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| - I've never spent time in North Carolina, but in the last three months, I've had two layovers in CLT. Both were very annoying, and both fell during mealtime. I went to Hissho to eat both times.
The first time, I was rushing to make my connecting flight and stopped off on Hissho to grab a roll. There was a refrigerated section of to-go food, and the selection was pretty good - standard, sure, but a lot of options. It took me a minute to pick an eel roll. I ate it on the plane, and it was good. It reminded me of the pre-packaged rolls I used to love at the cafeteria in college. Nothing special, maybe, but satisfying.
So when I passed by Hissho in the same airport on a longer layover just a couple months later, I decided to sit down for some dinner. I thought about getting another ready-to-go roll, but I made the mistake of opening the menu. I had just heard Jonathan Gold review a Sinaloan sushi spot on the radio, and he said something like, "It was good in the way chili fries are good," and for some reason that resulted in my ordering something called a Mango Trio. It was an 8 piece roll with imitation crab, mango, cucumber, and mango-ginger cheese topped with salmon, tuna, and a mango habanero sauce. I mean what the hell is mango-ginger cheese? Anyway, the roll was edible but vaguely disgusting, with mediocre fish and an odd, goopy sauce.
My other big mistake was getting a drink. I'm a sucker for a spicy bloody mary, and when I saw a chipotle bloody on the menu I decided to go for it. It was the most disgusting bloody mary I've had in recent memory, very strong with a tinge of thin tomato and a bit of spice. It had a double shot of vodka, so I guess it was at least functional. When I got the check, though, I was shocked to see that it cost $14. My shitty airport meal cost over $30. Incidentally, service was also very slow. Surprising considering the setting.
I left for my flight feeling foolish. I would've been happier with a spicy tuna in a plastic container. I may come back to Hissho when I fly through CLT, but I won't sit down again.
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