Issaquah Highlands
Seattle Weekly
Mercer Island reporter
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Sushi for Wage Slaves
Healthy lunch for the no-corporate-credit-card crowd.
BY ERICA C. BARNETT
Published September 20 - 26, 2002
RICE 'N' ROLL
214 Madison, 262-0381
10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri.
Shhh. Don't tell anyone, but you can make a meal just lingering round the sample tray at Rice 'n' Roll--the sushi equivalent of a downtown deli, if delis had counters clean enough to eat from and stocked edamame in the soda case.
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Affordable sushi!
Robin Laananen
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Snack on free samples of the spicy tuna roll, egg roll, or fried-eel roll (are you sensing a theme yet?) as deft, lightning-quick hands, yes, roll and slice to order one of 18 sushi rolls (five of them vegetarian!). And what would you expect to pay for fresh, better-than-adequate sushi made to order in less than five minutes? Amazingly, all of Rice 'n' Roll's options are under $7 (the massive "Rainbow roll," an eight-piece sampler with loads of shrimp and avocado, is the best and priciest at $6.95), with several hovering close to pocket-change territory, at five bucks or less. (The surprisingly tasty, not-at-all-bland Vegi Delight roll is $4.50; the California roll, just $4.25). Edamame, salads, and soup run $1.65 to $3.75, although an even minimally acceptable quantity of wasabi and ginger will, sadly, set you back another 50 cents. But that's a small complaint for a place that's made sushi a weekly lunchtime addiction rather than an occasional indulgence for downtown workers who lack a corporate credit card. Tucked in a storefront beside a parking garage, the place is tiny and packed weekdays at lunchtime from around 11:45. It's awkward and a drag to wait (should I hover inconveniently in the path to the soda case or perch on one of the four highly coveted stools?) but popularity makes otherwise hidden Rice 'n' Roll easy to find: Just look for the line snaking down the hill.
ebarnett@seattleweekly.com
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