Is this a fun concept, or what? A restaurant in Austin, Texas called Maki has found its niche, to be sure — you can design and roll your own sushi roll there. There’s a connection between this restaurant and this column, too … wait for it….
Maki is attempting to make sushi more accessible and less pretentious, which is something I am all for. So many people either think that sushi is gross, expensive, or both. But by allowing people to stuff their own sushi roll with what they find appetizing, and keeping prices reasonable, it seems that Maki is onto something.
It reminds me a bit about what I am trying to do with this column — you really can stick anything you want into a nutritious sheet of nori and enjoy it.
There could be drawbacks too, though. When Maki came to my attention, I immediately thought of Fire and Ice, a chain restaurant in the northeast (and then some) in which you can select your own meats, veggies and sauces, bring them to a grill in the center of the restaurant and stand there as a chef cooks up your meal.
Man, this was great fun when it was novel, but we never, ever go eat there anymore. Why? I really want someone else to serve me when I go out to eat now. I don’t want to stand at a hot grill while my food is cooked; I want to enjoy the company of my dinner companions and have my courses brought to me. Cooking at home is one of my favorite hobbies, but so is being waited on at a restaurant!
So I’m not sure how I’d feel about Maki after a couple of visits there. I’m pretty sure I’d be ready to have the expert sushi chefs prepare my sushi and serve it to me.
Clacked by Debbie McDuffee
on Feb 12, 2009 @ 14:04 EST5EDT
