How I "Roll"

After 3 long but glorious months away at school, I was ready to come home for Thanksgiving break.  I was looking forward to the three f's: family, friends and of course, food!  I was so excited just to eat real food and tonight was no exception.  Since I am one of the firsts of my friends to come home for break, I've been enjoying quality time with my parents.  We decided for their "date" night, plus one we would go out for sushi.  My mom suggested, O-Toro, a Japanese/Tapas restaurant out in Wayne, PA.  We arrived in about 25 minutes and walked into a dark restaurant with filtered red lights that gave it an elegant essence.  The menu was limited, but filled with tasty options.  We started with a spare-rib tapas appetizer.  The spare ribs were cooked to perfection, dark on the outside, with a bit of redness on the inside, glazed in a gingery-hoisin sauce.  The sweetness of the tender meat was finished off with a peppery flavor of Arugula leaves.  The bone of meat was somewhat of a tease, it filled me for a quick couple seconds before the main dishes arrived.  We ordered four different rolls of sushi - a Harvest roll, Mango, Pacific Rim and White Tiger.  The Harvest roll was a white ball of rice filled with avocado, asparagus, cucumber and carrot - simple and fresh, a tasty classic.  The Mango roll was one with orangey-pink salmon, cucumber and avocado with a thin slice of yellow Mango on top - the sweetness of the Mango mixed well with the saltiness of the vegetables.  The Pacific Rim roll was sprinkled on top with a layer of dark green seaweed salad with tiny brown Sesame seeds, the cucumber, shrimp tempura and avocado were squished together in the center.  This roll was full of flavor, especially from the creaminess of the avocado and the crunchiness of the tempura.  The White Tiger was a different type of roll, one that I was not used to.  I am not a big fan of fish, but don't mind it as much in sushi, because the real taste is somewhat hidden.  The White Tiger was a roll filled with spicy Tuna and cucumber, topped with a pale white sea scallop, black tobika (fish eggs) and green jalapeno peppers.  If these rolls were in a Sushi contest - the White Tiger would be at the top, coming in at #1.  The flavors were undeniably the best, the spiciness of the jalapeno peppers left my mouth in a sea of smoke, the cucumbers were crisp.  "It's the eye of the tiger, it's the thrill of the [meal we had tonight]".