Saturday afternoon my buddy R.J. and I went out to eat for his birthday. I mentioned that I'd seen a sushi place hanging their shingle on south State street, and he agreed to try it out. It was also an All You Can Eat sushi place. We bellied up to the bar and got started. The nigiri sushi (wee slabs o' fish over rolls of rice) were delicious, and quite fresh, but the restaurant had our complete and undivided attention when we tucked into the "Godzilla" roll. I'll make this short, because I don't have the vocabulary to properly describe what was going on in my mouth. See, I look for good sushi whenever the opportunity presents itself. I've bellied up to sushi bars in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento, Boston, Maryland, Austin, and Honolulu. You can take me at my word when I tell you that the Godzilla roll was easily the tastiest sushi I've ever had. R.J. agreed. Suffice it to say that if you like sushi and live in Utah Valley, you need to go to Sushi Ya, at 1545 South State St in Orem (east side of State, a little past the light 1600 S if you're coming uphill from Provo). For $18.95 per person you'll get some fantastic sushi -- especially if you make sure to order the Rocky Mountain Roll and the Godzilla Roll. Both are house creations, and are party-in-your-mouth delicious. There are a couple of house rules you should be aware of. This is not a buffet, where high prices cover the waste and gluttony of patrons who want to somehow "beat the system." You order your sushi one or two servings at a time. You have to eat the rice, too (sushi MEANS "rice"), and if you're wasting food there may be a surcharge. That said, neither R.J. nor I liked the yapi, a vegetarian hand-roll (fresh, crisp, and not what I wanted). Karl, our sushi chef, said that it was okay if we didn't finish it. That happens sometimes, and they understand (note: I ended up finishing it anyway, because the taste kind of grew on me.) Karl was awesome, by the way. Conversational, eager to please, and deftly expert. Sadly, he's headed back up to the home store now that he's gotten everybody trained. That reminds me... there is a Sushi Ya under the same management in Twin Falls, and that's where Karl works. I don't know the address ( this might be the place), but I've met the guy who'll be serving you, so I'm pretty confident in the food. Naturally I have an ulterior motive here. I can't afford to keep Sushi Ya in Orem open all by myself. They flung their doors wide just one short week ago, and richly deserve your patronage, if only so that when I can afford to treat myself to another evening of sushi I have a great place to do it. And if you DO stop in, go ahead and mention this review.
