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Sushi, tequila and defense attorneys – I generally recommend you never go for the cheapest available in any of the three. That said you can find affordable tequila that won't rot your soul, affordable lawyers without rotten souls, and bargain sushi that isn't repackaged bait. That's why I had to check out happy hour at Samurai Sushi in Lake Mary, promising $1 sushi, $3.50 rolls and $3 pints of Japanese beer.
Samurai Sushi is on the Heathrow side of Lake Mary, trying to squeeze a little tranquility between a strip mall CVS and a Subway sandwich shop. The sushi bar is across the back, manned by two chefs at a time. One side of the large room has that other kind of bar, the type you sit and drink at. The room’s colors are dark red and wood. Booths have low walls between them, giving some privacy while still staying open to the room.
Most of the Samurai menu is focused on nigiri and rolls, but there is a kitchen doing teriyaki and tempura, fried noodles, fried rice and udon soups. Sticking to my $5 limit, I tried the $4.95 yakitori, which is Japanese street food – grilled chicken on a stick. For the price, you get two skewers on lettuce with the sweet, thick soy sauce called tare. The chunks were not dry at all, a good splittable starter.
Happy hour at Samurai Sushi runs from 5-7 p.m., Monday through Friday. Pint bottles (not 12-ouncers) of Kirin Ichiban are $3. It's a light fizzy lager, ricey and maybe a little sour. Happy hour Bud and Bud Light bottles are just $2 and so is brand-free happy hour sake. It's served hot, which helps hide that it's not great quality. If you've never had sake, don't let the people who call it “rice wine” confuse you. It reminds me more of a beer sherry, sharp and sweet at the same time.
I tried both the $1 tuna and salmon nigiri, slices of seafood (often raw) on formed mounds of rice. I didn't expect a lot for a dollar and I didn't get much. The tuna had an odd texture — not unfresh, but sort of dry. The salmon was better, but still low in flavor. Next time, I'd probably stick to smoked salmon or omelet or “krab” stick – or come back outside of happy hour when two not-on-sale salmon nigiri are $3.50.
Rolls are the best bet at Samurai. California roll (krab, avocado and cuke) is fresh if not terribly exciting. Then again, that's why some people order California roll. It's a sushi roll for beginners. Ditto on the tempura chicken roll. A slender finger of crispy, battered chicken wrapped in rice and sliced – not very authentic, but the favorite of a friend whose favorite seafood is a tuna salad sandwich.
Not every roll that Samurai does is available at happy hour prices, but here are a few I liked that you can get for $3.50. Alaska roll is made with smoked salmon, cuke, avocado and roe. It's more subtle than Miami roll which adds cream cheese and deletes the tiny fish eggs. The spicy shrimp roll gets its crispness from asparagus and a peppery garlic kick from sriracha, the Thai chili sauce. Each slice of spicy scallop roll came topped with a squeeze of sriracha, but not enough to overpower the minced scallop, krab and green onion.
Dish: I like that your server brings you a hot towel to clean your hands before dinner, and I love it when I get the high-class treatment at happy hour prices.
Damage: If you skip the beer, you can get a roll and a single nigiri for under five bucks. Bring a buddy and you can mix-and-match three rolls for just a quarter over that fiver (each). But then, why would you skip the beer?
Decision: You can enjoy expensive tequila on the rocks and cheap tequila when you mask it in a margarita. You can enjoy pricey fillets of raw fish when you've got the cash and happy hour rolls when it's three days to payday. But I still think you should get the best lawyer you can afford.
What other people are saying...
ladyshay99 from Lake Mary - July 16, 2009 at 3:56 PM
I like Samurai Sushi. My boyfriend and I used to go there all the time when he lived in the area. They have pretty good lunch specials [sushi lunch...
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