In Washington DC, there are quite a number of places to visit if you are ever in the mood to eat sushi. While I was visiting Washington DC during a business trip back in mid-October of 2007, I decided to find a good sushi restaurant. This was attributed to the fact that I had not had any good sushi for a matter of many long months. Nowadays, it is extremely rare that I go out for some sushi. Before I went to this one sushi restaurant, the last time I ate sushi was around December of 2006. I had gone to a sushi restaurant back in Maryland. My uncle and I stopped at the restaurant to have some sushi on the way back after he picked me up from Baltimore-Washington International (BWI).
I found myself back in Washington DC around October of 2007. I was staying at my uncle’s new house in Laurel, Maryland. Luckily, he does not live that far from the MARC which is the metro service that is commonly used to go all around Washington DC. It was a cold day with a lot of drizzle which constitutes to a lot of nasty weather.
Around nearing dinner time, I found myself in Chinatown. The thing is that there are parts of Chinatown that do not look Chinese anymore. Chinatown has gone through the most of the gentrification that has taken place throughout Washington DC within the previous years. The city itself has changed a whole lot. I headed to the Verizon Center which used to be known as the MCI Center.
There are approximately two sections of the Verizon Center. One part is the arena itself which hosts games and concerts. The second part consists of three floors. The first floor is where you have your bars and restaurants. The second floor is used the "Lucky Strike" bowling alley and restaurant. The third floor is your AMC Movie Theater. I had been to the Verizon Center quite a few times when I was in Washington DC.
The first time I had went to the Verizon Center was back in December of 2006. I ate at this restaurant called "Thai Chili" which served Thai cuisine. While the food was good, it was not really authentic Thai food. The dishes seemed to be somewhat inspired by Vietnamese cuisine. The cuisine back in Thailand is still somewhat primitive as it tends to consist of snakes and insects.
Instead of going to Thai Chili this time around, I went to this place called "Sushi Go-Round & Tapas." Luckily, I had come during the slow hours between 4-7PM. I really wanted a quick meal and I very much had gotten a quick meal. The atmosphere of this place was very cool, calm, and relaxed. So far, this was the only sushi place in Washington DC that had a conveyor belt process.
The conveyor belt process is like an ala carte. There are various selections to choose from. Each one is priced differently. The sushi is at an all right price. The conveyor belt has the sushi on different colored plates. The colors indicate the price. In a sense, it is like Chinese dimsum. But, I am not much of a fan of the conveyor belt process because one has no idea how long the sushi has been out there for. In a sense, it would be like eating at an all you can eat Chinese buffet. You have to be careful when at a buffet. Chinese buffets tend to be notorious for adding MSG to the foods.
When I entered the restaurant, I was seated right away. I do notice that the people at Sushi Go-Round & Tapas also do shifts at Thai Chili. I did learn that both restaurants are under the same ownership. So far, it was a good thing that I came in during the slow hours. I was seated immediately and I was served immediately.
In the case of sushi, it is only good when it is fresh. You also have to worry about the quality of the fish. Luckily, I have never gotten sick from having sushi. While I was at Sushi Go-Round, I ordered two spicy tuna rolls and one Philadelphia roll. This is the most common order I tend to place whenever I go out for sushi.
I would have to say that the sushi was good. Sushi Go-Round is great when you want a quick meal. But if you’re conscious about what type of sushi you are eating, I would go for the freshly made sushi and not the conveyor belt sushi.
The restaurant is not the ideal place for a very romantic date. However, I do recommend going to Sushi Go-Round & Tapas if you want a quick and casual meal. Since there is an AMC movie theater on the third floor, I recommend only taking a date to that restaurant if you intend to watch a movie. This is also the case if you’re looking to eat before or after a game or concert.
There are other sushi places around Washington DC. I recommend going to Sushi Go-Round if you are in the mood for sushi and do not feel like leaving the Chinatown area. Luckily, there is a metro stop directly underneath the Verizon Center. You get off at the metro stop and find yourself right at the Verizon Center and head into the main entrance where you can get to Sushi Go-Round & Tapas.
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