On the Market.

Ever get that itch for some great sushi? No? Neither did I really until I tried Wasabi’s. This quaint little restaurant features some of the best selections of sushi and sashimi that I’ve every had the pleasure of throwing down my gullet. Rebecca and I took the boy and her parents out for dinner the other night. Her folks aren’t exactly the regular clientèle of a place like Wasabi’s, but they are adventurous, so they went along with our invitation to dinner.

The dinner was started with some very nice Miso soup, and a nice green salad with Wasabi’s own ginger dressing and was enjoyed by all. The in-laws ordered the Stir Fried Beef and they both enjoyed their main courses.

The boy was quite adventurous on this particular evening and ordered Tako, which is octopus, and the Ika, or calamari, salad. He cleaned his plate of the Tako, but didn’t quite finish the Ika salad. He did take it to go, however.

Rebecca ordered her favorite, California Roll, along with Sweet Potato Tempura Roll which she now claims is her new favorite. It was the first time that she had tried it, and I had a piece and it was very good.

She also beat me into ordering one of my favorites, the Sumo Roll, which is a grilled tuna, tempura fried roll covered in a special sauce. Additionally she ate a bit of Cody’s Tako and found she much enjoyed the flavor, despite its strange texture.

I was left to order my other favorite, the Electric Eel, a combination of eel, cream cheese, and jalapeño which I always enjoy. I then ordered the Samurai Roll, spicy tuna wrapped in cucumber, as a replacement to the Sumo that I had planned on ordering.

We all had saved a bit of room for dessert, so it was time to stuff ourselves a bit. The guys all ordered the tempura fried bananas, while Rebecca had ordered the Lechee ice cream. After experiencing a spoonful, her mother decided to get her own dish as well. That has to be a ringing endorsement of how good that particular dish was if I ever heard one. Over all the evening went spectacularly, the boy and in-laws enjoyed a great dinner, and Rebecca and I were able to try some new dishes and step away from our favorites a bit as well. If you like sushi, or are just looking to be adventurous in your culinary experiences, I would highly recommend you drop on by.

Wasabi’s is located at 214 Market Street in downtown Roanoke and is open Monday through Saturday from 11:30am - 3pm for lunch and from 5pm - 10pm for dinner. You can make reservations by calling (540) 904 - MAKI.