. We were planning on taking our time, eating slowly and drinking plenty of sake!
Actually I wouldnt worry about what we think you should get. All you can eat is a great opportunity for you to try everything and decide for yourself what you like. However some all you can eat sushi rest. have a specific all you can eat menu…in this case my advice isnt quite as good.
That’s my sushi place, too. 
Please report back after you’ve gone if you find out there are any restrictions on type, time, etc.
We’re thinking of taking a friend there who can’t really afford sushi right now, but is in great need of all-you-can-eat places. He has a disorder where he has to strive to eat as much as he can, or he loses weight. Needless to say, feeding him sushi can be expensive!
If I could only have one variety of food for the rest of my life, it would be sushi.
I love it. I go to an AYCE buffet here in Houston at least once a month.
Today, I am actually going to a per piece sushi bar.
My favorite type of sushi is nigiri.
Nigiri is a little football-shaped ball of rice with a sliver of meat or egg on top.
My favorites are ebi (boiled shrimp) or kani (crab meat).
I like the simplicity. Though there are a lot of carbs in rice, if you are just eating rice and boiled seafood you aren’t taking in as many calories. Dipping it in soy and wasabi (MMMMmmmm…wasabi) makes for a great meal.
If you ever want to introduce someone to sushi who gives you the “Ewww…RAW FISH!” line, get them to try kani or ebi. They are both cooked and taste excellent.
Try Ama Ebi. It’s “sweet shrimp”. It’s small raw shrimp - fantastic!
Sometimes they deep fry the heads for you - also very good!
I haven’t had my fill of really good sushi in a while. Japan kind of spoiled in that whenever I eat sushi it’s either not up to my standards or really expensive. Eat what you like, of course, but following some of the suggestions here would be like going to a Chinese banquet and loading up on pork fried rice and chicken lo mein.
If you’re an adventurous eater and want to get value for a qulaity sushi dinner, you want to mostly avoid run-of-the-mill stuff and try out high-end items that aren’t found on the average sushi combo platter. For the most part, concentrate on nigiri-sushi over rolls. You want to be eating more fish and less cucumber or avocado.
My suggestions:
Toro: Ordinary tuna is called maguro and is wonderful. Higher quality tuna is called toro (chu-toro or o-toro) and is melt in your mouth good.
Hamachi: Yellowtail
Tai: Sea Bream
Anago: Conger eel. Quite diefferent from regular eel (unagi)
Amaebi: Sweet Shrimp.
Hotate: Scallop
Kani: Crab
Akami: Don’t know what it is in English, but it’s delicious. Meaning is “red shellfish”
Negitoro: The one roll I would recommend. it’s a cone-shaped hand roll with minced tuna and scallion.
Other stuff that you may or may not want to try:
Uni: Sea urchin roe. I can’t stand it, but it is a pricy delicacy.
Shakko: Mantis shrimp.
Aji: Mackerel. very strong flavor
Hotaru: Firefly squid. Tiny and tender, with the the whole squid.
sea urchin
First, order Tamago Nigiri, the finger-shaped egg-sushi. If the egg isn’t firm, moist, sweet and fresh, then you’re in trouble. If they can’t get the tamago nigiri correct, then the other stuff is suspect.
If the place doesn’t serve green tea, or if it serves green tea incorrectly, there may be problems. If the place doesn’t serve both hot and cold saki, ditto.
Nigiri: finger-shaped rice bed topped with ingredients (wasabi is between the rice and the ingredients on top).
Kani: Crab, sweet, firm
Tamago: Egg, sweet, firm
Hiromaguro: White Tuna, raw, get it with sesami, similar to Albacore Tuna
Toro: Belly-fat Tuna, raw, veeeeeeery fishy, but considered to be good
Maguro: Middle or Pink Tuna, served raw or smoked. Safer than toro
Unagi: Eel. Kinda slimy, like the sushi version of spare ribs. It can be good.
Tako: Squid, cheeeeeeeewy as Hell
Octupus: Cheeeeeewy as Hell
Gunkan Maki: “Battleship Roll”: A cylinder of seaweed, with a rice floor. The toppings fill the cylinder. This type of sushi is frequently mislabeled “Ikura,” which is a type of roe (Salmon, I think). Any sort of Roe/Ikura-style sushi: Fish eggs, generally salty, generally served as gunkan-maki, a cup-like sushi built from seaweed and rice. Places I like does a spicy scallop gunkan-maki, and also a baked scallop salad gunkan-maki.
Ask the sushi guys for their recommendations.
Think in terms of several parameters: Cooked/Smoked/Raw; Firm/Chewy/Soft/Squishy; Spicy/Not Spicy; Sweet/Not Sweet; Fishy/Not So Fishy.
If you specify your flavour/texture preferences, they can provide matching items.
And as a parting shot, please try the items first without saturation by soy sauce/ginger/wasabi. These things can be abused and can distort the flavour of the items. The only correct beverages as companions to sushi are saki and green tea.