Sushi Tora

As of last Wednesday, I still had not had any sushi – sacrilege, I know! But in all truth, there are many other equally important national dishes that have nothing to do with raw fish. Pork and beef are huge, and many places serve fish that has been grilled or baked. So, while sushi is an important part of the Japanese diet, it is not the be-all-end-all of culture and cuisine here.

Nonetheless, I still love it and I was dying to have some. So, Luke and I hopped on our bikes and went to Sushi Tora. I know, same name as our favorite sushi restaurant in Boulder – totally different experience!

First off, all the seating is right up next to the sushi bar. That’s because sushi in this part of Japan is almost always served “kaiten,” or on a conveyor belt. That is, all the little plates rotate around the restaurant and you just pull off whatever looks good. Check out my pictures to see how fast these guys make the sushi – they keep the belt pretty much full at all times.

And of course the other major, and most important difference, is the quality of the fish. That’s not to say that Sushi Tora in Boulder doesn’t serve up some excellent sashimi, but when you’re this close to many major fishing ports, the grade is much higher.

We snapped up plates of tuna, eel, salmon and even fried chicken (they LOVE fried chicken here – I’d say it’s as common, if not more, than fish!). I stayed away from the raw chicken, but other than that, we sampled most of what they had to offer. And when it’s all said and done, they calculate your bill based on how many plates you have in front of you and what design they are (plates are design/color-coded to reflect the price of the item).

Not only was this sushi experience second-to-none in terms of taste and quality, but it was extremely efficient as well. Very Japanese, it seems.