Wasabi Zen (Olney)

Olney? Alll-neee? Ull-knee?* Yes, Olney! This town has a lot of nice restaurants for its size. Here are a few of them:

Mannequin Pis: A great Belgian spot that also satisfies the top notch beer conneiseur.

Madison's(link currently down): Pretty good American fare, and oh yea, that wonderful Cuckoo's Nest/Stained Glass Pub Too dive bar upstairs.

Hunan Delight: Damn good Chinese food. General Tsao was an honorable man. Take-out is recommended, and the leftovers will be just as good.

The Ale House: An Olney institution. Good burgers, good beer selection (especially on Thursdays).

Olney Grille: Another Olney landmark. Tasty ribs, and a good place to accidentally run into high school teachers from 10 years ago.

There are more first-rate eats in Olney, but we're going to focus in on Wasabi Zen.

Wasabi Zen is tucked away in a corner between a KFC and a gas station. Doesn't sound so great so far, I know. It's a small but attractive joint once you walk inside. There's an anti-social room in the back where the waitresses can forget about you. Still not sounding great, ok, hang on. Occasionally it takes a little too long to get your food at Wasabi, but that might be due to the high volume of take out orders. Ok, ok, ok! However the sushi is worth waiting for. Very tasty, fresh, and ingredient-rich makizushi is served here. Pretty much any complex roll is delicious and put together very well. And we at Bethesda Sushi hope you just received your paycheck...

The good:
Complex roll selection and quality
A neat pared cucumber desert (can't remember the name)
Quaint atmosphere

The bad:
Price
Slow service
Parking can be tough if people are crowding the other restaurants nearby

Overall:
Very good sushi. Unfortunately Wasabi Zen suffers from the same, central problem as Tako Grill--many quality rolls, but at higher prices. There's a lack of sake choices as well. All in all, Wasabi Zen is certainly worth a couple visits a year.

Wasabi Zen