A few basic ordering tips

Sushi Savvy -

OK, I've probably said this before... If you are at a sushi bar and want to get the best of the best you really need to put yourself in the 'chef's hands.' 'omakase' or 'chef's choice' is the way to go. At some places this can be a pricey and somewhat dangerous move. "Hey, who put the poisonous blow fish on the menu!?" [just kidding. very, very unlikely that you would get 'fugu' on any 'omakase' without warning] Yes, there are places where you can add that safety net caveat of, say, a specific price ceiling... "omakase, and can we do $50 each?" This is a fine approach and seems to work well in and around the Americas.

What about those days when you just want a couple of very specific slices of fish? You can certainly order a la carte. I'm not sure if this is deep seated tradition or just what I was raised with in Japan. Generally, I like to go with some sashimi followed by a few nigiri (simple fish on rice *not* a roll) followed by the tamago(egg omellette) Generally your local sushi bar in America will have a photo menu where you can identify the fish you are familiar with and these are named both in English and in Japanese.

Light meal with some good options? For a small dinner I generally go with maguro (tuna), hamachi (yellow tail), uni (sea urchin), unagi (grilled eel) and... also, it's generally a good idea to be open to options. Order a few. Ask the chef what's fresh or what's good today and go with the directives. This will generally ensure you get the good stuff that's really fresh. Also, if you are going to get a few rolls I would opt for 'o-shinko-maki' which is a roll made generally from the yellow Japanese pickle. It's a perfect palate cleanser. 'Inari-zushi' is sweet rice surrounded with a brown tofu bi-product. It's another delightful palate cleanser. Some places make these incredibly well, and I'll always give a new place a try to see if they are up to snuff. If the sushi bar offers 'miso' soup you might want to add that to the mix as well... Any rolls that come with fresh Japanese 'shiso' leaf are also generally a good idea. The 'shiso' leaf has an unreal flavor that's similar to basil only with an unusual and particular finish.

Experiment and have fun. Generally a good idea to learn some of the Japanese names for the fish you like. Hamachi and Maguro are pretty basic. If you pick up some of the more esoteric names, like 'meji' your sushi chef will see that you have done your homework and likely done some of this homework in Japan. There are a lot of options out there and your chef and wait staff should be happy to help with your ongoing education process.

You'll find that in many places they will serve your sushi in the order you place it. If you really want the 'tamago' to come at the *end* of your meal you might need to mention it in some places.

So, you are ordering a few at a time and want more? Ask and they will keep em coming. Final tip of the day? Tea. You are at the sushi bar, possibly in Japan, where the wait staff and chef are actually Japanese? Looking to score style points? When you ask for tea skip the standard 'o-cha' and ask for 'agari.' This is how you order tea when you are at a sushi bar in Japan. Kinda geeky? Esoteric? Sure, but the bar staff will know that you know your stuff. Gotta take the points where you can get em!

Have fun out there and enjoy the fish!