By Deborah Heller

Sushi is one of my favorite treat foods. If I had the funds, I’d eat it every day, but the Mac budget makes it an occasional splurge. So when I do treat myself, I expect quality.Luckily, there are some decent options for a sushi fix right here in the Macalester neighborhood.

Closest to home, we have The Grille’s sushi. Available Monday and Thursday, it is made by O-Bento Ya, a company that bills itself as the “premier sushi purveyor for University and Corporate dining.”

It is the only entre choice not made by Bon Appetit, and its presence is the result of student requests two years ago. It is decent in quality, but on the dull side. The options lack variety and are almost entirely fish-free.

Vegetarian sushi is enjoyable (and keeps longer), but the basic avocado-ginger-cucumber mix isn’t the reason most people crave the nori (seaweed)-wrapped rolls. However, it is very conveniently located, and has the supreme advantage of being available for purchase with flex dollars ($5.75 – $6.25).

Whole Foods also offers sushi just a few minutes’ walking distance from campus.

Their sushi is not made in-house either, but brought in daily from the larger Minneapolis location. As a general rule, the best selection is available earlier in the day, though I’ve noticed that its availability has increased recently.

Whole Foods’s sushi is priced from $6.25 for maki (8 pieces) to $9.40 for a maki/nigri selection. The maki choices include spicy tuna, eel and the ubiquitous California roll. Often there are a few packs made with brown rice for those who enjoy a more hearty and healthy sushi.

Perhaps the best contender for your local sushi fix is Kowalski’s Market. Wide selection and freshness make it the best nearby sushi dealer.

Kowalski’s sushi is made in-house throughout the day, meaning you can request a special order at no additional charge. Prices are comparable to those at Whole Foods, but the options are much more elaborate. You can get the “Full Moon Combo” for $5.50, which includes a mix of California Roll, Spicy Shrimp and California Salad Rolls. Eel Rolls are $4.80, and the delightfully colored Rainbow Roll (a California Roll wrapped in a piece of sashimi) is $9.20.

On my most recent trip, I was delighted to see that Bento Boxes have been added to the lineup-a great way to sample even more of the sushi case’s offerings. The $9.39 tray includes four California Rolls, three slices of sashimi, soybean salad, edamame salad, calamari salad and some marinated chicken. Salad rolls ($4.29 vegetarian, shrimp and chicken) are also offered.

The only options that have disappointed me are packs containing nigri made with tilapia, a generally flavorless fish that serves as an excellent vehicle for soy sauce, but not much else.

If your sushi needs exceed what the supermarket can provide, however, I would recommend a trip to Minneapolis to visit Midori’s Floating World Cafe.

Lunch is the best time to visit this intimate restaurant, as you can enjoy a wide selection of entrees, plus the full sushi menu, at lower prices than dinner. Again, Bento Boxes are a great choice for sampling a wide range of flavors economically.

I ordered the $9.95 “Vegetarian Combination.” It contained tempura, hiyayakko (cold tofu), Japanese home-style vegetables, pickled vegetables and fruit. All combination orders come with a salad and miso soup as well. An order of tamago nigri (seasoned egg omelet, $4.25), tako (octopus, $4.50) and spicy salmon roll (salmon, asparagus and spices, $5.75) rounded out our order for two. I found the octopus to be far too chewy, but it was my companion’s favorite.

Eating sushi is a great opportunity to experiment with new flavors, but it might be tempting to just stick with what you know and love. For me, that was Midori’s salmon maki, which was so well-seasoned that I ate more than my half without even realizing it. Oops.

Midori’s also offers a wide range of appetizers, noodles, soups, and salads, which should satisfy you even if you’re not adventurous enough for sushi.