I’ll say this – I am picky when it comes to sushi joints. I usually turn to the obscure storefronts that specialize in sashimi-grade fish for my maki and nigiri (ie: Lawrence Fish Market in Albany Park). However, urged by my fellow classmates, I agreed to go out for some Japanese food at Nori in Lakeview as a post-midterm celebration. I told my friends that I’d be happy to get some miso and appetizers, but that I probably wouldn’t give the sushi a chance. I ended up eating my words (and the rolls).

Nori was pretty crowded for a Wednesday night – a good sign. Groups of young adults chatted it up over elaborate plates of sushi, fiddling with chopsticks and clinking sake glasses. In the middle of the main dining room, a sushi bar features smiling, fast-handed artists as they whip up the creations. Diners can sit at the bar and marvel while they munch.

We were seated promptly and the service remained speedy and accurate from there. Everyone was really accommodating to our rowdy group and they even let us split the check six ways with no complaint.

We ordered some sake and bottles of wine to wash down the memories of our midterm, and the quality was fantastic for the prices. Even the cheapest bottle of hot sake pleased the biggest wine snob in our group (surprisingly not me). We followed up with the essential Japanese appetizers – miso soup, edamame and asparagus-beef rolls. All were promising of high-quality ingredients, so I took the next step toward what I had been dreading – the sushi.

As a rule of thumb, I consider the negihama (yellow tail and scallion) maki to be a “gateway roll” that acts a tell-tale indicator for how the rest of the sushi will be. Consistent coloring of the fish? Check. Smooth, buttery texture? Check. Tastes like the ocean? Check. I had no choice but to carry on and try some of the other masterpieces. Here’s a small list of what we devoured:

• Grand Caribbean – strawberry, mango, tempura shirmp and avocado, topped with salmon, wasabi mayo and sweet sauce
• Monster – deep fried unagi (eel), cream cheese, steamed asparagus, cilantro and tomato, topped with spicy shrimp, avocado, unagi sauce and tobiko (roe)
• Fire Dragon – tempura shrimp and avocado wrapped in tuna, topped with spicy shrimp, scallions and sweet sauce
• Salmon Toro (fatty salmon)
• Red Nori – spicy tuna, spicy shrimp and avocado, smothered in tempura crumbs, red tobiko and unagi sauce
• Heartbeat (seasonal special for Valentine’s Day) – beetroot tempura and spicy shrimp topped with seared salmon, spicy crab meat, cilantro, sweet sauce and ponzu sauce

Every roll was decorative, delicious and moderately priced,  especially compared to the rates of local competitors, whose signature rolls don’t offer quite the variety.

Of course, we had to cap off the evening with something sweet – green tea ice cream tempura and banana tempura (with some more green tea ice cream). The taste of those bananas still lingers on my tongue – I can’t shake the craving for more.