Sushi Solano

Restaurant Information

1373 Solano Ave

Albany, CA 94530

(510)528-5800

Rita: The spacious, clean and nicely adorned restaurant was empty when all 6 of us arrived. So naturally, I made everyone sit at the sushi bar. The sushi chefs were affable and talked about where we worked,why the heckness was I taking pictures of the dishes, were we going to report our findings to the USDA headquarters regarding food sanitation, and patiently giving Humpho his 14th lesson in chopstick handling. Poor Humpho, he tries so hard. By the way, methinks theythink I was some crazy Japanese lady who likes to docu

ment every miniscule moment in her life with pictures. That is only partially true - I'm not Japanese.

Mike: A friend of mine judges restaurants by the quality of their bathroom, and if that is the rule, then this one fares pretty well. Sushi Solano not only did boasts immaculately clean facilities, but also treats its patrons to some nice elevator-type music, adding an auditory experience to any restroom visit.

Menu

Food

Chicken Teriyaki

kitzie: This security dish is just as safe and sacred at Sushi Solano as any other halfway decent sushi place. "What made it unique?" you ask... Well, let me tell you: Sushi Solano used good chicken. Also, whatever orange-y, tangy dressing they used on the salad was FREAKING AWESOME. (At first I didn't know what it was- I was thinking they put some kind of fish eggs on my salad and was a bit cautious - like poking it with a chop stick - which, if they noticed it, probably gave the employees a good laugh.) And finally, the service was great - the owner (?) was chatty and informative and the food was quick. All in all, I liked it a lot. Don't listen to Yelp, these people are great.

Chicken Katsu and Chicken Teriyaki

Mike:This lunch special was a good amount of food for the price. The staff were great in steering me toward the best non-fishy items on the menu, plus super friendly and helpful. I'd come back to this place purely based on my experience with the employees, but the fact that the food was better than any other Japanese restaurant I've been to makes that decision a no-brainer. However, my review can only extend to non-sushi items, as my tongue hates me for eating fishy foods, and rewards me with a bad taste.

Soft Shell Crab

Amy: I came here very hungry and left very full. First I ordered a large Sapporo beer with the Soft Shell Crab appetizer. I didn't really like the crab; I was expecting more meat and less crispiness. I don't think I'll order it again.

Rainbow Roll

Amy: I ordered the Rainbow Rolls next. They were tasty but I prefer my sushi to be bite-size, and these were way too large for my mouth. I may be biased, but I like how Happy Sushi in Logan, Utah makes their Rainbow Rolls. Therefore, I judge Rainbow Rolls on how they compare to Happy Sushi. Those were very yummy and I never had to order another dish to satisfy me, but here I had to order another dish.

Spicy Tuna Rolls

Amy: The third dish was the Spicy Tuna Rolls. This was my favorite out of the three meals and the cheapest. The tuna was spicy, (I can always go spicier) and the rolls were bite-size pieces (6 pieces per plate) that fit perfect in my mouth. I liked the atmosphere of the place and the sushi chiefs were very entertaining, but I think I'll keep searching for my favorite sushi restaurant.

Chirashi

Rita: I always rate the quality of a Japanese restaurant by their chirashi. My first thought when I saw this was, "Wow! So pretty!" then, "The tamago makes my maguro look like a rabbit." There is a lot of variety in this dish - ranging from hamachi to cooked mackerel. Even though I was pleased by the quantity, I wasn't impressed by the quality. I think the sashimi might have been sitting out on the sushi bar for a bit too long, making it uncomfortably warm and gummy. The only tasty items were the cooked mushrooms and ebi. Sad.

Rita: So I swiped a bite of the sea bass teriyaki and my tongue was hit with a plethora of flavors, first with the sweet taste of teriyaki down to the grilled aftertaste. You know what I'm talking about? That fabulous carcinogenic taste where you learn that pan fried is never the same as flame kissed? Mcdonald's vs Burger King? Am I making sense here? Anyways, apparently this Japanese restaurant is good for their cooked items, even though their name is SUSHI Solano. Go figure.

Pretty Oranges

Rita: Oranges can be funny. Scenario 1: I got shafted and only got 3 pieces of oranges whilst everyone else got 4 pieces and Sam got 8. The person in charge of oranges must have a crush on Sam and hate me with a passion. Scenario 2: Sam picks up parsley and askes Amy what it was for. Amy says, "You can eat it to get rid of your bad breath." Sam takes this statement personally and asks, "MY bad breath?" Both start giggling for 5 straight minutes. I kid you not.

Britt Marie

Restaurant Information

1369 Solano Avenue (between Carmel Ave & Ramona Ave)
Albany, CA 94706

(510) 527-1314
http://www.brittmariesrestaurant.com/

Rita: This restaurant was a little hard to find. From the outside, the place looks dark and closed. Once you open the very ancient-looking wooden door, you are hit with an antique-tavern vibe. I was surprised by the size of the restaurant; It's actually pretty big and we were quickly seated. Word of warning, come eat here when you are not hungry unless you are willing to pay an exorbitant amount of money. I found this restaurant to be slightly on the pretentious side, the waiter didn't frequent our table and service was a little slow. This place could be summed up as: overpriced dwarf-sized portions of Eastern European cuisine.

Mike: The food, while pretty good-tasting, was served in portions for either five-year olds or elves - and not the tall kind in Lord of the Rings, but those Keebler elves who live in trees and make cookies and crackers in their spare time.

Menu

Food

Shrimp Gyro

Amy: I had the shrimp gyro, it wasn't bad, but I've definitely had better. I would say the taste of the food is in between fast food and gourmet, but the prices would say gourmet. Even though there was only one other table occupied, the waiter rarely came by to see how we were doing. When it came to ordering desert, we had ask the waiter for it as he was handing us our bill. It was as though he wanted us to leave. I would recommend this place if you're craving a gyro and don't care about service or what price you pay.

Rita: This gyro almost made me cry, and not in a good way. It was so small and I ate this thing in 5 bites. The beef and lamb were marinated well, but the white sauce was a little too overwhelming. I felt like I was eating a taco with too much sour cream.

kitzie: I've had better gyro's - that cost less money. How do you not offer side dishes with something like this??? I kind of liked the too much sour cream stuff though. Oh, and it was wicked small, so make sure you order some extra if you need to have a miniature, unremarkable gyro.

Mike: While this gyro was pretty awesome as far as taste goes,(extra sauce a big plus in my book) the size was utterly depressing. Within a few minutes, I had downed this thing, eaten some of Rita's Spanakopita and was still hungry. Way overpriced for the amount of food, unless they are going by the belief that the more food costs the less you should get, but in that case the usually quality improves much more. I won't be back unless I bring an elf-sized appetite or win the lotto.

Spanakopita

Rita: This spinach dish was quite the tasty. I've never had one of these before and was very pleased by the taste. I'd still like to bring up the fact that I was still hungry even with the spanakopita and gyro already digesting in my stomach. I was forced to loosen my wallet and purchase the much needed dessert portion of the meal.

Tiramisu

Rita: I had to get dessert. My stomach was unhappily unsatisfied. Apparently you get free dessert if you pay your bill with cash. I did not have cash (who carries cash anyways? It's all about the plastic cards), so I had to pay MORE money for this subpar tiramisu. It just tasted like very soggy chocolate cake with lady fingers stuck in the middle. No taste of expresso, no hint of rum, just mushy globs of sugar. Immediate regret. I should have waited and gone to get gelato from Eunice's Gourmet Cafe.

Seared pear in Brandy sauce (I think)Mike: I almost never order dessert in a restaurant because I feel that generally they are overpriced. However, after an unsatisfying meal, I decided to splurge and go for something else to whet my appetite. Unfortunately I got this- a dish that essentially was a cold, peeled pear with a cinammony syrup poured over it. Not much more to say than that, except that I regret my purchase.