Do You Know Dono?

It's no surprise that sushi rolls, like just about everything else, have gone up in price. In this economy, one wonders if it'd really be worth it to try a six-piece lobster roll that costs $26.99. I say, split your meal with a friend and treat yourself to the real stuff.

Dono Sushi, unlike most Japanese restaurants, feeds you real lobster as opposed to langostino (a.k.a. baby lobster) or crawfish, which at certain places are served in lieu of their more expensive crustacean cousin. Dono also uses the whole lobster--complete with shell for presentation--with any leftover meat stuffed in the tail with green onions, smelt fish eggs and a sweet mayonnaise sauce, all baked to a blackened, creamy confection. Depending upon the chef and individual request, eel sauce may be drizzled across the dish as a finishing touch. I recommend asking for this sweet glaze on the side, as some chefs tend to overdo it, overpowering all the other tastes in the roll: avocado, cucumber, asparagus spears, burdock root known as yamagobo....

Although it may be a bit pricey, the Lobster Roll is a real piece of work--literally. This labor-intensive entree takes a while to make and bake, and the chef hones his craft behind the sushi bar as though he will be judged for it in a contest. This is also the only roll I have ever seen wrapped in both seaweed and soy paper, for double the fun and twice the taste. To ensure more lobster per bite, load the stuffing from the tail onto each sushi roll piece before chomping away.