Twenty years ago, you'd have to look hard to find good sushi and sashimi beyond the original points of contact in California. Larger cities might support a good sushi chef, who knew his fish and could present the bits of seafood and rice with the requisite minimalist art. Now you can watch the cable food channel and make the stuff yourself. But if you'd rather not gamble on your fresh fish expertise, even Tucson has more than a dozen places serving sushi. And while the rooms are by no means grand, the all-important emphasis on food arrangement and presentation are exemplary.
Any dish here comes from the kitchen or sushi bar with fine attention to visual detail.
Your lunch might begin with a more simple bowl of miso soup, followed with sushi and spicy tuna roll. They also serve beige, marbled albacore belly, a rare treat, and the minute orange globes of smelt eggs wrapped in crackling, emerald green seaweed, the roe bursting with subtle sea-taste on the tongue. Large bowls of udon provide a complete lunch, with perfect shrimp and strips of beef and vegetables floating amid curling noodles. Beautifully arranged platters of golden, thinly-coated tempura vegetables come along with grilled beef teriyaki nestled on a mound of white rice. You'll also find box lunches and several Korean grilled items.