All You Can Eat

Seattle Times food writer Nancy Leson serves up the best info and tips on Northwest food, cooking, dining and restaurants.

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October 15, 2009 3:20 PM

Blue C Sushi does it again: sixth store opens downtown

Posted by Nancy Leson

I spend a lot of time, and not an insignificant amount of my paycheck, in the area's best sushi bars. Places where the sushi chef knows my Indian name (Nancy Eats Too Much Sushi-san) and modus operandi (omakase? hai!). I also spend a lot of time at kaiten sushi-joints. Which is to say you're as likely to see me at the sushi bar at Taka Sushi, Kisaku and Mashiko as at Sushi Land, Genki Sushi and Blue C Sushi -- which opened its sixth store downtown this week across the street from Gameworks.

Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's -- Blue C Sushi?

I like kaiten (conveyor-belt) sushi because it's quick and easy. It can be cheap (see: Sushi Land), it's certainly convenient (Genki offers free parking in a covered lot not far from the Seattle Times office) and it can be a ton of fun, especially if you're dealing with a sushi-novice or you've got a kid like mine who's a sushi-freak.

My boy is obsessed with all things Japanese, including but not limited to Pocky, Uwajimaya, Pokemon and -- God love him -- deep-fried aji bones. His favorite among the kaiten places, though, is Blue C. We often frequent the University Village store, though I think Nate might prefer the new Seventh Avenue location. Why? Because they're selling Pocky -- as well as other Japanese snack foods, drinks, and boxed sushi to-go -- from this wall-'o-goodies. (Psst: there's a bar selling cocktails on the opposite wall for the 21-and-over set):

I'm addicted to wasabi peas. Nate's nuts about the chocolate-coated Pocky.

When I heard Blue C was opening downtown Tuesday, I stopped in for a bite. OK, a few bites:

Saba (left) and whatever spicy roll they were (literally) moving.

And that's where I ran into Blue C partner and executive sushi chef Shinichi Miura. If you hang out at the Fremont location, you'll see his face artistically rendered on the restaurant's mural.

Shinichi Miura, making sure the belt runs on time on Seventh Avenue.

Miura-san wasn't the only guy I recognized. Turns out the gang was all there:

The Blues brothers -- and their Kiwi pal in his chef's jacket.

Those fellas above are Blue C's founding partners Steve Rosen (left) and James Allard (right) flanking Grand Hyatt executive-chef Brent Martin. Brent stopped in say hi to his old friend Jonathan Hunt (executive chef of Blue C's sibling Boom Noodle, in the rear) and to welcome the boys to the neighborhood. Jonathan had just come from the new Whole Foods at Interbay which finally made its debut this week. He said he was there pimping (oops, he meant showcasing) Blue C's edamame puree, sold at the new Whole Foods along with Blue C's sushi, under a new retail label:

Someday, soon I hope, I'm going to get to Japan and see what's-what at their kaiten sushi restaurants.

Meanwhile, I'm happy to give it the go-around here. And I can't help but ask: Where do you like to eat kaiten sushi? Oh, and to all you sushi-snobs out there who refuse to eat sushi-on-the-move, as Nate and I like to say: MFU -- more for us!

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