I see my life in two parts: the first 21 years when I didn’t eat sushi and the following three when I have. Sushi is one of those foods that if you’ve never had it, it sounds kind of gross. Three years ago if someone had offered me raw fish, which I rarely eat cooked; or seaweed, which I never eat; and rice, I would have offered them the back of my head as I walked to a Taco Bell.

So, what eventually drove me to try sushi? Probably a girl or something it doesn’t really matter. What matters is that I did try it, and loved it. Whether it’s been the California roll, the PEETA, the 49er or a Tarantula, I’m head over heels.

For this week’s competition I broke out the chop sticks and soy sauce and downed some rolls in my journey to find the best sushi in Sacramento. The three establishments I visited were chosen on the basis of friend’s referrals, proximity to Sacramento State and of course, their happy hours.

Sushi Hook

Sushi Hook is a quaint little restaurant in the Howe Avenue Plaza. It offers half-priced rolls all day, every day, which made this competition a little easier on my bank account. I ordered the California Special, which came out to $3.75 plus tax, and it was simple yet delicious.

The traditional California roll consists of crab meat and avocado, the California Special had the extra ingredient of tobiko. Tobiko looks like those sprinkles you get on some cupcakes that nobody likes because it has the consistency of sand. These small orange fish eggs that are used to top certain types of sushi added a little extra flavor though, and definitely tasted better than they looked. I liked how this roll offered a little more than your everyday sort of roll. What did it, not surprisingly, was the tobiko. It gave the roll a bit of a smoky, almost saltier taste and helped me concentrate on that taste rather than the idea of shoving bite after bite of fish egg into my mouth.

Sushi Hook is definitely worth checking out – everybody could use a little tobiko in their life.

Arigato’s

Displaying a new interior design, Arigato’s has a nightclub feel to it. When I walked in I was afraid the guy at the door was going to kick me out for not wearing nice enough shoes. I made it in though and got my hands on some awesome sushi. I decided to go with the Golden roll, which is the California roll, but deep fried. Seriously, deep fry anything and it will be better. Twinkies, chicken, ice cream, “Gigli’ starring Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, all better after deep frying. And to top it off, a Philly roll.

Arigato’s offers the always half off sushi as well and both of these rolls put me at $11 with tax and a tip out the door. First up the Golden roll: The crunchy texture mixing with the creamy avocado and crab meat did it for me. The Philly roll: Talk about creamy, this roll had avocado, cream cheese and the smoked salmon was a nice change from all the crab meat, but I found myself finishing it as fast as I could to get back to the Golden roll. I’ll definitely be back to Arigato’s and I won’t be worrying about what shoes I’m

wearing.

Tokyo Fro’s

Tokyo Fro’s was my final stop and it did not disappoint. This place had the nicest setting out of all the competitors, featuring a bar, a sushi bar and lots of indoor and outdoor seating. There were six big screen televisions scattered throughout, which is nice if you’re on a boring date. The service could’ve been better. My waitress was seldom seen but I can’t blame her it was happy hour which runs here from 4 to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

I hadn’t eaten all day and had a monstrous appetite so I ordered the aptly titled Godzilla roll. This roll consisted of tempura prawn, avocado and crab, with sweet soy sauce and sesame seeds drizzled over the top. What did it for me was the tempura prawn. Having some real meat instead of the crab paste I had been eating was a delight. The crunchy, deep fried meaty taste put me over the sushi edge. With my Coca-Cola, a drink is required to get the half-off roll, my bill still only came out to $10.50. I left satisfied and even though you can only get the discount in the middle of the day I would make the effort.

And the winner is…

I am finding out in all of these competitions good food runs rampant in Sacramento.

It’s always hard to chose a winner for this reason. For this week’s winner I have to choose Arigato’s. With an all-day happy hour, an improved interior and delicious sushi it wins over Tokyo Fro’s and Sushi Hook for best sushi.

I may garner criticism for this decision. If someone proposed to me the idea of raw fish, seaweed and rice I would forget about Taco Bell, for at least one night, and go to Arigato’s.

If you don’t agree or want to share with me your own sushi adventure comment or write me at [email protected].

For next week’s challenge, Sacramento’s best sandwiches!

Matt Rascher can be reached at [email protected]