1510 7th Ave
Seattle, WA
(206) 452-1359

Word to the wise: if diners want to hit the super trendy Japanese restaurants in Seattle, especially Japonessa, get a reservation. After not being able to sweet talk my way to even one seat at the bar (it was just that packed), I walked away dejected and ended up at Blue C Sushi to sing, conveniently enough, the blues away. One glass of Sapporo was enough, and I treated myself to various plates of sushi that rolled by on a conveyor belt.

While the selection is not as widely varied as I had imagined, what I saw was quite reasonable. The prices are honestly not all that bad; the more exotic the fish, the more costly that is going to be. But when considering how late at night I was there, close to 10pm, I’m not all that surprised that the trolley line was not regularly replenished. At a better place, I’m sure diners can find what they want without problems. But in between every three or four empty spots, there were two or three dishes with some kind of maki, nigiri or cooked offering.

Also, I’m not sure if I buy into the claims that some of the fish were from Japan (it’d be easier if they were from Pike Place Market), but doubts lingered in my mind. I saw the traditional staples like salmon, shrimp, and tuna. I passed those up. At Blue C, diners can also order from a menu or ask the chef to prepare a specific kind of roll. I could’ve done that (mmm, yellowtail), but instead, I tried the other options: tender Hokkaido clam, marinated eel, soft freshwater shrimp, and silky mackerel. They tasted reasonably fresh, but the dishes are nothing I’d rave about. There were a few good nigiri offerings and a handful of maki rolls. But I found the structure of the bed of rice too crumbly. They tended to fall apart too easily.

Also, I found their St. Patrick’s Day roll to be too spicy despite the overly creamy taste from the avocados. I liked the idea, but the concept of a roll for this particular holiday just didn’t work for me. I can imagine a minty taste, or added taste of cilantro or basil, but the zest felt improper. Even a light brush of Irish whisky would have been better to get me doing the jig.

But after my glass of beer was empty, I didn’t feel too bad about not being able to hit two particular restaurants that day. There is always a next visit. I hoped I’d try out Bayou on 1st, but they did not open at 8am like the sign read. I ended up revisiting an old favourite, Sound View Cafe, and was not disappointed.

I wasn’t feeling blue at the end of the day. I had a spectacular time at Emerald City Comic Convention two weeks ago. If I had partook in some of their after con activities, I might have been dancing the night away.

3½ Blokes out of 5