Restaurant review: Sono sushi

March 13th, 2008

http://www.sonoraleigh.com

For several years now, I’ve had an bunch of friends that get together about once a month to consume vast quantities of raw–and cooked–fishies. Our group’s been going out long enough now that we’ve tried a good number of the sushi places in the area… and we all have our favorites.

When we can’t all get together (or aren’t sure our dozen-plus table will fit in the establishment), we send out a scouting party. This past week, a handful of us took an after-work jaunt to the revitalized downtown area and the newly-opened Sono. We’d heard good things, and we weren’t disappointed.

The decor, for starters, was lovely. Low-lit, glowing red and laquered black with wide, comfortable booths and comfortable chairs. The art was a fun departure from the stock tapestries and dragons motif–instead it leaned more modern, with stands of odd-shaped high-gloss bamboo and large screen-printed photography covering an entire wall. The lost shoe was an odd whimsical touch I loved.

As for the food and service–not a thing was lost. We got a handful of starters–fantastic tempura calimari with their fantastic ‘o’ sauce (an aoli-like mayo-based concoction), some wonton-wrapped shrimp with a sweet-spicy glaze, and panko-coated hot wings with a sticky sweet soy based sauce. Another friend got a tempura-ed tofu salad–she was disappointed that the salad itself was a bit dry, but the tofu was quite tasty.

We love to try the appetizers, but the real test would be the sushi. We picked a handful of rolls from the gorgeous glossy menu (the online version’s just as drool-worthy), and got a few pieces of straight up rice-and-fish. The straight sushi was fantastic–cool buttery fish, perfectly formed rice, evenly distributed schmear of wasabi.

The rolls were inventive–we tried the Crunchy Diablo, and the jalepeno-laced roll was both spicy and flavorful. Not really what you’d think of when you think sushi, but really fun to eat and delightfully presented (split down the center instead of sliced into disks). Sono’s version of ebi maki, with sweet shrimp, crab, avocado, asparagus, and cucumber was light and refreshing. The vegetable roll, with tempura sweet potato and asparagus, was adequate but did not surpass the area’s by-far best veggie roll, the Count Basie (from Sushi Blues). Their version of a Spicy Tempura roll was as good as Wasabi’s I/O Dragon (also an area standard for sushi deliciousness).

We also tried the Lava, the Hard Rock, and the Maryland. Lava was a substantial roll, with cream cheese and crab in the roll, and a baked scallop and seafood mix on top. The flavor was good, and the cream cheese and the smooth baked seafood were complimentary. Hard Rock and Maryland were more typical rolls, both well-executed. It’s worth noting, also, that presentation was as elegant as the decor. Nests of paper-thin vegetable peelings held single blooms on simple plateware. Quite polished. And the silverware was gorgeous, heavy, substantial. No detail left undone.

The singular stand-out roll of the night was the Piano. Entirely unexpected, but totally yummy. Generally rolls with wasabi /sauce/ pack a bit too much punch, but the avocado wrap and the contrasting sweet sauce evened it all out beautifully.

One member of our party–not a fan of the sushi, generally–ordered a regular entree. She got a scallop and shrimp dish, served over risotto with a halo of frizzly fried scallions. It was equally as well-executed, the scallops and shrimp both properly cooked and the sauce not overpowering. The risotto was creamy and substantially studded with mushrooms.

We lacked any room for dessert but did take a peek at the dessert offerings for posterity. We were disappointed not to see a lot of variety–they seem to specialize in mousse and custard-type finishings, though they did have an extensive after-dinner drink / coffee offering.

The biggest–and best–surprise came at the end of the evening. Our usual sushi outings run in the fairly-expensive range, with an average diner (drinks, appetizers, and two rolls or several a la carte selections) in the $40-50 range. We all got out of Soho for around $30 apiece, which was even more pleasing since there was no corresponding drop in quality or environs. A total win.

Summary: It won’t replace Wasabi as the sushi crowd’s main squeeze (its location , the additional thai menu offerings, and the convenient back room we can take over with our crowd still keep it on top), but it’ll certainly be entertaining us on the sly side. Delicious, surprisingly less expensive than the norm, and gorgeous inside. Definitely recommend.

Not dead? No.

March 10th, 2008

Contrary to the actual appearance of this blog, I am still alive over here in my little corner–medium-sized corner?–of the internets.

What conspires to keep a random blogger down? Mostly, the fact that I spend a good portion of my day at work staring at a similar interface and don’t want to continue looking at it from the flip side. Also significant, the time I used to spend dorking around on the internet in general is now spent dorking around the internet in Second Life.

Constructing essays and editing content happen on a daily basis… I come home to rest and… build things. Buildings. Jewelry. Plants. Graveyards. I spent a recent laughter-filled Saturday afternoon–completely by myself in the real world–constructing a burlesque-themed nightclub (replete with rooftop roller-skating rink) with friends. We hosted a surprise birthday party there a few hours after the last prim was set in place.

It’s fun. And I’m not dead. Far from it.

Though I did jettison some dead weight (in the format of one now-VERY-ex boyfriend). I suppose it is a good sign that it still shocks me that people can reach their 30s… and yet still not be grown ups.

Eight random facts meme

October 23rd, 2007

Tagged by my good friend Paul, I must make with the posting and rejoin the blogging internets once again. I understand from his explanation that I’m to reveal eight random facts about me and then tag 8 people who are asked to do the same. So without further ado or explanation:

  1. I’m deathly afraid of clowns. I don’ t like balloon animals or mimes either.
  2. My boyfriend lives in Texas and his name is John. He’s the most perfect boy in the world. I’m importing him permanently in December.
  3. I’m addicted to Second Life. I jumped in-world in October of last year and have been totally entranced ever since. My friends have WarCrack, I have SL. Though I’m sad at the moment, as I’m homeless. :(
  4. I hate mowing the yard. It’s my least favorite chore, especially when it’s hot, and my yard currently looks like an out-of-control jungle. Or would had I not hired the lawn dudes from B&R. Who totally rock.
  5. I like the smell of gasoline. Weird, but true.
  6. Spiders don’t scare me, even the poisonous kind. But camel crickets? Those things are /creepy/.
  7. I have a halloween party every year. Except this year. This year, I haven’t even unpacked a single halloween item. I’m taking a break.
  8. Placebo is one of my favorite bands of the moment.

And who do I tag? Michael, Kat, Kath, Brian, Colby, Sam, Ruth, and John.

Well, /duh/.

June 18th, 2007

Turned on the TV when I got home, and the local news was on. Fortunate timing, otherwise I would have missed this absolute gem (And the emphasis? Is totally the newscaster’s.):

[ A shot of a fat white dude, shirt doffed, big tattoo clearly visible on his chest. ]

“Police say 45-year-old Tony Finch, a former police officer, who may have ties to the Klu Klux Klan…”

[ Cut to tat close-up: a Confederate flag on a pole, sporting the word “Knights” on the banner just above it. ]

“…pointed a gun at a black couple and screamed racial epitaphs at them.” [NBC-17 7 o’clock news, reliably the worst newscast in the area.]

He might have ties to the Klan. What with the hating black people and the /tattoo/. But just maybe.

Incidentally, the next sentence of the report: “Finch was arrested in the Oxford Police parking lot after allegedly chasing the couple all the way from Vance County.”

Uh, yeah.

Ink.

June 10th, 2007

I have, since I was about 12 or 13, been fascinated with ink. I draw, occasionally paint, and since I was in middle school frequently used my body as a canvas for sharpie marker and stick-on tattoo.

I toyed with the idea of real ink for years, shying away because of the needles involved, holding back because I couldn’t get it all to come together. I’d know what I wanted, but not be sure where–or think I knew where but couldn’t get everything I wanted worked in.

For whatever reason, everything came together recently. A design I’d worked out, a friend who got a particular placement I’d never considered–a little public, a little private. Visible but not quite obvious. A good tattoo artist who just opened his own shop.

So with surprisingly little trepidation, I made the appointment, got the art together, and had it done. A Saturday afternoon, lunch with some girlfriends, and a quick trip to Southern Swank, and it was finished.

About the process of the tattoo: Fabulous. Not at all what I was expecting. Slightly painful, but nothing not completely overwhelmed by the odd sensation of intentionally inflicting it. Euphoric and oddly tingly. I see–easily–why the idea of more ink will always now be more appealing.

About the tattoo: Beautiful, one on the inside of each wrist, matching spirals with particular meaning. Black. Unfilled (I may decide to go back and have them filled, in part for completion, in part for fun. ;) ).

Buzzed along for many hours, out with friends, party-hopping a bit even if I did look like I’d been salvaged from the local mental ward. Still on a bit of a high, so much later.

The post that never dies.

May 23rd, 2007

Wow, that Duggar post just keeps on going. And when I think it can’t possibly get more nutty…. it does.

Hee. I love that Duggar post.

Amused me.

May 14th, 2007

“Yeeeah, the only other information I have on killing evil elves involves the rolling of 20-sided dice.”

So sayeth the hot goth assistant on Blood Ties (that horrible vampire soap opera on Lifetime that I can’t stop TiVoing).

Dizney game mix

May 12th, 2007

This is the mix CD for the Dizney game.

  1. Starts with One (Shiny Toy Guns)
  2. Castles Made of Sand (Jimi Hendrix)
  3. Bells, Books, and Candles (Graeme Revell)
  4. I Can’t See Your Face in My Mind (The Doors)
  5. Behind Blue Eyes (The Who)
  6. The Snakepit (The Cure)
  7. Bleed Black (AFI)
  8. Ritual Dance (Kitaro)
  9. How Soon is Now (Smiths cover by Love Spit Love)
  10. Dressed in Black (Depeche Mode)
  11. Like Eating Glass (Bloc Party)
  12. A Night Like This (The Cure)
  13. The Good Soldier (NIN)
  14. Spaceboy (Smashing Pumpkins)
  15. Hells Bells (AC/DC)
  16. Beast and the Harlot (Avenged Sevenfold)
  17. Inion/Daughter (Afro Celt Sound System)
  18. Use Your Fist and Not Your Mouth (Marilyn Manson)
  19. The Killing Lights (AFI)
  20. Absurd (Fluke)
  21. Pretty Piece of Flesh (One Inch Punch)
  22. Vessel (NIN)
  23. Totalimmortal (AFI)
  24. Loaded Gun (Hednoize)
  25. Oasis (Kitaro)
  26. The Figurehead (The Cure)
  27. When They Came For Us (Shiny Toy Guns)
  28. [ outro ] Close Your Eyes (Christophe Beck)

Rediscovering bands.

May 10th, 2007

Another side effect of going through my entire music collection to import it into (I know, shaddup R.) iTunes is that I’ve rediscovered a lot of dusty old CDs from the bottom of the shelf. Things I haven’t listened to in years. Bands I truly do love but just… forgot for a while. And, also? Damn, but I own a lot of CDs.

For instance–I forgot how much I really do love the Smashing Pumpkins. E.-with-an-H made me a copy of gish, and later gave me siamese dream. I remember thinking it was loud, and harsh, and that Billy Corgan’s voice was… odd. Not sure how it worked out, but after a million trips through, I started to love it a little. And when E.-with-an-H and I broke it off, I of course listened to all these albums in my angsty moroseness. The kind of true moroseness you can only have when you’re barely twenty.

I also remember Smashing Pumpkins being one of the few bands my parents could stand. My mother particular liked Mellon Collie and the infinite Sadness, enough so that I made her a copy which I think she still has in her car. I saw them play, with Garbage. And Billy Corgan noodled around for a longish encore, which included playing a cover of Boys Don’t Cry. Totally cemented s*p in my favorites list.
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Lawnmowin’ mix.

May 7th, 2007

There must be a mix for everything now. S. is so right. Mowing the lawn is /so much/ less horrible with a soundtrack. Mine includes:

  • AFI - Sing the Sorrow, A.F.I. (the compilation from Nitro), 1 song from All Hallows, The Art of Drowning, /and/ most of Decemberunderground.
  • Shiny Toy Guns - We are Pilots
  • AC/DC - Back in Black
  • couple of Depeche Mode songs
  • bunch of Darkest of the Hillside Thickets tunes (all of Great Old Ones, most of Cthulu Strikes Back)
  • Interpol - Turn on the Bright Lights and Antics
  • NIN - Year Zero
  • Stabbing Westward - Darkest Days
  • Picasso Trigger - Fire in the Hole!
  • Red Hot Chili Peppers — couple songs from Stadium Arcadium
  • 30 random Cure songs (heavier, louder stuff, like all of Head on the Door and all of Wild Mood Swings)
  • the entire Marilyn Manson collection

Yet to be added, but surely will end up on there:

  • Guns ‘n’ Roses
  • More NIN
  • Avenged Sevenfold
  • Tool
  • Eminem
  • Misfits

Also, my cats are really /really/ interested in the iPod. Twice now I’ve found the headphones somewhere /not/ where I left them. And I thought they were bad about guitar picks! Today I caught AllCats pawing at the unit while it was recharging. I think I need to keep an eye on that cat and my technology…