Blue Wazabi — Restaurant in Madison

I haven't actively looked for a lot of new sushi spots over the past few years after I discovered Kenko Sushi in Lincoln Park (which has gotten a little tedious with its ordering process/app that hasn't adjusted to the post-COVID world, though that's a story for another day), but this is a reminder not to rest on your laurels. This was a very pleasant surprise and has the potential to be a regular spot going forward.

I came here with my chum last Saturday night for dinner. I'm not that familiar with the downtown Madison area but it was very easy to locate street parking within a block of the entrance. Interestingly, this building obviously housed a ye olde bank back in the day, but once inside, there was nothing left in the interior to suggest that past - a little disappointing they weren't able to preserve some of that history but I obviously know nothing about the back story there so grain of salt.

In what ended up being a tremendous miscalculation, we ended up ordering four signature rolls to split and didn't come close to finishing them - we likely left close to half of the pieces on the plate (don't worry, they found a new home and became a secondary meal later on), which is definitely not a ding on them. Despite having hundreds of rolls in my life, calculating how quickly they'll fill me up remains a tedious work in progress. Anyway. Hopefully I remember all of these, but I believe the four rolls were the Bronx Bomber, Roe Roe Roe Your Boat, Luck of the Irish and Paradise Cove. The Bronx Bomber was our favorite, and for me probably an all-time top three or so, which is saying something. It's deep fried, which I'm usually ambivalent about (sometimes by definition it's too heavy for me and takes away from the other flavors in the roll), and I was a little leery initially about the cilantro which I don't think I've encountered before in this world. Delicious and not overly fried. I brought it home thinking, oh, I can easily eat this tomorrow for lunch, and then I accidentally ate it all an hour later. Huge recommend.

The other one I really loved was Paradise Cove, which had a ton of interesting vibes going on there - the diced salmon sounded a little odd but didn't end up being different from just normal salmon (I think I assumed it would be seared or something, which it definitely wasn't). There's multiple mayos, multiple fish and it's just very unique; that type of combo with so many ingredients risks being overwhelming and it was a perfect balance. The Luck of the Irish was just okay for me; my chum advocated for that one I think in honor of a certain recent holiday, and it includes cucumber, which is my least favorite sushi ingredient. Easy to get out (and I did push the pieces out before eating) but it a little bland. The Roe was my least favorite, and that was just a personal palate issue - for me, there was too much fish roe on top which made it extra salty. But that's on me. Everything was fresh and plentiful, and that to me is the ultimate standard.

It's rare that I'm over the moon about service when it took over half an hour to get the rolls - sushi places overall tend to have a quick turnaround time by definition, but Blue Wazabi was SLAMMED with to-go orders while we were there (the entire time, there were multiple customers waiting for their pickups). And also to be fair, we did not get mundane, normal rolls. While we waited, the staff literally filled up my water glass five times (I'd been hiking earlier in the day and was still trying to catch up) and never let the level get below 25%. I actually started paying attention to that, and I'm honestly not sure if I've ever been somewhere where they were that vigilant about it, especially given that they were very busy. Huge points though - if you don't have the ability to get the rolls over in a few minutes, intense hydration is a pleasant plan B.

I might just fill up on Bronx Bombers next time, which as a Mets fan makes me a little uncomfortable but it...

Another visit to a random sushi restaurant for lunch. Picked this cozy place in Madison based on location and reviews. Let’s start with parking - it is in the middle of Madison and while during the day - you may get lucky and find a spot near it - i recommend side streets if this is a friday night.

Overall - your typical sushi restaurant with table or bar? Sitting… very clean and cozy. During the day not too busy.

Menu is typical and it would take me a year or daily visits to try everything so i opted for the usual - sashimi appetizer and a specialty roll called salmonia?

Sashimi appetizer - fresh and big portions as compared to last place i checked out. Hit the spot. No complaints.

Roll was ok as well - bit crunchy which i like, not spicy - which i also like!!!

Now - let me say this- in all my years of visiting a sushi restaurant - today was the first time i actually paid attention to their chop-sticks! This place goes an extra mile - clearly they are not buying cheapest sticks that either break when you are trying to separate them or leave a splinter in your finger. Theirs was smooth, thick and solid. Fancy napkins as well. All of that gives you confidence that they dont take a short cut on their food either! Wish i had a biggest stomach to try another dish off their menu but maybe i will come back again as they are worth it.

Prices are typical for Madison - slightly above average but it’s expected!

Staff was attentive...

I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the food and service at this mom and pop hole in the wall in Madison.

I wasn't sure exactly what to expect but I was hopeful. And my hopes were realized. But I digress. The place was packed for the most part but we were seated very quickly since some people have just left but I can tell you that they have no shortage of customers.

The sushi and sashimi were fresh and very tasty and what was most important without that freezer taste that a lot of places have, which means that the fish doesn't stay very long, which is also a mark of a good restaurant.

From what we could tell the place is run by a family or 2 and they seem to run a very tight ship when it comes to service and quality of food but I think they could benefit from a little bit of originality or experimentation that some of the better places attempt, though I can see why a neighborhood place may give trade that in for quality of other aspects.

Sorry it took me a little while (a few years) to get to the review but I've finally got...