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A while ago I posted here about how I should give sushi another try, after one so-so experience in a Japanese steak house. Last night, I gave sushi that second chance.

My bf bought a Groupon for a Japanese restaurant that would normally be way too expensive to bother with. The discount meant a free entree, so we could try a couple sushi rolls without going broke. I know pretty much zilch about sushi, but what he picked for us sounded ok- eel with cucumber, and a "spider roll", that is, soft-shell crab, asparagus, and cucumber with spicy mayo.

I spent the lion's share of my life assuming that I would never eat eel. Just, no. lol. But bf loves eel sushi and I was told here in the guild that eel sushi is awesome, so, ok, "I will try the eel," I said.

It wasn't bad. I didn't taste anything that would stand out as eel. Apparently sushi is about mixing flavors, not making select tastes pop. Half the roll, three pieces, was more filling than it looked.

The spider roll, meanwhile, was pretty awesome. The roll had been sliced into four large discs, two of which had deep-fried crab legs sticking out of them. Kind of morbid, but kind of intriguing. The spicy mayo was uncomfortably spicy but the flavor was pleasing; the crab meat was firm and somehow both sweet and hearty at once. My bf really adored the spider roll, so I told him he could have the last piece which meant I only got one, but thanks to the eel sushi I was filling up anyway. I was a bit nervous I wouldn't have room for the entree. #FirstWorldProblems

The entree, btw, was a Korean dish called bibimbap. Julienned carrots, nearly translucent bean sprouts, shreds of mushroom, spinach, sliced beef and plenty of rice served in a very hot stone bowl. I removed the fried egg on top because I hate fried eggs. Normally I hate mixed vegetables, too, but the stirred-up nature of the meal erased individual flavors just as the sushi rolls had. The stone bowl stayed hot long after I thought it had cooled; several minutes in I tossed everything a bit, ate a bite that had been on the bottom and burned my mouth.

What I learned from the evening out:

*You can't taste eel, or the cucumber for that matter, in a piece of eel-with-cucumber sushi. The flavors combine too well. So experimentation with different sushis is probably more painless than experimenting with Western cooking can be.
*Crab meat is awesome.
*Korean cuisine looks quite promising.
*Being with a good man may make you more adventurous in dining, because you want to try the things he really loves to eat.

You could try looking into the ones that are cooked.

I personally prefer raw fish in mine, but the ones with cooked fish are good. If you can find it in other places, Lion King and Lion Prince are both cooked. So is Black Hole.

NEVER go for the packaged ones from stores. Get them freshly made.

I need to try a Spider Roll sometime, it sounds great.

I don't like the raw fish ones because the texture kills it for me.
I love love love crab and shrimp stuff though, and some of the places near me do cooked salmon in a few rolls with is great. I also like when they have scallops.