FRUGAL FAMILY: All-You-Can-Eat Sushi

Tokyo Sushi Cafe
195 2nd Ave N
St Pete FL 33701
www.tokyosushicafe.com

ST. PETERSBURG - When dining out for sushi, customers typically expect to pay a little more for fresh, well-prepared fish. In these tough times, Tokyo Sushi Cafe is offering an unusual deal: all-you-can-eat sushi -- but with limited selections. The concept has been so popular for the BayWalk restaurant that it has expanded the offer to every day of the week. But the sushi patrol (i.e., wait staff) applies a no-sharing policy, and you have to finish what's on your plate before demanding more. The rules, at first, might seem stringent but it enables the small restaurant to continue to offer an attractive deal for people whose wallets are the only limitation to their appetite for sushi.

The Baywalk is looking pretty lonely these days, especially the second deck. Tokyo Sushi Cafe stands alone, the solitary business  on what was once a busy row. But Tokyo Sushi Cafe thrives, a destination restaurant for regulars making the pilgrimage to BayWalk, a ghost mall that is pleasantly quiet most weeknights.

Tokyo Sushi Cafe's $19.95, all-you-can-eat special is offered seven days a week. It includes all the classics: tuna, salmon, shrimp, yellowtail, squid and eel. Word of advice: You can order endless rounds. So resist the urge to over-order initially, and go for multiple smaller plates instead of one giant boat of sushi.

Besides sushi, there's a menu of standard Japanese fare. Katsu, Teriyaki, bento boxes, etc. And anyone who doesn't want all-you-can-eat can order sushi and rolls a la carte or in combo plates. There's sake and Japanese beer to wash it down.

There's a rolling debate over where to get the best sushi in town, and we'll leave that discussion for another day. But for the best dinner deal, clearly Tokyo Sushi is the place to go in St. Petersburg.