Queer Quisine - Sushi Saga

Greetings to all lesbians, dykes, femmes, queers, foodies and any and all combinations thereof! Welcome to the very first installment of Queer Quisine, where I will be reviewing various restaurants in the Tucson and Phoenix area. I will do my best to cover all aspects of the restaurant, including service, vegetarian/vegan options and drinks. Have questions or comments or just want to say hi? Drop me a line! Know of a restaurant you want to try but are afraid to take the first plunge? Let me know! I'll take that plunge for you and give you my honest opinion as to why you should take your next date to it, or why you should just opt for a nice pizza delivery frlom Magpies. If you try one of my reviewed restaurants let me know what you thought!

And now, without any further ado... I present QUEER QUISINE!

Today's review will be: Sushi Saga, in Tucson

I'd driven past the place dozens of times since I moved here in 2001 but for some reason never stopped to eat there. A couple years ago they changed their sign from a plain, yellow and black one that simply said "Sushi Saga" to a red on white cat. Why, I don't know. But it obviously helps people remember the place.

A warning: the parking lot is a death trap! You may be tempted to pull in from the side street between the restaurant and the strip that has Starbucks in it, but don't do it! All the parking is angled the other way, with not a lot of manoevering room, so be sure you pull in from the Speedway entrance.

The restaurant itself is pretty small. There are a couple of handfuls of tables inside and a few on the patio, for when the weather is nice. The first thing that caught my eye when we walked in were the specials on the white board: carne asada tacos. Ok... Tacos in a sushi joint. Welcome to Tucson!

My dinner date and I were seated fairly quickly at a little table by the window. I ordered a coke which they waited to bring until Faye (not her real name) had decided on what beer she wanted. (A giant bottle of Kirin.) There were quite a few other people in the restaurant at the time we were, including a table of 2 sorority chicks and a frat boy, a grumpy older woman at the table behind us, and a table of what could have been 2 couples where the men were slamming sake bombers and were pretty sloshed. The noise level wasn't bad at all considering it was a Friday night and most of the tables were occupied. Besides the hum of conversations the only other thing sound was the occasional "THUD" as the guys slammed their bombers. This didn't bother us in the slightest, but it sure annoyed the grumpy woman behind us.

The decor is very minimal. There is a sushi bar, albeit a small one, but I would recommend just getting a table. This is definitely not a place concerned with glitz and glamour, but that's ok because the food makes up for it.

The sushi menu is actually quite extensive, including some interesting south west fusion flavours like chipotle, green chilis, jalapenos, etc. Plenty of vegetarian options and they seemed very accomodating to any "different" requests. The drink menu seemed pretty decent as well. However, if you're looking for the standard entrees like teriaki chicken there aren't a lot of options. This is primarily a sushi restaurant, so that's primarily what they serve.

Not being a huge sushi fan (I much prefer sashimi) I opted for the soft shell crab rolls, sometimes called Spider Rolls. Faye ordered her usual avocado and tofu rolls, and didn't get any strange looks for it! There was a small bowl of edamame to start that was included with the meal. It was a nice touch because so many sushi places have you order the edamame separately. It wasn't the best edamame I've had, it could have used more salt, but it was ok. The miso soup wasn't too bad either. If they could have taken some of the salt they used for the soup and thrown it on the edamame I would have been happy, but for what it was, it wasn't half bad.

Our rolls came not too long after ordering. (Generally, allow at least some time after ordering sushi. It takes a few minutes to make, after all.) My soft shell crab roll was huge, each piece took me at least 2 bites to finish. The crab was rolled with avocado, cucumber and roe, and it was excellent! And I didn't hear any complaints from my dinner date so I'm guessing her's was pretty ok too.

The only hiccup came when it was time to get our check. We asked for it, then waited. Then waited some more. Granted, it looked like there was only 1 1/2 people working the floor at the time, but still, to wait 10 minutes for a check is a little much. However, when we did (finally) get the check the numbers on it definitely lifted my spirits. The prices on the sushi menu are all pretty reasonable and definitely comparable to other places around town, if not a bit better. My soft shell crab roll was $8. The avocado and tofu roll cost a total of $5 - $4 base, and an extra $1 because it was a special request. Having been charged up to $11 in the past for the same roll that was a very nice surprise. All in all, with both rolls, my coke and the giant Kirin the damage was only around $21, without the tip. Not too shabby, and I know I was pretty darn full.

So if you're looking for a cheap sushi and beer I'd recommend Sushi Saga, on Speedway and Country Club, right next to the Starbucks strip mall.

My score for Sushi Saga: 7.5/10 (It could have been higher except for the service, which was only so-so.)

Bon Appetite!

Sushi Saga
2955 E Speedway Blvd
Tucson, AZ, 85716 United States