From the Dallas Morning News:
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When it comes to fast-casual dining, one doesn't usually think of sushi, but Alex and Natalie Lim, founders of Avocado California Roll and Sushi, hope to change that.
We visited the Southlake location, one of five in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The space here is nice and airy, with warm wood tables and chairs, art-glass lighting and wasabi-green accent walls. The piped-in music was interesting: an eclectic mix of Big Band, jazz and '80s pop on our trip.
The menu is extensive, featuring 50 rolls ranging from the traditional (California, spicy tuna, salmon) to the highly unusual (Hawaiian, barbecue, Spam). The latter was the most bizarre, but we just couldn't bring ourselves to try it.
It was refreshing to be treated to complimentary miso soups and shredded-carrot and iceberg-lettuce salads. The miso needed more tofu cubes, and the ginger dressing on the salad was too thin and watery, but hey, they were free.
We loved the edamame, popping those al dente soybeans out of their salty shells with abandon. We also got adventurous with the grilled mussels, which tasted just fine with a nice chew, but the rich, buttery topping was overpowering.
Then we got on a roll ... actually, several. First up was a personal favorite: the spicy tuna roll. Avocado's version was quite tasty, with nice portions of fresh-tasting fish, spiced with just the right amount of heat and sprinkled with sesame seeds.
The double shrimp roll was also tasty, with fried and steamed shrimp swimming alongside crabmeat, cucumber and avocado. The wildest imagination went into the barbecue roll, which boasted cooked beef, avocado and veggies. It was more like a stir-fry wrapped in sticky rice.
For those who like variety but with fewer decisions, Avocado serves up four combo plates at various price points. Combo B featured two pieces each of silky salmon, tuna, shrimp and eel, the latter tasting a little too cool under what should have been a room-temperature, rich basting sauce. You can also order tuna, salmon, yellowtail, shrimp and eel sushi, which come four to an order.
Next time we would like to try the sushi cake (layers of sushi, available via preorder only) or take the menu's suggestion to create our own roll.
Avocado pours both Japanese and domestic beers, as well as a limited selection of California and Italian wines.
Service was fine up until the waitress spilled a big glass of water near a dining companion. Fortunately, most of it landed on the floor and not on him.
Like many other fast-casual restaurants, Avocado California Roll and Sushi dishes good quality at a good price. It's an exciting time in the restaurant business.