There’s a new sushi…

There's a new sushi place in my neighborhood; I'm not sure if I've mentioned. I'm afraid they won't last long -- they're just a little too far off the beaten path for office workers. But I'm determined to enjoy them while they're here, and every Wednesday after doing weights at the gym, I reward myself with Japanese food. It's called Sushi Loop, on Jackson just west of Halsted. They're very good -- as good, to my taste, as the much fancier place up on Randolph.

For the first few weeks I tried different things, but I've settled down to a little routine now -- four pieces of salmon sashimi (about 320 calories total), a spider roll (variable, but approx. 320 calories too). The last few times I've gone, they've thrown in miso soup (35 calories) for free, and they almost always add an extra piece of sashimi -- 80 calories I don't actually need, but how can I tell them that? Besides, it's so good. :-)

I bring it all home and devour the spider roll right away. The sashimi goes in the fridge for a mid-afternoon snack. I actually like the sashimi better, and would probably eat it first if the spider roll weren't fried and warm and yummy. It's so cold out. I can't cope. Once the spider roll is gone and I've washed my hands (I'm chronically incapable of using chopsticks properly, I swear, and always end up eating sushi with my hands), I can get back to work, sipping miso as I work.

It all feels oddly serene. Healthy, tasty, but in a restrained, mellow way. I wouldn't want to be restrained and mellow all the time; it's not my style. But once a week, it's a nice change.