Sushi Pier, Reno, NV

The title of this blog would suggest that it's all about sushi. That wouldn't be accurate. Really I just thought it would be a good name for a blog about food, which it is. Specifically it's about dining out, and sometimes in, if it's a home meal worthy of blogging about. But to kick it off I figured it would be appropriate to start with an actual sushi restaurant, albeit NOT conveyor belt sushi. No, this was, to plagiarize Jim Gaffigan (referring instead to boxed variety chocolates), "Gamble" Sushi. I mean, no offense Reno, but I was skeptical. I was also very hungry after having been flying since 9 AM, and it was now 5 PM. But here I was alone in a town I'd never been, in the Airport Best Western (marvelous soap by the way) looking at the margin ads for restaurants in the complimentary Guide To Reno (casinos, casinos, casinos, desert horseback riding, casinos), when I saw the "s" word leap off the page at me in an ad for a Reno spot called Sushi Pier. I pretty much made up my mind right there that sushi is what I had to have for dinner. And the explosion-shaped text bubble with the words "20.95 all you can eat dinner!" was the top determining factor. Sushi Pier was only a 10 minute walk from the hotel, in a little strip mall. What first struck me was how tiny the place was. The room was basically just big enough for the wrap around bar in the center, with a few tables squeezed against the walls of the room. The bar was also packed, which I took to be a good sign. I took the last remaining seat at the bar and let the host explain how this all worked. The entire sushi menu, including appetizers but not including kitchen entrees was fair game. When the sushi chef asked what I wanted I decided I needed help and asked my nearest neighbor at the bar what she recommended. Of course she said "everything" but then went on to say that the Crystal Shrimp Hand Roll was really good so I ordered that first. The chef assembled the hand roll and placed it in front of me. Let it begin. I have to say that hand roll haunts me to this day. There was something about the strangeness of it that continues to intrigue me. The fried shrimp inside was crispy and delicious, and the nori, whose paradoxical texture resides somewhere between chewy and crunchy, was a wonderful counterpart to the shrimp. The strange thing about it, though I did not complain, was the liberal application of Japanese mayo inside the roll. It gave the roll a richness that I'm not so sure was appropriate, but it certainly tasted amazingly good in the state of hunger I was in. Good or bad, I've never had anything like it. I sampled a few of their "long rolls", and noticed a pattern. These things were meant to fill you up. The mayonnaise made several appearances, and several of the rolls were actually deep fried, though I didn't have any of those. The sushi was also very thick with rice. I soon realized that unless you had a hollow leg or a death wish, it would be difficult to take unfair advantage of the $21 all you can eat offer. There was something unsurprising about the kind of sushi served at Sushi Pier in Reno. While I did find the ingredients fresh and delicious, this was also what I would call "Manifest Destiny Sushi". Big, American, Bountiful, Pioneer Spirit, All-Things-Are-Possible Sushi. If you're ever in Reno I would recommend it for a big, satisfying meal, but mostly for the experience.