In the Zone

When I first met Vinny, he told me about his favorite sushi place, Sushi Zone, and how difficult it is to eat there. But he said the sushi is first class and worth the trouble. He's brought it up over the last five months, and we made the effort to eat there today. The place is almost hidden on a tiny side street off of Market, the kind of place that you'd miss if you weren't looking for it. Inside, it's super small, probably no bigger than my bedroom, with two booth-style tables and a counter that seats eight, maybe. They open at 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and unless you are the first ten people in line, there is at least an hour wait—more likely two hours—throughout the night, until they close around ten. So we walked over at 4 p.m. and copped a squat right at the front door. We were the first people there. Luckily, Andrew agreed to join us, so we were ensured our table for dinner.

There was one thing that we absolutely had to try, the Hawaiian #2, which was albacore and mango rolled in macadamia nuts. This is Vinny's favorite and the reason he loves coming here. It was good, if not a little sweet and surprising. It's definitely not what I would expect from sushi. We had a spicy hamachi, spicy tuna, and spicy unagi, with an Alaskan roll and a couple of nigiri, hamachi and tuna. The spicy hamachi and spicy tuna were my preferred rolls at the "Zone." They were not as spicy as I thought they would be and the addition of lime to the hamachi was pleasant.

Now, I'm no connoisseur of sushi. I'm a relatively new convert to the whole experience. In fact, it wasn't six months ago that I was still ordering a bento box of teriyaki chicken and tempura while the rest of the table had rolls and nigiri. I had tried the ubiquitous California roll, which even I knew was a cop out to trying real sushi, but sushi never appealed to me. When I met Vinny, I was so eager to grow and expand my tastes that when he said he favored Asian cuisines over anything else, I knew I had to change. The first time we went to sushi in the Mission, I was hesitant to try anything, claiming that I was still full from lunch (which never happens, by the way, in case I ever use that excuse). But after a cup of sake, I tried a few different rolls and found that I enjoyed it. It's a little daunting to put the whole thing in my mouth at once—I prefer smaller bites—but that's the way to to do it, so I do it. And I'm eager to do it more and more. I am really falling for sushi.

All said, it was a great meal with a good mix of flavors and textures. I would definitely like to go back for another round, and I'll even sit outside on the sidewalk for an hour before they open to do so.