Good to Go
Bumblefish in Old Town Alexandria
Bumblefish's sushi is ready for customers to grab and go.
(By Carol Guzy -- The Washington Post)
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Old Town's Bumblefish is changing the lunch-on-the-run routine with fresh grab-and-go sushi on the bustling corner of King and Washington streets. The bright and airy 22-seat (not including the patio) restaurant, open since Valentine's Day, stocks what it calls "neo-Asian fast food" in a case up front that is constantly replenished during the lunch rush.
The offerings are fairly standard and are well priced, though the rolls are often heavy on the rice. To help identify the selections, boxes bear color-coded stickers marked Veggie, Cooked or Raw, along with the name of the roll and a sometimes-quirky description that co-owner Tim Ito calls a "throwback to the '70s and '80s for people who remember those times."
Most sushi selections and rolls are served a la carte, but a dozen rolls are available only in combos that include a choice of miso soup or bottled water. The Sushi Deluxe Combo ($8.99) features eight pieces, including tuna, salmon, eel and whitefish. The popular Dragon Roll Combo ($9.59) of broiled eel and avocado atop a California Roll is described as "the nicest dragon since the days of Pete."
Many of the cooked rolls have jazzy names, such as the 'Eeling Groovy Roll of grilled eel ($5.99) and the Livin' La Vida Lobster Combo with lobster, cucumber and spicy mayonnaise ($7.99). If a selection is unavailable in the front display, cheerful servers will create custom orders.
The cafe also prepares a well-rounded selection of non-sushi items: salads, edamame and spring rolls, to name a few. Inari, ginger rice-stuffed soy pockets ($2.99), are jokingly described as Japan's version of the Twinkie. Dumplings abound in gyoza and shu mai styles with four fillings ($3.99); all can be warmed upon ordering. Buckwheat soba noodle and udon noodle soups can be ordered hot or cold ($4.49). Six flavors of bubble teas ($3.99 each) make an enticing finishing touch.
-- Erin Hartigan
Bumblefish Sushi, 631 King St., Alexandria, 703-299-3474,http:/
