Blue Fish is primarily a sushi place, and that's what scared us before we went there. "Happy hour sushi" makes us think of a dimly lit room with red walls and techno blasting through the speakers.
That prediction wasn't too far off on our Wednesday-night visit -- we heard One Republic's "Apologize" as soon as we sat down at the bar, and the Christmas lights near the front door were about the only thing that made it bright enough to read the menus.
But it was the happy hour prices that made us stay.
We started with a Califonia roll with snow crab and something called Deep Fried Madness (pictured above) that is a deep fried tuna roll with a spicy, caramelized sauce. The snow crab wasn't great, but the Deep Fried Madness tasted as good as most things deep-fried. It was $7 total for the two dishes.We didn't try the Crispy Roll, the most expensive item on the happy hour menu at $5, but we did order a tasty plate of Spicy Tuna roll for $3. Happy hour at Blue Fish, from 5 to 7 p.m. on weeknights, also includes half-price appetizers like fried dumplings and seaweed salad.
The drink prices are the best part. Domestic beers -- including Saint Arnolds -- are $1.50, and imports are a $1 more. House wines are a little pricey -- for this happy hour -- at $4, and hot sake is $2.50.
It didn't take long to fill up on cheap sushi at Blue Fish, and by that time, Elton John was playing, soothing our soul a bit. After polishing off another beer, we headed for the door and walked outside.