Yokohama Sushi

Sometimes average food with friendly service is a more enjoyable experience than if you're dining on Grade A foie gras served by a bunch of assh*les.

Yokohama is located in the Wyndham Garden Inn at the corner of Baronne and Common, a location more known for abandoned office buildings than dining options. The clientele tends toward office workers during lunch and basically no one at dinner except the lone hotel guest in search for a convenient meal. While the restaurant is usually busy during the lunch rush, Yokohama is still under the radar enough so that there is rarely a wait for a table, and the service is efficient enough such that a 60 minute lunch is doable.

Yokohama was opened this past November by the brother of the owner of a sushi bar on the Westbank - could be Cafe Zen or Tennou Sushi, I can't remember. Though I can't speak for the entire menu, the sushi at Yokohama is good (not great) and served in sizable portions at relatively inexpensive prices. The Emperor Roll Special ($13) starts with miso soup and house salad with ginger dressing, followed by full orders of spicy salmon, spicy tuna, and yellowtail rolls. If you need some more razzle dazzle, the M&M Roll (above) is stuffed with shrimp tempura and snowcrab, topped with tuna and avocado, and dressed with eel sauce.

But the most telling characteristic of Yokohama is the friendly service. Ming, who tends the sushi bar almost every day, always has a welcoming smile and a suggestion for what to order. After my first visit when he learned that I like the spicy stuff, Ming recommended the Yokohama Special Salad for my next visit, which I gladly took him up on. The combination of sliced raw fish, lettuce, cucumber, and seaweed dressed with ponzu and sriracha was light, refreshing and right up my alley.

The meal usually ends with the requisite slices of fresh orange, but some diners are offered a complimentary tempura fried banana made to look like a yellow caterpillar with cherry eyes. All part of the service with a smile, at Yokohama.

Yokohama Sushi - Par