Kibo Sushi – Who knew?
by Jennifer Tipton

Located in midtown on Thompson Blvd. lies a modest little sushi restaurant called Kibo Sushi whose appearance is not especially extraordinary, so it would be easy to drive by without giving it a second thought.

However, once you walk into Kibo Sushi this humble little establishment becomes quite impressive with a very clean and charming interior. There are booths, tables or you can sit at the bar and watch the sushi chef work his craft. There is also outdoor patio seating(dogs are welcome), plenty of parking and the dress is very casual.

The menu is quite extensive, offering much more than sushi. There are appetizers hot or cold, salads, soups and noodles, sushi and sashimi (of course), a large variety of rolls, tempura, specialty bowls and even vegetarian entrees… whew! The problem lies in making a selection, but the server was kind enough to give us his personal recommendation which narrowed it down somewhat.

Amidst this vast menu lies lunch and dinner specials which for the price are an unbelievable deal with the lunch special running around $10, and it includes soup and salad with your choice of entrée. Dinner specials are slightly more, but again offering so much more than just the fishy stuff with entrees like chicken, steak or ribs prepared several different ways – too many to mention.

Kibo also offers a free VIP members card where a percent of every tab is tallied until it results in the amount taken off a future dining experience, and they deliver through 805TOGO.COM.

With food that fresh and flavorful, service that is outstanding, late hours and even a Happy Hour Monday through Saturday – Kibo has everybody covered!

My only concern is that they don’t offer left handed chopsticks…

Spencer Makenzie’s – A family affair
by Jennifer Tipton

John and Jennifer Karayan started out as a fairground concession stand in May 2007 with their giant fish tacos and have now seen their dream come true to own a successful family business.

Located at 806 E. Thompson Blvd.  Spencer Makenzie Fish Co. is named for their two oldest children, their son Spencer and daughter Makenzie. The next two children also have a place in the business as you can choose to have your tacos “Brooklyn style” and they now offer a “Parker burger”.  John stated, “My kids own me!”

Spencer’s is just a walk from the beach, the parking area is small but there are plenty of spots on the street. They offer a covered patio and bench-bar type seating outdoors with heaters on when it’s chilly.  Dogs are always welcome to the outside dining area and even offered water. One employee, Amy says, “My favorite part of working here is going out to see the dogs!”

Inside there are small tables, cozy booths, or you can sit up at the bar where you get a bird’s eye view of the chefs cranking out the food (did I mention this place is always busy?). These guys move at the speed of light and there is something quite nice about an open kitchen if not also entertaining. They have 36” flat screen TVs that feature skateboarding, surfing and other sporting events, for added entertainment.

And about that food – all the fish is sushi grade and there are many selections on the menu. I strongly suggest you order the tacos “Brooklyn style” which consists of adding a sweet chili sauce and the Spencer sauce (a mayo – sour cream base with signature seasoning), but grab plenty of napkins! The Parker burger is another big hit with an ahi steak, marinated red onions and can also be ordered Brooklyn style. I like the ahi salad as a lighter choice but if you were to accompany this with the homemade clam chowder (which has bacon in it and is probably not a lighter choice) … well, maybe you could call it a balanced diet?

Taco Tuesdays are the deal with parmesan crunchy shell tacos for $2.50 either chicken, carne asada or ground beef all loaded with cheddar cheese, lettuce and fresh bell peppers. Here’s a tip though, if you want to add avocado, order it because sometimes they forget to ask. Tuesdays also offer Mexican beers on tap for $4.50 and there is never a charge for bubbly water –  such a deal!

Very clean and very green, consistently good food along with outstanding service and friendly atmosphere that make you feel like one of the family at Spencer Makenzie’s.