Blowfish Sushi – Santana Row

Blowfish Sushi has completely and utterly ruined me for other, lesser sushi places. Our waitress suggested we start off with the garlic soy edamame and I wondered, Ok? Edamame, really? And then I took a bite and my life changed course, flashed before my eyes and will never be the same! How many more cliché’s can I use?? One, they say they are “Sushi to die for,” but this place has sushi to live for!!

I started with the “Liquid Pear” cocktail. It has Grey Goose Poire Vodka, lime juice, pear puree, and a splash of orange liquor. If you’re the kind of person who isn’t into ‘tasting’ the alcohol in their drink, this would be a great one for you to have. The subtle flavor of orange and lime mingle, with the naturally mellow flavor of pear, work to create a refreshing, elegant drink.

Now for the sushi. On one plate we had the Baked Alaskan Salmon Roll and the Toshi Koshi. The Baked Alaskan was covered in cream sauce, stuffed with avocado and then covered in cheese and baked. It was rich, delicious, and a foodie’s dream! The Toshi was on the other side of the plate and had spicy tuna and crab mix inside, avocado and a lightly seared albacore on the top. Garnished with tempura bits, wasabi tobiko, and the house spicy sauce, this roll was so flavorful and shockingly good!

Now we come to the flamboyant rolls of the night. I’ve never seen anything to compare with these two rolls.  Prepare yourself. If you had other plans for dinner tonight, they may need to be put on hold so you can dash over to Blowfish.

The Super Spicy Tuna Roll happened to be my favorite of the night. The roll itself had spicy tuna inside and then each bite was arranged with a jalapeño slice that’s been fried, two kinds of spicy sauce, and a pepper on top.  It absolutely explodes with flavor! The spice didn’t overwhelm me, and I’ve got about a medium spice tolerance, so don’t deny yourself the awesomeness because of fear.

Then on it’s own plate, and with the most interesting presentation I’ve ever seen, came the Ritsu Roll. A martini glass sits in the middle, filled with a citrus ponzu sauce. Also on the plate was a light spread of a garlic aioli. The roll itself was filled with two types of tuna, avocado, and tobiko. Then the whole thing is flash fried. You take a little aioli, a little ponzu, and then paradise happens in your mouth.. I know it sounds complicated, but actually the whole thing is so yummy you don’t notice the details, you just eat them.

I think what everyone has been trying to accomplish with creating green tea desserts is what Blowfish has mastered in their Sweet Zen Garden dessert. It’s ice cream, it’s sweet, but it has just a little bit of a bite to it. The cheesecake was some of the best I’ve ever had– creamy, sweet and drool inducing. They even garnish the plate with a ribbon of spun sugar, which I had to try. (You can’t put sugar in front of me and tell me not to eat it just because it’s a garnish. Don’t!)

Not only did I dream about the sushi all night, I just drooled all over my laptop while I was writing this. I’m not kidding. How can I ever eat anywhere else? How can I go back to normal life after this? Blowfish blows all other sushi out of the water!