Bites Nearby: Tako Grill

There is supermarket sushi, which is basically cold rice and some salad bar fake crab rolled up together. The only reason to eat this stuff is if you are dieting or desperate to avoid burrito bloat on your lunch break.

There is also passable sushi, which fulfills your craving for seafood and serves as a vehicle for wasabi. These middling sushi joints also provide a location (excuse?) to order one of those big cans of Sapporo and often give you the opportunity to eavesdrop on the Match.com first date happening at the next table.

Then there is top-tier sushi, often served at beautiful authentic Japanese restaurants that require you remove your shoes and reveal your three-week-old pedi, as well as make a car payment sized dent in your paycheck. 

However, I am a big fan of Tako Grill in Bethesda because it is priced as a passable place, but its incredible chefs provide a top-tier food.

The starter salads such as traditional seaweed or sunomo -- cucumber, seaweed, octopus and assorted seafood delicacies -- whet the appetite. The a la carte sushi menu will turn you into a kid at one of those scoop-your-own candy stores, but even if you go crazy with the ordering you will not break the bank. But the entree sashimi and tempura dishes are out of this world, so save room.

Tako Grill is also home to a splendid happy hour, serving two dollar drafts and two dollar small dishes such as edamame, gyoza and sushi rolls. Enjoy on Sunday from 5-7pm and Monday - Thursday from 5:30 – 7pm. However, be careful that you do not become too giddy with this steal of a deal that you hit the sake bar unprepared. You have been warned.

7756 Wisconsin Avenue, Bethesda, MD. 301-652-7030

Open for lunch Monday - Friday 11:30am - 2pm, Saturday 12pm - 3pm.

Open for dinner Monday - Thursday 5:30pm - 10pm, Friday - Saturday 5:30pm - 10:30pm and Sunday 5pm - 9:30pm.