New Rolls - And Masterpieces - At Sushi Sono

Sushi Sono has added two new rolls -- master pieces of fish and vegetables that push their already-imaginative food.

The new rolls come on top of one of the best restaurants in Howard County.  It's pricey.  About $50 for three large rolls, a soda, and edamame.  But those rolls are unique and inventive:

• The "sunshine roll" -- tuna with crunchy seaweed topped with spicy tuna tataki and a dallop of mango sauce.  It's a spectacular roll.  Fish with the spicy edge, the sweet of fruit, and the crunch of the seaweed.  Special seaweed, the Sushi Sono folks explained.  Cooked to create the crunch.  Not the crackling of a cracker, but more the crunch of bean sprouts.
• The "sushi nugget" -- cooked tuna with onion, topped with scallop and then baked.  You get five pieces laid on their side.  It's rich and cozy.  The wrapper has a slight crunch, but the real flavor comes from the fish and, I think, some type of sauce.

The sunshine roll matches the No. 12 roll that the Columbia restaurant introduced earlier this year.  That was a delicious roll with a tempura shrimp topped with tuna and a spicy sauce.  The sunshine is light and flavorful.  The tuna is spiced, then seared before its sliced on top.  The roll fulfills sushi's best promise of fresh fish dressed up for a party.

In contrast, the sushi nugget was a complete surprise.  The roll comes hot.  It's not the clean, light notes of most sushi.  The warm, mellow flavor comes more like a winter soup, a restaurant soup where someone with skill has balanced ingredients into some special.  It's closer to Volt than a sushi bar.  Rich and concentrated like a stuffed mushroom, but sweet with the scallops on top.

I don't throw Volt around lightly.  This was a dish that someone thought about.  "Small plate" cuisine where some chef has experimented and turned out bites that I couldn't figure out, let alone replicate.  Hustle over.  It's worth your while.

Sushi Sono is really one of the best restaurants in Howard County.   Rolls have gone up about a dollar on the new menu, but it's still one of the great splurges.  Casual and relaxed, but classy enough to make even a Wednesday special.  Order green tea.  It's gratis, and it is absolutely delicious tea.