Did you know that Seafood at West Main (SWM) has something called Sashimi Thursdays? But thanks to a co-worker, I’ve discovered there is an email list you can join by email. Twice a month, SWM will send you a list with that week’s offerings. You simply reply back with what you’d like to order, your name, and when you’d like to pick up. Pickups are Wednesday and Thursday starting after 12 noon. So about every other week you can purchase your very own sashimi-grade tuna, salmon, and yellowtail to create delectable sushi rolls in your very own kitchen! In addition to wonderfully-fresh fish, they have roe, seaweed for wrapping, and of course pickled ginger and all the extras. The lovely folks at SWM wanted me to know they make sushi rolls Monday through Friday every week (the best damn rolls *I’ve* had in Cville btw), and offer sashimi-quality fresh fish daily. So why Sashimi Days? Maybe it’s a timesaver of some sort – the drive-thru window for high-grade tuna. The “Brew-Thru” for sushi.

In any case, Hubby and I have had a terrific time (or he has rather, I just eat them) creating all sorts of sushi rolls. Stuff you wouldn’t see on a menu. Two weeks ago it was: – Duke’s mayonnaise mixed with Sriracha sauce was blended to make the spicy sauce, and Horse and Buggy watercress provided the – buttery buttery salmon. Among the best I’ve tasted. – Tobiko purchased from SWM. It’s tiny fish roe marinated in wasabi. Provides a nice of heat in the mouth – a great complement to the salmon. In past weeks, Hubby has created little gems with Yellowtail, Salmon Roe, and seared Bonito. I’d provide, provide bad pictures, but we kinda inhaled them like famished wolves (sheepish grin). Seriously, for the money we spent (about $20) we each had 8-10 HUGE rolls, and 3-4 pieces of about the most buttery sashimi you could ask for. Hubby even sauteed the salmon skin for some salmon skin rolls that were out of this world. Why pay huge gobs of cash to eat utility sushi?

Or endure high-grade yet teensie-eensie portions? All you need is some Nori (which you can buy at Harris Teeter) some sushi rice, some rice wine vinegar, a bamboo mat, and a little courage. The next Sashimi Days are THIS Wednesday and Thursday, 5/20 and 5/21/09. A copy of the SWM email is below, containing a breakdown of prices and availability from this week’s selection. So what are you waiting for? Go order thee some sashimi! Man, I can’t WAIT until Wednesday… From Seafood at West Main: Our sashimi packs (tray) contain a piece of fish, approx. 5~8 oz each. One pack contains about 2 servings. You will need to slice the fish at home for a Sashimi or Sushi dish. For example, if you order 1 tuna tray, you will get one rectangular piece of tuna that is approx. 5-8 oz each. Understandably, the price will be more expensive than our usual fillet price, because sashimi will be from the prime part of fish and well trimmed. Sashimi packs will be ready after 12:00 noon. Please indicate your pick up day and your phone number.

Our Sashimi selections (all subject to availability) (1 tray 5~8 oz)Tuna $10~14Assorted Whitefish $8~11Salmon $8~11Yellowtail (Hamachi) $9~12Squid (Ika) $3.50~5.00Salmon Caviar Ikura $8.98/pkFlying Fish Roe (Tobikko) Orange, Wasabi, Golden, Black $3~4/pkSeared Bonito (Katsuo Tataki) $7/pk**Sushi Rice*** $3.50jiro dreams of sushi hd download Also, we have an extensive selection of Japanese groceries and frozen items, such as Seaweed Salad, Grilled Eel (Unagi), Pickled Mackerel (Shimesaba) to enhance your sashimi experience.mac sushi kiss lipstick ebay Mrs. Atsuko NakamotoRetail Sales AssociateSeafood @ West Main416 West Main St. ( Main Street Market )Charlottesville, VA 22903434 296 8484venta de sushi en copiapo

I Hate Food Blogs! One of the things I hate about blogging is having to focus on links and photographs when all I really want to do is write about food. jiro dreams of sushi picturehouseHow do other food bloggers get around this? tupperware sushi maker canadaTheir pictures always look like art, like wonderful still lifes painted by Rembrandt. jiro dreams of sushi houstonMine look like crap.haru sushi menu wall street Exhibit A – the photo at left. In an attempt to capture a wonderfully delicious meal of CSA Bibb lettuce leaves holding morsels of grilled shrimp with tomatillo salsa surrounding a bed of CSA asparagus I have instead created what looks like a big green vomity mess.

Instead of honoring my Hubby’s culinary prowess, I have disgraced all things edible. I can even imagine Mr. Gordon Ramsey yelling, “That’s looks EXACTLY like a DOG’S DINNAH!” Fuming with rage, smoke coming out of his ears, haughty British accent, shaking fist, the works. He rips off my white coat, impales it on the nail, and sets my portrait ablaze without so much as a howdoya do. Since when did writers have to become photographers? How do other writers get around having to spend hours adjusting the light, moving one leaf of lettuce, taking photograph after photograph hoping they look okay? Anyone who has looked through local coupon books at half-off savings for the local all-you-can-stuff-in-your-craw buffet being served next to the WalMart know what I mean. There is nothing more vomit inducing than amateur food photography. Those pictures always remind me of the buffet they had out at The Pyramid Club in Richmond (back in the day). Virginia bars are required to serve some sort of food, so the Pyramid had their buffet.

But that didn’t mean you actually ATE it. Not if you wanted to live. I know people like Michael Ruhlman have spouses who are professionals. Professionals trained in the intracacies of food photography and more importantly, food styling. These are the people who water down Elmer’s glue in Count Chocula commercials so the milk looks more milky than real milk as it cascades in a slow motion waterfall over those chocolatey nuggets. Stylists brush that Butterball turkey with shellac so it looks glistening and moist and juicy. More juicy than it EVER could be in real life. Some of their tricks reside in the evil genius category. <———-and there's yet ANOTHER LINK I had to go retrieve. I don’t want to have to go through such theatrics when I post. I just want to write. The most I want to do well is edit down the extra instances of “that” which I seem to sprinkle about like seasoning – as well as change some of the more cliched turns of phrase (and bad food metaphors) others have pointed out.

This is as fancy as I get with blogging. Since when did you have to earn a degree in food styling to be a good blogger? For that matter, since when did you have to become a complete expert on blog design and social networking? Since when did you have to Tweet to get people to read your writing? How come people don’t get attracted by the words themselves?I sound like a grumpy old man. A curmudgeon – which I guess inside I am. Reluctant to go with the times. Hell, it took forever for me to sidle up to a computer to put down words. You should see all the half-empty notebooks in my attic. It’s just that I don’t want the “jazz schmazz” of blog design and photography to water down my words (another food metaphor, ding ding!) I don’t mind a little design “tweaking” now and then. I like to learn new things, complaining the whole way. Don’t even mind getting out the manual to figure out how to turn the flash off on my digital camera. It’s when things like revamping my blog to attract readers takes HOURS out of my day that I start to get itchy.