Bites Nearby: Sushi Alive

There is certainly no shortage of patrons at Carrollwood’s Sushi Alive at 15451 N. Dale Mabry Highway.

“We have a ton of regulars,” said Christopher Stout, head sushi chef and manager of Sushi Alive. “It must mean we’re doing something right.”

This is an obvious understatement. When Patch visited the go-to sushi establishment, which is considered by many to be the best in Carrollwood, the restaurant was packed.

But the energy there was not harried or cramped. Instead, Sushi Alive feels warm and full of friendly vigor. Smiling faces are everywhere.

“I’ve been at Sushi Alive almost as long as they’ve been open, which is about five years,” said Stout.

Stout credits the success of the restaurant to both the unique atmosphere and the food. Part of that atmosphere is created by the clientele.

One customer always brings a book and her own coffee. When she comes in, the staff starts immediately on her rolls.

Another customer who calls himself Captain Robert frequents the establishment as many as four times a week.

In fact, if you do not want to wait to be seated for dinner, you may want to make a reservation in advance.

“We don’t take any reservations during happy hour, but we do take reservations for after 7:30 p.m.,” said Stout.

Of course, it is the food that keeps the customers coming back for more. Stout said that a few dishes tend to stand out as crowd pleasers.

“One of our best sellers is the Volcano roll. On the inside it’s cream cheese, cucumber, fresh tuna on the inside and topped with a thin slice of avocado on top of the entire roll,” said Stout. “We cut that up and put it into a circle on the plate and we’ll do a dribble of eel sauce, spicy mayonnaise and sesame seeds on the plate.”

Sushi Alive bakes their spicy maiyonaise mixture with a few oils and spices to give it more flavor and “kick."

Another favorite is The Godzilla, which has cream cheese, crab delight, asparagus and tempura shrimp on the inside, layered with eel and avocado. Then, the cook adds eel sauce and atomic aioli and thin slices of jalapeno pepper on every piece.

Stout’s favorite fish at the restaurant is yellowtail, which he says has a rich, full flavor.

His favorite roll is the Yoshi, which has crab delight, asparagus and tempura shrimp on the inside. The entire roll is then topped with thin sliced salmon and thin slice lemon, a dribble of vinaigrette sauce and tobiko, which is a a type of fish egg.

“It’s very refreshing and light and easy on the palate,” said Stout.

Stout recommends sake or a Japanese beer to accompany dinner, should the customer wish to have an alcoholic beverage.

“We have sake sangria, which is very delicious and refreshing – sort of a twist on the traditional sangria,” said Stout.

Stout says that he tried sushi for the first time when he was young, and it became his favorite food.

“The owner’s sister has a restaurant in Lakeland, which is where I got my first exposure,” said Stout. “I started as a server. It kind of blew up from there in a very good way.”

Stout says that preparing sushi is second nature to him now. He is humble when he talks about his skills. He describes his job as fun and creative and a perfect match for his personality.

“I get to meet interesting people, and making sushi is art and entertainment at the same time,” said Stout. “I am preparing food, but I’m also making conversation and educating people on the etiquette of sushi.”

There is also a significant investment for the aspiring sushi chef. Not only in terms of acquired skills, but also in cutlery.

“Everyone has their own set of knives that they use. We all sharpen our own knives,” said Stout. “Being a left-handed chef, I have to pay 50 percent more for my specialty knives. So, if I buy a $300 for a right-handed person it’s going to cost me $450.”

Stout says another challenge he faces is the fact that he is white. People at times stereotypically expect to see an Asian sushi chef.

“I have actually had people come to me and ask what a white guy is doing on the line,” said Stout.

Sushi Alive entrees cost an average of $15. For example, the Chirashi Dinner, which includes seafood of the day and fish served on sushi rice, is $13.95, while the Sushi & Sashimi Combo, which includes tuna, salmon, whitefish and krabstick sashimi, nigiri shushi and a California roll, is $16.95.

“I grew up around the service industry. I’ve seen the good, the bad and the ugly,” said Stout. “Our crew has been pretty consistent here. We all know each other and joke with each other very easily. I see these people more than my own family – kind of like the family you marry into.”

Sushi Alive has Happy Hour from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. on Monday through Friday, during which they offer $1 nigiri with rice and $2 shashimi without rice.

From 8 p.m. until closing Monday through Friday the restaurant offers 2 for 1 Saketinis and Sake Sangrias and half-priced appetizers, and on the weekends select bottles of wine are half priced.

For more information about Sushi Alive, please visit their website at http://www.sushialive.com/index.html.

Hours of Operation:

Lunch

Monday – Friday: 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.
(closed daily from 2 p.m until 5 p.m.)

Dinner

Monday – Thurday: 5 p.m. until 10 p.m.
Friday: 5 p.m until 10:30 p.m.
Saturday: noon – 10:30 p.m.
Sunday: noon – 9 p.m.

Happy Hours

Monday – Friday: 5 p.m. until 7 p.m.

Happy Hour Drinks

Monday – Friday: 8 p.m. until close