We really need to import this gameshow to the States

Big surprise, I was craving sushi this evening and really wanted to try Kuni's togo. As much as love sitting at a sushi bar and seeing the fish in the case I felt that I needed to try the most raved about sushi in Buffalo. I was not disappointed. The storefront and counter are very clean and attractive. It is full of books, sushi dish sets and assorted food items. The woman working the front counter was incredibly friendly and knowledgeable.

I ordered several of my standard items including maguro, hamachi, ika, spicy tuna hand roll, tobiko and a new item I have never had tako-su. The chef(s) at Kuni's really know what they are doing. The sushi rice was well...perfect. It was not to sweet or over powered with vinegar and it was packed loosely. What I really loved was every piece of nigiri had a small dab of wasabi sandwiched between the rice and fish. With the exception of the tobiko all of the pieces I ate were fresh, delicious and at par with what I expect when I have sushi. The tako-su, which is octopus, wakame seaweed and cucumbers sprinkled with sesame seeds, was very good. It's served with a thinned out sweet soy sauce.

The downside to this place is its only take out. Which I was well aware of going into it. I also thought the tobiko was barely edible. The spicy tuna sauce was straight sriracha out of the bottle, which is sort of too easy, although the rest of the roll was really awesome. All in all I thought this place had really great food and I can't wait to go back and try their other offerings.

I'm so thrilled to have a job again! I suppose this is kinda my second job in Buffalo after one week. Unfortunately Rue Franklin was only willing to give me two shifts a week which = James being broke. So I took a job this morning at Laughlins, which is actually next door to the Rue. So fortunately I will still be able to walk to work. I have never really eaten there so I'm not sure how the food is, but the beer selection there is pretty impressive. So I suppose I had better live it up for the next few days while I'm still on "vacation".

Not only do I get to post good news in this journal but this is my 10th blog. Hopefully that <10 thing will go away!

Btw, do either of you know of a place downtown that has fox soccer channel? I had to go up to Tully's on Niagara Falls Blvd to see the Manchester v. Reading game today. Is there anywhere closer to Allen st?

I had an early dinner tonight at O . I was craving sushi since I haven't had it since I moved to Buffalo. Although I have had many people proclaim Kuni's as the best sushi in town I was really in the mood to sit at the bar and order till I was full.

When I arrived I ordered a small bottle of nigori sake and I was served Edamame complimentary which was nice however it was tasted as though it sat around in the steamer tray for quite some time before my arrival. I ordered a spicy tuna hand roll to start while I perused the overwhelmingly extensive menu. O touts itself as a Japanese fusion restaurant yet it seemed as though it was nothing more than a hodgepodge of mixed cuisines featuring items such as Pho, Kimchee Fried Rice and Steak Frites. The spicy tuna hand roll I must admit was pretty decent. The spicy mayonnaise rivaled the best that I have ever had. After speaking with the chef I was informed that they had just switched purveyors and many of the things on the menu were not available today. No worries though I found items that I was in the mood for. After my first plate I ordered two pieces of Hamachi, 1 piece of Maguro, and 1 piece of Ika. All the fish was very fresh and was served in large hunks. Unfortunately the sushi rice was crap. It was not only too sweet, but packed so tightly that it was a mushy, starchy ball of goo.

The service was pleasant yet I felt very rushed especially since I was the only one eating at the sushi bar. I really just wanted to relax and enjoy it and not have a waitress asking me if was done more than once. Maybe I just resented the fact that they kept calling me "sir". The atmosphere would have been more enjoyable had it been dark. That way I may not have noticed a filthy soy sauce bottle, dirty fish case and a chef with an unlaundered shirt.

The final plate I had was two pieces of striped bass, which was on "special" today. I was concerned by this but figured they had just way too much of it (I suppose I will find out tomorrow). It was on par with the other pieces I had ordered, however when I received my bill it was double the price of the other pieces even though it was supposed to be 2 for the price of one. It was probably a mistake that I just didn't feel like raising a stink about.

All in all O's sushi is well...ok. They don't have a very large selection of nigiri. They have a lot of special maki rolls that I'm not a huge fan of but many people are, maybe those are great in comparison. I think management should really step of their game on the cleanliness issue and maybe tone down the menu a bit as well. Next time when I have a craving for sushi I should take the advice of (e:zobar) and go to Kuni's instead.