Poway Sushi Lounge Celebrates 5 Years

The owners of are on a roll. (Don’t worry, that’ll be the only pun.) Having recently celebrated the restaurant’s five-year anniversary, they’ve outlasted any other business that’s been at the same location, effectively putting an end to what many Powegians have thought was a jinx.

“There were a slew of food shops here,” said owner Frank Interlandi, a former chef at Sushi on the Rock where he met his business partner Katie Rooney. “It was like the Bermuda Triangle of restaurants in the area. We were lucky to overcome it.”

With an award for Best Sushi 2010 from SignOnSanDiego.com’s Readers’ Poll, and a crowd that doesn’t leave despite a 45-minute wait outside of a strip mall on a Friday night, it’s probably safe to say they’ve done much more than that. In fact, business is so good Interlandi says they’re even looking at opening up a second location in Encinitas, though nothing has been finalized yet.

When Interlandi and Rooney met, there were sparks. Not between them, but rather between Rooney and Interlandi’s college roommate and good friend, adding matchmaker to Interlandi’s list of credentials. The couple soon got married and just recently had their second son, which is why Rooney isn’t around much right now.

But when she is at the restaurant, her expertise is on the service side of business, which includes training and scheduling their staff of 25 and public relations, while Interlandi runs the finances and the chef team. For the first two years, they had a third partner who, among other things, helped design the menu before being bought out.

Interlandi said he himself got into the sushi business accidentally, a product of him working as a bartender through college in starkly unrelated field.

“I was trained (as a sushi chef) on the job,” he said. “I actually have a degree in civil engineering. I’ve basically been working in restaurants my whole life—since I was 15.”

And because he had been such a regular customer at Sushi on the Rock, Interlandi was offered a job by the owner after he went to ask for one for his then girlfriend, now his wife.

“I guess he figured he could train a bartender,” Interlandi said, “because you have to start at ground zero.”

From there, Rooney and Interlandi helped open a second Sushi on the Rock in Carlsbad, which is no longer in business. It was during this process that they became closer friends and began to entertain the idea of starting up their own place. Originally, the plan was to open a sushi catering company, but frustrations about business turnover and finding the right location soon led them in a different direction.

“After doing that for about six months, we looked at each other one day … and said, ‘We should probably do what we know how to do and open a restaurant,’” Interlandi said.

After looking everywhere from Chula Vista to North County for the ideal spot for their restaurant, it was the center on Poway Road they found most accommodating. Since a restaurant had been at the location prior to them, the construction process was minimal—a simple matter of building out the bar, and making some changes to a back wall and the kitchen area.

“So it took us about three months and we opened up,” Interlandi said.

And after five years of hard work, Interlandi has gone from working five or seven nights each week down to three in an effort make time for family and prep for his business expansion.

“The tear I’m in now is we’re trying to grow the business,” said Interlandi, who has two boys. “It’s really hard to do that when you’re behind the bar five nights a week and still have time somewhat of a life. We all want to have a balance and Katie and I know that we have to let people fill in for us so we can progress.”

It’s with that new business plan in mind that they are moving forward, and supporting them are their competitive prices and selection, with lunch specials starting at $9.95 for two rolls. And while happy hour may seem a little short, they have a nice way of starting out the workweek: 10 select rolls at half price all night every Monday (no happy hour).

“They’re not smaller in any way,” Interlandi said. “They’re exactly the same as the rolls we serve during the week.”

Interlandi says they get their fish from all over the world, depending on season and availability, with the yellow tail and Spanish mackerel always bought from Japan.

“It just depends what kind it is, and what time of the year it is,” he said.

Their drink list also sets them apart from the average sushi place—it doesn’t exclude winos, thanks to Rooney’s extensive wine list. And while there’s plenty for the adults to eat, the Lounge can be a great choice for date night as well as an evening out with the family, with a limited, but effective, kid’s menu.

And for those who are a little wary of raw fish, there are several cooked dishes to choose from, including what the menu describes as an “Asian spiced sugar rubbed filet of salmon.” Interlandi says the Lounge also takes care in making the restaurant a place where people will feel comfortable, no matter what day they’ve had.

“We really try to cater to the American customer,” he said. “We like to call ourselves ‘upscale casual.’ You can roll in here in jeans or a business suit.”

One of the most popular items on the menu is the tsunami specialty roll, made with shrimp, imitation crab and seared albacore, and a dipping sauce created by Interlandi.

“All chefs take their ideas (for food) from their experiences,” he said. “Sometimes you get ideas from books and magazines; sometimes it just comes from the cuff.”