Tuesday, January 9, 2007

Enough Sushi for the ENTIRE Year.




My first meal of 2007 was at Todai, the all-you-can-eat sushi buffet that recently bought out Minado on 32nd Street. Minado was “the ultimate sushi buffet,” which started and operated solely on the East Coast. Todai is a larger sushi buffet chain, which started in California and now has 25 international locations.


With a larger restaurant, in this case, comes the be-all and end-all in stuff-your-gullet style sushi consumption. The buffet counter is 160 feet long and loaded with nearly everything. Below is a breakdown of the sections.


First, there is an assortment of nigiri and sushi rolls. These aren’t the rice-laden rolls that you’d expect at an all-you-can-fit-in-your-belly joint. These rolls are pretty; they are served on small plates and replenished frequently. Certainly a highlight for me was the salmon roe (ikura) nigiri, which came overflowing with the orange fish eggs.


After the rolls, there is a small section of sashimi, which always get nabbed the fastest, but if you hover around the section, the sashimi lady will get the gist and hook you up with a few pieces.


Following the impressive sushi selections is an array of Asian salads, including a delicious hijiki salad, a jicama salad, and a shitake and bok choy salad.


Your plate may be filled, but when you come back for seconds, you can pick up with a few shrimp off a massive cocktail display or grab a few giant oysters.


Or, you can skip to the hibachi where mackeral, jumbo shrimp, pork, chicken, and beef are all skewered onto bamboo sticks and grilled to perfection. Don’t miss the miso soup or the soba noodles directly after the grill station.


Third times a charm when you have spicy calamari, pork gyoza, beef teriyaki, and fried tofu from which to choose. Crab cakes, scallops, and a plethora of other hot entrees dot the never-ending buffet. And most of it is exceptionally worth devouring. At $25, you could eat enough sushi to last you all year.




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