Restaurant Review: Amuse "$5 dollars Tuesdays! A must try"

It always makes me nervous to spend a lot of money on a menu I've never tasted before.  Although there  have some good reviews, I thought the $5 dollar Tuesday special I saw advertised would be a great way to get a sneak peak at the menu before fully committing with my wallet. (or my boyfriends haha)

The Tuesday deal allows you to have one of their burgers (no side included) or one of 3 types of sushi roll for $5 dollars.  As far as burgers go, they have a choice of a beef burger or chicken teriyaki burger. The 3 types of sushi that are $5 dollars are the California roll, Spicy Tuna roll, or Vegas roll (deep fried cream cheese, salmon and crab).

The atmosphere is sleek and trendy inside. Shortly after being seated and ordering,  we were quickly given an amuse-bouche. It was a cream cheese fritter, accompanied by a dollop of jalapeno aioli.  It was pretty good, however the cream cheese inside was cold, which I do not believe was intentional.. But I have to admit, we were those jerks who came in a half hour before close, so its possible they threw something together fast.

Cream cheese fritter with a jalapeno aioli

The appetizer portion of the menu is full of various delicious sounding seafood apps, but I went for the boring but favorite snack, Garlic Edamame.  They were served promptly and hot, coated with delicious garlic and red pepper flakes.  A little saltier than I would have cared for, but the garlic sort of counteracted that flavor.

Garlic Edamame

My handsome boyfriend enjoying it!

Next we decided to try the sushi. They have a very extensive sushi menu, but I have had some really gross experiences while trying sushi in El Paso. We started with the California roll, and then quickly ordered the Spicy Tuna as well.  It was fresh and satisfying. I am so excited to have found excellent sushi in El Paso and so close to my home on the west side.  They have quite a few rolls that are fancier and I wanted to try another, but I was starting to fill up and still had a burger on the way.

$5 California Roll

So excited to find excellent sushi!

Next came our burger.  They had two choices, a Hawaiian burger with teriyaki sauce and chicken, or the Amuse burger which is an Angus beef patty with a garlic aioli.  I screwed up, because I guess Josh wanted the Hawaiian and I ordered the Amuse (ooops).  The $5 dollar burger special does not come with a side, so we decided to try an order of the fried rice to take a break from fries.  When the burger arrived (again promptly), the plate honestly did not look too appetizing.  The burger was topped with a dirty, gross looking, piece of lettuce.  We had to remove the lettuce, but the actual burger itself was a perfectly cooked medium  and was absolutely divine. The beef had such a rich flavor, Josh didn't even mind that I screwed up our order!  As for the side, I always find that fried rice is pretty sad looking, but this rice had a very appetizing aroma and taste!  We decided it reminded us of breakfast but we couldn't quite place why.  It definitely had egg as one of its ingredients, but there was something else that gave it a smokey, maple taste we couldn't put our finger on.  Once we finished the burger and rice, we were completely stuffed...and it was closing time :)

Amuse burger and fried rice

Although there were some minor nuances, I had a delicious dinner overall and the service was great. Being in the desert I find that good seafood, especially sushi, is a gamble in El Paso.  I'm excited to have found a place that seemingly provides both, not to mention good service. Given the quality of what I am sure could be considered the low end items on their menu, I am confident that the higher end items will be even more delicious.  I am looking forward to finding a special night to go back and explore more of the menu.