Sam's Sushi

I was just reading some reviews of Sam's Sushi when I came across this review, hilarious.

Backstory: I have a freakishly small mouth. Hard to believe, I know. But I've had dentists and orthodontists confirm this fact time and time again. "Can't you open your mouth any bigger?" they all ask as they try to squeeze their freakishly giant man hands into my petite mouth. "Wow, your mouth really is small!" And then I imagine them uttering under their breath to the hygienist, "Her poor husband."

In all seriousness, my small mouth does sometimes hinder my eating experiences, especially when it comes to sushi. I first tried sushi on a first date, which proved to be a bad idea. Picture me and my freak mouth trying not to gag on a giant piece of raw something as my date looked on in utter horror. Needless to say, I never really recovered, and hence, rarely want to go for sushi. A definite bummer for the husband who can't get enough. Sushi, that is.

Oh, and to boot, I'm a complete chopsticks retard, too.

But the stars and planets aligned the other night, as I found myself with supportive fellow Yelpers Jaz and Ian AND in want of sushi. We decided to try Sam's Sushi, a little place just off the main drag in Ballard. Even though we got there kind of late for dinner, there was still a line nearly out the door. A good sign, we thought.

Upon realizing that they don't take names for a waiting list, we witnessed some of the natives getting restless as we all stood in line, single-file style.

Hipster guy: Is there a wait list?
Me: I don't think so. You just wait your turn.
Hipster guy's wife: *quietly to her hipster husband* Go see if there's a wait list.
Me: *rolling my eyes* I'm pretty sure you just wait and they'll seat you when a table opens up.
Hipster guy: *heads over to cash register area anyway*

Eventually, we were all seated, and thus began our sushi experience. Lucky for me, my husband and friends didn't make *too* much fun of me as I tried my darndest to get the rolls into my mouth in one bite. I pretty much failed every time, collecting a small pile of rice and other discarded ingredients on the plate in front of me like a toddler.

But it was fun anyway, and the rolls were really good. My favorite of the night was the Red Dragon roll, which featured tempura shrimp and this amazing spicy aioli on top. Though, as we oohed and ahhed about the sauce, my food scientist/former chef husband reminded us all that it's just mayo and Sriracha hot chili sauce. Well, fine, but it really made the roll that much better, silly gastronome man!

We also enjoyed some warm sake and Sapporo while noshing on edamame, tempura and some nigiri, including uni (sea urchin roe) and unagi (barbacued eel). I witnessed Ian ask for six orders of ebi, in which I immediately thought to myself, "Ian, the ocean called. They're running out of shrimp." Actually, I thought of that after the fact, which is quite apropos if you're a Seinfeld fan and know which episode I'm quoting here.

In the end, we were full from the food and happy from the alcohol. In fact, I had such a great experience at Sam's, I found myself wanting more sushi a couple days later. Perhaps some sort of insatiable sushi portal in my brain was opened up upon eating at Sam's? My husband can only dream ...