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| - I stopped at this cute little shop while passing through Phoenix on my way to Tucson. I had a mad craving for sushi -- but I wanted it fast. I didn't have time to stay in Phoenix for long.
I had never heard of nor been to Chef Ben, and when I walked inside I was already a bit timid. No one other than the staff and chef were inside. But it was that halo period between lunch and dinner, so I figured, "Meh," and walked up to place my order.
This is not a fancy formal place. It really is fast sushi -- no, not fast food sushi, just fast. You can place your order at the counter or take a seat in the dining hall.
Because this is speedy sushi, I was surprised by the menu. It was fuller than I expected. I went with the small sushi bowl and one of their specialty rolls.
The bowl came with your usual suspects: Salmon, tuna, yellowtail, shrimp.... I was slightly disappointed -- until I began eating.
Freshness!
They may skimp a little on variety and on the size of the cut, but the fish was very fresh and had the correct oil-to-firmness ratio. The sushi rice also was quite nice -- as though it were a batch the chef had just made.
The specialty roll also was quite nice. Called the dragon roll, it was made with eel, crab, cucumber and avocado. What I appreciated was its lightness. The roll wasn't drenched in some dreadful sauce, but served as rolled.
Perfect.
I was pleased. I imagine I will stop in time to time while driving through Phoenix. It's a good price for quick, fresh sushi.
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