Oyshi Sushi

If you decide to go to Oyshi Sushi, be smart and learn from my mistake.

Oyshi Sushi, you see, offers an all-you-can-eat sushi deal that's $26 at dinner ($21 at lunch). The idea didn't appeal to me because I wanted to order off the menu unconstrained by limitations, and because I'm not much of an all-you-can-eat person.

But then, looking over the bill, it dawned on me: My Simply Shrimp roll was $11, my Red Rock roll $12. That's less than $26, so I didn't cost the boss anything extra. But the bargain-hunter in me took over; I could've had another roll -- or two! or three! -- for just $3 more.

There are some limitations, of course. Certain selections, including sashimi, are not included in the deal, and there's the requirement that one must eat the rice that comes with one's sushi, which I guess makes sense considering the sashimi exclusion, but left me in wonder that people would do that.

There's also the fact that I was quite satisfied with the two rolls I had. But if you're a bigger eater, this is almost too good of a deal to pass up, because these were good rolls.

The Simply Shrimp, as it turned out, was anything but simple, but certainly shrimpy. Shrimp tempura had been wrapped up in the sushi rice and topped with sushi shrimp, avocado and eel sauce. The shrimp was right-out-of-the-ocean fresh, the whole combination a very pleasing one.

The Red Rock was essentially a spicy tuna roll (but not overly spicy, as some are), wrapped in fresh tuna and topped with masago, those neon-orange bits of tiny popping smelt roe. Again, all components were fresh and clean tasting. And fresh fish is definitely something you want from a sushi place.

We weren't here just for sushi, though, and branched out into other areas of the menu. Rib-eye steak teriyaki seemed suspiciously priced at $13 but turned out to be that rare bargain that actually is one, the beef tender and flavorful, the teriyaki sauce possessed of multiple layers of flavor and neither sticky nor overly sweet, hooray for that.

Adding to the bargain, the teriyaki came with soup (a miso that was a little on the mild side but piping hot), a way better (and bigger) than usual salad with a nice variety of greens and a kicky ginger dressing, plus the requisite pile of rice.

And a starter of grilled beef asparagus ($6), crisp spears wrapped with wafer-thin slices of beef for optimum textural and flavor contrasts.

Service throughout was fine, the atmosphere spare but comfortable and with a high level of energy, due in large part to the surfeit of young people chowing down on all-you-can-eat sushi.

We can learn from them.

Las Vegas Review-Journal reviews are done anonymously at Review-Journal expense. Contact Heidi Knapp Rinella at 383-0474 or e-mail her at hrinella@reviewjournal.com.