US Sushi

2531 Eastchester Drive, High Point, N.C.
us-sushi.com
One Sideways Thumb, One Down (we need a new rating system)

Jon's Take
Upon entering US Sushi we were greeted with the usual Japanese decor. I've never been to Japan so I'm never really sure if it's authentic or the Japanese restaurants are just giving us what they think we want to see. It doesn't really matter to me anyway, I just want the food. For this particular review we had a few guests on hand who livened up the situation and offered their own opinions of the restaurant and life in general. They don't get to write in the blog though.

The relative thickness of my Sapporo can was my main source of entertainment until the food came. Seriously, you can't crush a Sapporo can like other beer cans. I forgot all about the can when the giant Mayflower boat of food showed up. I was definitely impressed with the size of this wooden raft heaped with different sashimi and a bunch of different types of rolls. Shortly after the Mayflower landed we received another roll, compliments of the house.

I'll first say that the food was all very tasty. Like most of my trips to sushi restaurants, I tried everything and ate quite a bit. But I have to be quick to note that the Mayflower was, at best, 50 percent raw fish, and that's where my main complaint lies: when I go to a sushi place and take part in a $70 sushi boat, I want it to have a lot of raw fish on it. The menu was mainly just a big listing of the names of the dishes, so there wasn't really any indication that there would be so much cooked fish and other stuff.

So I was satisfied with the food in general but disappointed with the relatively low proportion of raw fish. What was there -- salmon, tuna, white tuna and most of the other regulars -- was good. I just don't want all the rice and avocados and cooked fish when I'm expecting sushi. Plus there wasn't any Octopus, which is one of my favorites on a sushi boat. Maybe they are trying to make the meals more palatable for non-sushi eaters, but I really don't think it's necessary at a restaurant called US Sushi.

My thumb is down for the first time in the history of this blog. I would definitely eat at US Sushi again and I have no complaints about the quality of what was served, I will just be more careful when ordering next time and make sure I'm actually going to get ... Sushi.

Footnote: This blog is for restaurant reviews, but the movie Jumper is on FX right now. I've got to say it's terrible. Maybe I'll start a movie blog too.

Jason's Take
Some things just go together...peanut putter and jelly, chicken wings and beer, french fries and Texas Pete. Other food combinations really trip my trigger...but cream cheese and raw fish isn't on that list.  Cream cheese is a food group that enhances bagels and the icing on my mom's carrot cake.  Other than that, it has little use to me.  But I will get back to the topic of cream cheese in a few.  First let me begin my review of US Sushi.

If I hadn't grown up in High Point, I wouldn't have know that US Sushi is located at the old Ham's Restaurant. They have done a decent job decorating and you feel as if you are in an "asian" restaurant.  They have some nice ceiling treatments that give theplace a somewhat modern "Japanese fusion" atmosphere.  And when you get the menus, 1 for hibachi and the other for sushi, you know where you are.  Jon and I had a few guests with us so we ordered the May Flower (70.00) which is a chef's choice of sushi and sashimi that comes in a huge wooden boat, much like the Pilgrims, hence the name.  They also have the Love Boat (50.00), I am assuming this is for 2 diners, and the Titanic (100.00) which is for Leo and Kate.

I will start with the sashimi, which was, as you all might guess, Dank!  The thin slices of fresh fish consisting of tuna, white tuna, salmon, and red snapper were very fresh and very tasty.  Fresh fish is typically not slimy and not "fishy" smelling.  All the pieces of fish were fresh and tasty.

Next comes the rolls, that encompass the other 60-70 percent of the boat.  I was very disappointed in the fact that 80 percent of the rolls had cream cheese.  while I can tolerate the cream cheese, I dont prefer it.  Maybe if I had asked for no cream cheese in the rolls they would have complied, but that sort of defeats the purpose of chef's choice.

Of course I did have 1 large can of Sappporo to wash it all down.  I am always amazed at the can construction of this Japanese beer.  I don't think the world's strongest man could crush one of these.  All in all, I had a pleasant dining experience. If the sushi chef would leave the cream cheese in Philly, I would give the place a thumbs up.  Instead I have to give a neutral sideways gesture.  Next time, I will ask for rolls without the cream cheese.

Footnote:  Jumper isn't as bad as Jon thinks...but we are both looking forward to the return of Kenny Powers.

Mi Pueblo Mexican Restaurant

111 Northpoint Avenue, High Point, N.C.
(336) 887-5518
Two Thumbs Up

This post has been on the shelf for quite some time. We're really sorry about being away for the summer, but we'll get back to work now that the weather is cooling off.

Jon's Take
Mi Pueblo is a solid place to eat, especially if you are hungry. It smells great as soon as you walk in the door and your servers are prompt to bring you as much chips and salsa as you'd like. I like that they bring you multiple dishes for the salsa so you can double dip.

There's a couple of basic Italian dishes on the menu for anyone who doesn't like Mexican, but that's not why we're at Mi Pueblo. We're there for the extremely long menu filled with countless variations of Mexican cuisine. There's at least 50 different things on the menu, plus combo meals in which you can basically put together anything you want.

I got a Chimichanga for $7.95 and I wasn't really sure what it was going in. Turns out most Mexican dishes from places like this are pretty much the same. It was a rolled up meat filled thing that came with rice and refried beans -- all high quality. I also tasted Jason's dish and it was really distinct and excellent. I'd recommend whatever he got if you're at any of the Mi Pueblo locations in the Piedmont Triad.

Last but not least, they have huge Dos Equis drafts with lime for $3.00 which has to be one of the best beer deals in town. A huge amount of food plus several drafts came up to $28.94 including tax. It was a solid meal for the value and I'll be going back plenty in the future.

Jason's Take


I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the specialty section of the Mi Pueblo menu.  As far as decor, Mi Pueblo is much like any Mexican Restaurant, nothing to special.  They have tacos, burritos, and the numbered combination meals that are the same at every Mexican joint in the continental US.  They even have the 32oz. Dos Equis on draft that I have grown to love at every Mexican eatery.  What sets Mi Pueblo above all other places I have eaten are the many special dishes on the menu.

Jon and I started with Cheese dip with beef.  They take the normal cheese dip and add in some seasoned, grounded beef which enhances the flavor and makes it possible to get more of it on a chip.  As for the chips, well they are the same everywhere so that is all I will say about that.  The dip though, is excellent.

For my entrée, I settled on the Jerk Pork tenderloin (9.95).  The is a very unique dish, not one I typically see at a Mexican restaurant.  The plate has thin slices of Pork flavored with Jerk seasoning, topped with a pineapple, sour cream sauce with adds a little sweetness to the spice.  The dish is also served with rice, black beans, and grilled veggies (asparagus, squash, onion, bell pepper).  The perfect bite of this dish is a small slice of asparagus with some pork and the sauce, and of course the many rice grains that stick as you put the food on the fork.  This dish surpasses any "traditional" mexican dish on the menu i.e. burrito or enchilada.  The jerk pork tenderloin is definitely on of the highlights of this blog journey and I can't wait to eat it again.  If I were an octopus I would give this dish eight tentacles up!