New Haven

Name: Wasabi
Location: 350 Boston Post Road, Orange, CT
Personnel: Jesse, Me
What We Ate: Green Salad with Carrot Ginger Dressing; Oshinko; Spicy Crab Roll; Wasabi Roll; White Tuna roll
Condiments: Soy Sauce, Wasabi
Bill Total: $50
Observations: This is the first in what I hope will be a series of summer road trip restaurant adventures. We were en route to Cape Cod last week when we stopped at Wasabi, a spare little eatery tucked in between a nail salon and a tanning salon, just a couple of miles off of I-95, and close to New Haven. The lunch actually broke up the drive very nicely, like a crisp slice of pickled ginger on the palate between bites of fish. (It's an especially great find since all the official reststops are monopolized by McDonald's.) On the day we visited there were shamefully few customers lunching (none, actually), despite some generous midday specials. Surely the crowd picks up for dinnertime: The sushi is impeccably prepared and gorgeously fresh, with a long list of creative rolls throwing flavors like kiwi and peach into the mix. My only regret is not delving into the dessert offerings, like the sticky black rice pudding or the green tea mascarpone cheesecake that sounded a lot like a recipe I tried from last January's Bon Appetit magazine. Mine didn't come out very well, due to the fact that I mistakenly bought gluten free shortbread at Whole Foods, which made the crust all gray and gummy. Wasabi probably does it much better.