Sushi Fest 2010

Ok, so maybe I didn’t attend the real sushi fest. But when you have sushi three times in less than 24 hours your mind can be tricked into thinking that. Yes, three times in less than 24 hours.

It started last night, I had a craving for sushi and stopped by Harris Teeter for a quick fix. I’ve never had any issues with HT sushi except seeing it’s supermarket sushi, it’s not going to be restaurant quality. Regardless, it’s always been enough to satisfy my craving. I got a Tsunami Roll and Shrimp Rolls (shut it, I was hungry) I grabbed some extra chopsticks and soy sauce since I am ghetto and don’t want to buy some with my own money was on my merry way.

I opened the container up and it smelled funky. That couldn’t be good. I tried one piece and BLECH. Oh well, maybe I got one bad piece right? So I tried another…..nope, still not good. And three times the charm so one more, negatron. I was not going to risk eating some bad sush and get violently ill so as much as it pains me, I threw it away. But it was all good because I still had my shrimp roll.

When I opened this one up, the smell hit me again but this time it was worse-wtf? And it wasn’t even fresh shrimp, it looked like the mini shrimp babies you get in a can. I tried two pieces of this and you know where it went?

In the garbage with the Tsunami Roll. I hate hate hate wasting food but this was the only solution with the sushi smelling and tasting the way it did. Harris Teeter, you have failed me big time and I will NOT be buying your sushi again.

Scarred from my bad experience, I put on my comfy clothes and laid on the couch with Linky a little pissed off about my bad meal. My friend texted me and told me that Dolce Vita Wine Bar had Sushi Thursdays and I contemplated for a minute going. I was in my comfy clothes and really didn’t want to get off my butt but what if Dolce Vita totally redeemed my sushi experience for the night? That being said, I got up and got ready to go out. I had today off from work so I could sleep in. Dolce Vita was adorable! It’s a cozy wine bar nestled in NoDa section of Charlotte which is the arty section of town. When we walked in, there was one table available which was fine but I was hoping to score one of the cushioned seats. And then I looked over at the table next to us…..and saw a guy who I went out with last year. He saw me and it was a bit awkward since he was with a chick and neither of us acknowledged each other. I think it’s safe to say after going out with me and then this new girl, he likes a girl with junk in her trunk. More power to him, we need more men like that our there that are in support of Team Booty.

The sushi makers were going to pack up soon and I ordered the Hawaiian Tropic Roll

So pretty topped with avocado, mango and Sriracha sauce. That right there is redemption. Fresh, tasty and spicy. Thanks Dolce for making my evening right again!

After my great experience last night, I was in sushi heaven! I called one of my friends who works from home and asked her if she wanted to do lunch at Pisces Sushi  since they offer an all you can east sushi buffet for $11.95 on the week days. I’ve been wanting to go but never can get over there in time from work and was stoked that I would finally get to check it out today.

They sat us in one of their swanky booths—so modern and funky!

We had to wait quite awhile for a server to come up and greet us but once they did, they apologized for the wait and were prompt from thereon. And yeah, that’s my only gripe about my experience there.

How the sushi buffet works–it’s not a traditional, go up and get it buffet ala Golden Coral yet instead they bring you the menu and you can order up to 10 items at a time from the all you can eat menu. They had a vast selection of rolls, nigiri, rice, noodles and spring rolls. My friend said the garlic noodles were terrific so I started with a side order of that. When they came out, it was a perfect size to start with since I didn’t want to fill up on carbs and after wards, I could’ve kept a vampire away with all the garlic flavoring (I’m Italian so it’s in my blood therefore I don’t mind extra garlic).

The rolls were fresh and fantastic. I think I tried about half of them and even after my friends left to go back to work, I hung around. I am all about getting my moneys worth and then some and I wanted to get as much bang for my $11.95 tab. The eel nigiri was by far my fave–very fresh and meaty and the shrimp tempura roll was equally awesome. I was stuffed to the gills!!

And then, I was a happy girl. I was pleasantly full and walked over to Trader Joe’s to get some random items. And you know who I saw when I was checking out? Dude who I saw at Dolce Vita last night. Turns out he is working at TJ’s now so that means every time I go there now, I have to look super cute. Not that takes a lot of work of anything 🙂 but still, more work on my part. I don’t like how he’s infiltrating my life.

Besides that, the eats have been yummy but nothing mind-blowing

Dunkin Donuts has a pumpkin donut?? When did this happen? It was absolutely terrific after a 45 minute walk this morning. A walk that involved some beautiful fall foliage

And with that, I think I’m going to nap right along with this little guy. Hope you all are having a happy Friday!!