A Meal at Dono Sushi Turned Sour

I came to enjoy some good ol’ fashion Sushi, what I got was inconsistent service, and a case of mild food poisoning.

It was Friday evening that I decided upon a restaurant I knew nothing of. I chose it because Dono Sushi was in close proximity to Edwards Cinema in the town of West Covina. I had a craving for some good sushi, so being that it was a busy restaurant, there was a good chance that statistics were in my favor. From the outside, it looked fair and pleasant. From the majority of the restaurant reviews were positive for the most part.
When I entered the restaurant, I immediately noticed a change in scenery. It did not have the same appeal as the outside. The atmosphere is bright and lacked any sort of intimacy. It felt unfinished. To distract the elements of the high ceilings and the small space, they added a bamboo divider to separate the entrance and displays of Japanese wall art. All the accents did not hide the fact that this restaurant is too bright and obnoxious. The sushi bar is off in the distance towards the right-rear of the restaurant, and quite small. A


After I was seated, I asked for some sake, hot tea,
and a glass of water. I then proceeded to scan the menu. The menu is colorful with pictures of some of the menu options. A menu with pictures is not a signifier of high standards of elegance, so my expectations were immediately lowered from the already low opinion from the atmosphere.

Dono Sushi does have a wide selection of lunch and dinner options. Most of the box meals included Miso Soup, tempura, California roll, and a salad with ginger dressing, along with variations of the main dish. These box combinations are reasonably priced. Most of the lunch specials are price at $10 or less, while the dinner specials are price higher in range.

I was surprised to notice that there was wine. Of course, Japan is not known for its wine. There are vineyards in Japan, but it wasn’t until the 1870’s when wine vines from Russia were planted. The Japanese used Chinese and French methods to produce wine. One of the main reasons wine is not commonly produced in Japan is the climate. Heavy rain falls are frequent in those regions, so growing wine in Japan is a difficult task. However, the wines that do come out of Japan are tasteful combinations of fruit and hints of vanilla. Most of the wines, including the ones sold at Dono Sushi are sweet and are great for making spritzers. The drink menu included three types of Japanese wines, which included a plum wine and a pomegranate wine.

The waitress finally comes back with my drink order, and what surprised me, she remembered to give me the sake, but forgot the hot tea and water. Without thinking and with a look of confusion, I responded, “I'm sorry, you forgot my water and green tea” She gave me almost no reaction, and she had no response. I was like, “…ok”. At least she got me the sake and she was kind enough to give me an appetizer of Edamame.

So, I received my glass of water and hot tea in a standard coffee cup with a bag in it. It reminded me of the Lipton green tea I keep at home. I ignored it and proceeded to order. I ordered the dinner version of the Bento Box, which comes with teriyaki beef, tempura, rice and a salad. I also ordered a dragon roll and a spicy tuna roll wrapped in cucumber. 45 minutes later, I finally got my order and without an apology. It was such a long wait, I had almost felt like leaving. I even noticed while I was waiting that everyone around me was seated way before I had arrived and no one had been eating.

I should have anticipated how my evening was going to be.

Upon finishing my meal and as what seemed to be enjoyable, little did I know that the evil bidding was taking place in my stomach. Even now, I don’t particularly know what was wrong with my food. Could it have been the tuna or even the shell fish in my dragon-roll? What I had planned for my evening was beside the point. As soon as I left the restaurant, I began to realize, I wasn’t feeling too well. I felt hot and clammy.
I just wanted to go home. I canceled my night out to
see the premier of “I Love You, Man” and the plan
to go to the Red Room afterwards was also canceled.

Most of Saturday was spent at home being sick and Sunday as well. Its now Monday and there is still evidence of acute indigestion. This is proof positive that I do not plan on venturing to that establishment again.