MARINEPOLIS SUSHI LAND

Where: 4301 S. Meridian, Puyallup, 253.604.0066

Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. daily

Cuisine: Noodle soups, specialty rolls, sushi, desserts

Scene: Very casual and brightly lit with fast-food conveyor belt buffet. Pay at the end based on what you ate and ordered

Drinkies: Beer and wine, standard non-alcoholic fountain drinks, hot tea, coffee

Damage: $1-$5

ANNOUNCER: The popularity of conveyor belt sushi continues to grow with a new location in the Puyallup South Hill area. Smaller than other Sushi Land locations in Tukwila, Bellevue, and Lynnwood, this newest Sushi Land sits amid the hustle and bustle of Meridian Avenue. The belt smoothly glides along a large rectangular track - a moving display of color-coded plates carrying single serving portions of salmon, seaweed salad, unagi, edamame, and more. Color dictates price, and special items - udon noodles, desserts, octopus - can be ordered from the chefs or from beverage servers.

JAKE: As we walked in, I lowered my usual expectations for sushi. Everything at conveyor belt sushi places is geared for general public consumption, not for hardcore sushi or sashimi lovers. This is fast food at its finest and healthiest - with the exception of white rice - and prices are seriously affordable at less than $5 a plate. Green wasabi tasted mild - if that's even possible. I opted for low sodium soy sauce to be kind to my heart and cholesterol levels. I had to add more and more wasabi until my dish appeared to hold thick, green mud.

JASON: I know. We both used copious amounts of wasabi. It should have killed us. Off the belt, I really enjoyed pinkish orange salmon over rice with paper-thin slices of red onion and a tangy white sauce that reminded me of creamy horseradish. At other conveyor belt places, such as Sushi revolution by the Tacoma Mall and Blue Sea in Seattle, the sushi makers ask if I want anything made. These guys didn't bother. We had to ask. I watched one of them use a blowtorch to sear salmon and wondered if I could replicate the end result in my garage with fish from Safeway. Eh, better make it Tacoma Boys.

JAKE: Whoa, your wife would kill you if you got a blowtorch. Large cooked mussels still attached to their shell were smothered in an orange mayo sauce. Delicious. I sucked down about six of those bad boys. An order of salt and pepper calamari was nicely done. The breading was minimal, more like a dusting, and allowed the mildly fishy flavor to come through. It wasn't that chewy either, which I liked.

JASON: I ordered a spider roll, my usual fav, and was completely disappointed. Soft shell crab is usually breaded and fried golden resulting in a nice salty, greasy taste. This one was sadly dark brown, mushy and tasted burnt. I'm thinking there's some pre-cooking going on in the kitchen. I should have stuck with creamy scallops, deep red tuna, lightly barbecued eel or those amazing mussels. On the other hand, the udon noodles I ordered were soft, and the broth was rich. Tasty.

JAKE: Beverage servers came by a few times; glossed over facial expressions didn't convey enthusiasm as they dropped off beer, tea and water. Might have been better to put a fountain soda machine against a wall and make it self-serve. The takoyaki was pretty cool; it looked like sweet, round puffs drizzled in chocolate, but was actually bean curd and octopus enveloped in dough balls. After being deep-fried, the three were hit with a teriyaki type sauce.

JASON: At first I was resentful of the small portions - only two pieces to a plate and the special order items were served in square dishes that looked to hold a measured cup and no more. At the end of the meal I was glad, though; I ate less and tried a variety of things I wouldn't have had room for had portions been larger. For dessert, my bro and I both had apple turnovers à la egg roll. The deep-fried, crisp egg roll wrapper held cooked apple and spices just begging for a scoop of ice cream with caramel.

JAKE: Man, that sounds like stoner food.