FOOD REVIEW: Komotodo Sushi Burrito

(Fate And Hope - Lorne Balfe)

Sushi is a fond subject for me.  For the longest time, I wouldn't touch the stuff.  Like so many kids raised here in the midwest, sushi always used to mean 'raw fish' to me.  Want some raw fish?  Sushi is your go-to dinner item.  Then I found out that sushi incorporated things like squid, eel, and octopus, and I was even less inclined to take part in it.

It took another huge food enthusiast that I know, a friend of mine named Mike, to shepherd me through the pitfalls associated with the delicious fishies before I openly admitted my fondness for it.  I'm grateful.

Anyway, I love sushi now, so when I heard that a place was making sushi burritos near where I lived, I was naturally intrigued.  A sushi roll the size of a burrito?!  Yes, please!

If you're sitting there wondering, "Is it basically just a huge sushi roll?" you're close.  The better question is, is it any good?



THE SHORT VERSION:

Oh my goodness, yes!



THE LONG VERSION:

There's something to be said for the attitude that a venue gives off when you walk in the door.  There are these sheets on the counter that tell you how you're supposed to consume the sushi burritos that they make there at Komotodo.  I'm going to throw up a picture of that, because it tells you all you need to know about the vibe of this place:

No, I didn't edit that graphic.  That's real.  And that's amazing.  It's fortunate then, that the food at Komotodo lives up to the festive atmosphere set by this card.  

One of the great things I really enjoy about sushi is the blending of many flavors into one bite.  Add to that the freshness inherent in good sushi with the size of a generous burrito, and you've got something that will fill you up for the rest of the day.  Choices?  Lots.  Check out their menu:

If you're sitting there thinking, "Holy crap, that all sounds good," I can tell you that everything that I had while I was there was phenomenal.  Specifically, I ordered a Komo Roll, some Carne Asada Fries, and a Xango Roll.  Some additional thoughts on the food:

- Everything was -fresh-.  Holy moly, was it fresh!  One of the things that I love about sushi is that mouthful of fresh pop that you get from crisp, cool ingredients that don't taste over or under cooked.  You get a giant handful of that with the food at Komotodo.

- The 'Wasamole' sauce that they put on my Komo Roll was out of this world.  If they would have had it in bottles, I would have bought some on the fly, full stop.  It's some of the greatest sauce I've ever had.  Period.

- I was skeptic about how grilled steak would play with more traditional sushi ingredients.  I needn't have been.  It was brilliant.

- The Carne Asada Fries are billed as appetizers.  They should be billed as full meals because the order is absolutely MASSIVE.  The big surprise of the whole dish was the fries.  I'm not sure what they fry them in, but they weren't overly greasy and they had a wonderful breading on them that made them taste like more than just fried potato.

- Dessert was the Xango Roll.  If you've read the description, I'm not sure what else there is to say, except that it's every bit as good as you think it's going to be.  I'll be going back to try the churros on Sunday.

There are only a few places to get food around the Metro area where I know I can safely tell someone, "Order whatever.  I'll eat it."  Like...I can think of two places off of the top of my head.  Komotodo makes a third.  Conveniently located at 135th and Metcalf, I suspect they're going to become a mainstay lunch option whenever I'm in that neck of the woods!  Check 'em out!