- Santina Croniser
- An actual sushi roll at Shiawase
Shiawase means “happiness” in Japanese, according to the Lakeview restaurant’s website. The fact that the place is BYO and I could get a table without a reservation at around 7 on a Saturday made me happy. The food, though, which ranged from excellent to baffling, produced varying levels of happiness. And I still don’t know how to feel about the sushi roll that was arranged around a battery-operated plastic ice cube flashing red, blue, and green lights (the shredded radish mounded on top of it completed the look).
- Julia Thiel
- Crystal roll
Other recommendations included the deep-fried Rainbow Pillar, which she emphasized was not for people trying to keep their cholesterol down, and the Shiawase maki, described as healthy because it’s made with brown rice. Naturally we went for the deep-fried one, which turned out to be a true monster of a roll filled with shrimp tempura, spicy tuna, cream cheese, asparagus, and avocado and topped with spicy mayo, wasabi mayo, and eel sauce. Not only was it impossible to eat the pieces in one bite, I had trouble downing some of the bigger ones in two bites. Aside from its unmanageability it was pretty good, but the best of the rolls turned out to be the simplest: spicy tuna, which wasn’t significantly different than any other spicy tuna roll I’ve had, but was well executed.
