Rochester city dining review: California Rollin' restaurant

This past week, as a welcome back to Rochester, I returned to the Village Gate, a part of the city not too far away from Park Avenue that’s known for its plethora of unique restaurants and even more unique shops.

A part of Rochester’s Neighborhood of the Arts (NOTA), the place is bustling with all sorts of people eating at the various restaurants or exploring the street shops. 

The restaurant I chose this time around is California Rollin’, and as the only Japanese-style eatery out of the five on site, it provided an experience different from that which any of the others could provide. 

What I love about the Village Gate is how the seasons can greatly affect the experience. While the weather is still nice, the Gate hosts “14 Fridays,” an outdoor musical series where there is a variety of different events, depending on the week, for 14 weeks.

On this particular Friday night, there was a live band called Margaret Explosion, as well as two magicians who both juggled fire-lit batons (and one even ate the fire off of his!).

This was a welcomed diversion because, besides being entertaining, it allowed us to pass the time while we waited almost an hour for a table at the restaurant. Take my advice: on Friday and Saturday nights, the Village Gate is flooded with people, so either make a reservation or be willing to wait around for a while.

Once we were shepherded into California Rollin’ by the hostess, the dining experience began. Walking to our seats, we noticed there was some interesting artwork on the walls, such as old windows that had been painted with seascapes and fish. However, the atmosphere was overall a bit bizarre, because while the restaurant had a little sushi bar where diners could sit, it didn’t give off the usual aura of a Japanese restaurant. The music was classic Beatles, which was great, but unusual in such a locale. Needless to say, these first impressions caused me to be a little uneasy as to how the meal would turn out. Though I knew the restaurant served Japanese food in such an untraditional setting, I was quite skeptical. The menu was not quite what I expected. Since the restaurant is called “California Rollin’,” I thought there would be a basic Japanese eatery selection, but it was sushi all the way. No noodles, no chicken teriyaki.

That being said, once I discovered that this was a place for sushi lovers, there was an extensive variety of options including nigiri, which is when a ball of rice supports a slim piece of seafood — be it tuna, salmon or octopus. All of the sushi rolls were very well organized, especially for those people who aren’t into eating raw fish, because they were split into “Cooked” and “Raw” sections. While people often generalize that sushi is raw fish, that isn’t a reality in all cases. If raw fish isn’t your thing, don’t turn yourself off totally!
Price-wise, the average roll was between $6.50 and $7, which is pretty standard.

That being said, the “Specialty Rolls,” which tend to include more complicated combinations of ingredients, averaged at around $12, which, on a college budget, can get a bit too pricey.

Once the food came, I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that it was all so well put together. As I said previously, I was hesitant at best because of the“campy” environment, but the presentation was quite good. As my eatery cohorts can attest, not only was the presentation of the sushi excellent, but it was also really delicious. The fish was fresh, the rice not overcooked, and the rice to sushi ratio was well balanced, which sometimes is an issue at Japanese restaurants. Overall, everyone left having enjoyed themselves.

However, one problem with restaurants, especially with college students, is getting the most food you can for the best price. In that vein, I’ll transition into the first ever “Best Bang for Your Buck,” which I plan on including in future articles so you all at least have one example of a well-priced menu option.

This week’s is the “$19.25 in a bowl.” I bet you’re wondering what the heck could cost $19.25 in a bowl, and how big the bowl is, for that matter. Well, the best description is that it’s a large cereal bowl full of shirashi, meaning “scattered sushi,” over a big bed of rice.

This was truly unlike anything I had ever seen in a sushi restaurant before. Instead of rolls, the bowl was filled about three-fourths of the way with sushi rice, and then pieces of fresh fish including tuna, salmon and yellowtail, as well as fresh scallops, were neatly arranged on top in a traditional design. It was honestly a sight for sore eyes and, for the sushi lovers out there, a great deal.

With a soup or salad included, my friend and I each paid $14, including tax and tip, and we left really full. For the single person, I’d recommend the “$10.50 in a bowl,” which is a little less than half the food of the larger one, but if you’re with a group, the larger one is definitely worth it.

Overall, California Rollin’ is a place I’d recommend to go for sushi. Despite the odd atmosphere that confused me at first, the sushi was fresh and well presented, which made the experience all the more worthwhile.

For more information about the Village Gate, visit www.villagegatesquare.com. To learn more about California Rollin’ and to see their full menu, visit www.californiarollin.com.

Siegel is a member of the class of 2010.