I went to the best sushi place in Athens, Utage, with my Jackson Spalding mentor, Ashley, on Friday for lunch.

We thought it would be a relaxing, low-key Friday in downtown Athens, but we were definitely mistaken.  UGA graduation was this past Saturday, so it was packed- even in the sushi joint.

Ashley and I sat at the sushi bar, and we both decided to go with the super duper lunch special.  You can order two choices from their lunch menu, soup and a salad for $7.95- a total steal.

I ordered the daily nigiri and the shrimp cucumber roll.  Ashley got the shrimp cucumber roll and the shrimp tempura roll.

Our soup and salads came out first and very promptly.  I’ve had the same waitress there the past couple of times, and she is fabulous.  My soup had a lot more seaweed in it than usual, but I like it that way.  It was piping hot and definitely a nice little start to the meal.  The salad was fresh, and I love the cucumbers they put on it.

Because it was busy, it took a little while to get our food.  I kept having to remind myself that it takes a little longer to put together a sushi roll than slap some chicken salad on a sandwich.  Ashley and I had some nice convos, though, so it wasn’t too bad.

When it came, my nigiri (tuna and salmon) was very fresh and cold.  Unlike grocery store nigiri, my fish did not come with a pile of rice under it.  It was just plain fish.  I didn’t mind it because it had a fresh, non-fishy taste.  It might freak some people out, though.

My eight-piece shrimp and cucumber roll was perfect.  I managed to eat my entire meal with chopsticks- a huge feat for me.  I’m terrible with chopsticks.

Ashley and I cleaned our plates, so I think our meal was pretty good.  The staff at Utage is always friendly and willing to get you whatever you want.  Utage is a little hidden in between Molly O’Shea’s and Junkman’s, but it’s a wonderful little nook when you find it.

For all my new “Edelpeeps” and Athens visitors, I know many of you are looking for places to eat either tonight or tomorrow.

So, I decided to give you a few suggestions!

If you aren’t going to the reception at East West Bistro, here are some fun dinner places downtown:

• For pizza/Italian: Little Italy, Amici, Transmetropolitan, Basil Press (a little more expensive), La Dolce Vita (around $15 for dinner at least), Mellow Mushroom, DePalma’s
• For steak and yummyness: Porterhouse Grill
• For tapas: Casa Mia, Speakeasy, The National
• For soul food: 5 Star Day Cafe, Clocked
• For vegetarian: Farm 255, The Bluebird Cafe
• Sushi: Utage, Shokitini

If you’re looking for breakfast, these are good, too!

• Mom and Pop breakfast: The Mayflower, The Grill
• Fabulous brunch: The Last Resort, The Globe
• Vegetarian awesomeness: The Bluebird Cafe
• Coffee: Starbucks, Espresso Royale, Walker’s Pub

I hope everyone’s having a good time in Athens! Follow me on Twitter (katlady), and ask me a question if you want.

Onward, social media!

Sushi is something I wish I would have learned to like as a kid.

I’ve become progressively adventurous with my choices, but think what I’d be eating if I had my first California Roll at three!

On Monday, I ate lunch with a friend at Utage Sushi on Clayton Street. Here’s their main information:
Location: downtown Athens at the very end of East Clayton Street. It’s in between Molly O’Shea’s and Junkman’s.
Phone number: 706-227-9339
Web site: Don’t have one.
Reservations: Yes.
Price: It is very reasonably priced for a Sushi Bar. Their lunch combo is wonderful. You get a soup, a salad, and two entrees for $7.95. Total steal.
Best meal: I like Sushi for both lunch and dinner. I’d say you’d be safe with either one.
Group-friendly: I’d like to think so. The restaurant is narrow, but they can definitely squash some tables together.

Mary and I came in around 1:30 p.m. for a late lunch. Our waitress was extremely hospitable and made sure to answer any questions we had about the meal.

We sat at a table for two, but they give you the option of sitting at the Sushi bar. I like that the best.

Even though I prefaced the post with my adventurous Sushi eating, I decided to stay a little traditional with the salmon roll and the cucumber roll. Since I’m not a big fan of soy sauce, I used the ginger dressing from the salad to put on the Sushi. It added a little sweet taste to it, and I thought it was really good!

Mary decided to go all out with the lunch special. Along with the salad and miso soup that came with the meal, she ordered the day’s nigiri and the beef teriyaki. If I can remember it all, the fish that came with the nigiri were red snapper, salmon, flounder, tuna and…my memory fails once again. There were five different kinds of fish, though, and they all looked tasty and fresh!

I love the inside of Utage. I feel like a V.I.P. every time I come in. I like how the front door is a little hidden from the street, and I think I’m going into an exclusive members-only kind of thing.
The restaurant is also very narrow, but it makes for an intimate setting. With dim lights, cool Asian art and flat screen TVs, you can’t go wrong!

I was a slacker once again and forgot my camera. I promise I will have pictures for my next post.

If you’ve been to Utage, let everyone know what you ordered. Most people are hesitant about the menu options, so it might help to have some ideas going in.

This is the part when I play doctor (I think I’d be a lot more convincing if I was Meredith Grey.).

No, this post is not about a restaurant.
It’s about eating smart.

On Nov. 29, I heard a report on ABC’s World News Tonight about how the American Medical Association (AMA) is, “urging the FDA to take direct action by cutting in half the amount of salt allowed in processed foods and food served in restaurants.”

Half.

Lately, I’ve been paying more attention to the sodium in my food every day, and it’s made me aware of how much sodium, salt, MSG, baking soda, baking powder or disodium phosphate (many names, same thing) I’m eating.

So, (mostly) college kids, we are constantly learning about food. What to eat. What not to eat. How to cook. How NOT to cook. What’s cheap. What’s not.

Here are the facts about sodium:

1. Tighter restrictions, or personal decreases, on salt could potentially save 150,000 lives annually
   • High sodium levels in a person’s body helps contribute to severe heart problems
   • “One in three U.S. adults has high blood pressure, and almost 1 billion people worldwide. Hypertension in turn is a leading cause of heart attacks, strokes and kidney failure. And while being overweight and inactive raises blood pressure, too much salt is a big culprit as well.“
2. The recommended daily amount of sodium for adults is around 1,500 mg- about one teaspoon of salt
   • The average American consumes about 3,000-4,000 mg of salt every day.
   • Over a year, that adds up to three pounds of salt.

This is the fact that relates to my blog:
3. A lot of sodium people eat comes from food from restaurants.

• • “The grande Starbucks java chip Frappuccino® light blended coffee has 350 milligrams of sodium.“
  • “One Krispy Kreme chocolate iced cake doughnut has 320 mg.”
  • “One cup of Cheerios — frequently advertised as heart healthy — has 300 milligrams of salt.”
    

The question is: what are we to do?

I have a game plan.

If you’re watching your sodium, and you want to eat out, stay away from these kinds of places:

1. Mexican- a lot of the canned beans, rice, meat and spices are extremely high in salt.
2. Chinese- I found a good article on alternatives when you go to a Chinese restaurant. Here are some tips:
   • Look for dishes that feature vegetables instead of meat or noodles. Ask for extra broccoli, snow peas or other veggies.
   • Steer clear of deep-fried meat, seafood or tofu. Order it stir-fried or braised.
   • Hold the sauce, and eat with a fork or chopsticks to leave more sauce behind.
   • Avoid salt, which means avoiding duck sauce, hot mustard, hoisin sauce and soy sauce.
   • Share your meal or take half home for later.
   • Ask for brown rice instead of white rice.
3. Italian- pasta, pasta, pasta. It’ll get you every time.
   • Try ordering a salad or a light fish dish for a change.
   • You can also ask the waiter to see if they can cut out some salt.

Here are some restaurants I’ve remembered that might be a good alternative- in Athens, of course.

1. Farm 255- Everything is organic, free range whatever. I’m sure they would be open to suggestions or any special requests.
2. Shokitini, Rusans or Utage- Any good sushi place would be alright. Just don’t order a bunch of fried rice and then dip it in soy sauce. That would defeat the purpose.
3. Jason’s Deli- Their salad bar is great. You can’t go wrong with fresh veggies NOT from a can.

So, while I’m not saying you’re going to die of a heart attack tomorrow, I’m challenging you to be more aware of what you’re eating.

What’s coming from a bottle? A can? A box? A package? A deep fryer?

I’ll be interested to hear what you have to say.

P.S. Here’s what some other people had to say, too.
ABC News
Good Morning America
Lowsodium.blogspot.com
ehow.com