Wassup B?

I have a great T-Shirt that depicts a smiling sushi roll (I'm guessing a Caliornia roll) with a flower in her "hair" greeting a curmudgeonly blob of green wasabi paste. She greets him with "Wassup B?!" I must confess it took me a few times before I understood the joke. Yes, I was an honors student....

But "wassup" is the fab meal we had Saturday night at Wasabi Bistro in Belltown. This hip, bustling joint was just the urban melting pot I've been craving lately. I just wish I had dressed a little more chic. Yes, I know in Seattle anything goes but that doesn't mean it should. The restaurant touts itself as Japanese Fusion so all of you sick of tragically hip bastardizing of simple foods may want to stop reading now. However, you'll be missing out.

First off, they have some of the most creative Sake cocktails I've ever had. I had a Japanese Gypsy which had pear sake, blueberry vodka, lime and I think something with ginger (it is not on their online menu). It was not that sweet, but was definitely smooth.

Paul got the spicy tofu with ginger sauce, which he loved. If we could make tofu with that kind of flavor, we'd have it more often. I opted for the Beef tataki with roasted garlic ponzu and wasabi aioli. It was delish. The meat was tender and perfectly cooked. But having had beef with veggies from our local Chinese restaurant the night before, I advise not have red meat for two nights in a row.

For entrees, I ordered the Volcano roll.which contained spicy tuna & asparagus topped with ahi & avocado, spicy mayo, unagi sauce, sriracha, tobiko, sprinkled w/ toasted macadamia nuts. It's hella spicy, I'm warning you and oh so yummy. This $14 trip to Heaven was one of the best sushi rolls I've ever had. Yes, it beat the rolls at Sushi Ran in Sausalito and the Kit's roll at Marina Sushi in SF - and that is a bold statement, believe me. It was like I got to combine the Kit's roll with a spicy tuna roll all in one. The ahi was so pink, delicate and fresh and the flavors meshed wonderfully in your mouth. I usually need a good balance between the rice and the fish on my rolls (too much raw fish in one bite makes me gag) but this was just a perfect blend. Paul, who hates all seafood (it was my birthday dinner so he graciously took me for sushi. Is he wonderful or what?) ordered the Green Decadence roll - green onion, asparagus tempura, wasabi aoli, topped with avocado. He absolutely raved about it and thought the aioli mixed with the flavors were just stellar.

That seemed to be the theme for us: food with perfectly blended and balanced ingredients. Notes were not too high or too low or too sharp - just a perfect symphony of flavor. For dessert, we dove into the Banana Split Tempura, a banana fried in a sweetened tempura batter split over ice cream. In my mind, more foods should be fried in tempura - it's so light and subtlely crispy. It was great, although they could have let the ice cream thaw a bit more before serving.

Prices were pretty reasonable for the food quality and atmosphere. They were even kind enough to move us when our initial table was next to a woman with the loudest laugh and voice that could have pierced glass. Now, that's good service.

It's a perfect happy hour spot, first date night, or group night out with the girls locale. Definitely a great find and we'll be heading back. So many other delicious rolls to try, so little time.