Sushi Kingdom

 

Located at 5872 Samet Drive in the Palladium Shopping Center in High Point, Sushi Kingdom offers sushi and Japanese cuisine. All-you-can eat sushi and online ordering are available. Sushi Kingdom is open from 11-3 and 4:30 to 10 on weekdays and 12-10 on weekends.

The presence of several existing establishments in the near vicinity made Sushi Kingdom’s debut a headscratcher, but the minute all you can eat was unveiled, it became a game-changer. AYCE previously required a long-ish trek to northern Greensboro, so having such an option close by is a welcome relief. You’re getting more than just quantity here, however, as Sushi Kingdom has some of the best sushi in High Point.

First, a caveat: Sushi Kingdom fills up easily. It’s housed in a former Moe’s that is probably too small for its operation. We stopped by on a Monday night and encountered a wait (arrive early if you’re planning a weekend visit). Due to that busyness, our constantly-hustling server felt like she was doing the jobs of three people. She was great, but don’t be surprised if you get a “Did you order this?” query or two from the beleaguered staff.

That bit of chaos aside, Sushi Kingdom otherwise offered an excellent early birthday meal. My wife and I both went for AYCE at $29 per person, and it was worth it. Sushi Kingdom offers a variety of kitchen apps, hibachi dishes, classic and specialty rolls. We tried the edamame, crab rangoons, tempura vegetables, miso, and several classic and specialty rolls. 

There were no misses in the bunch. It may have been the coolness of the evening, but the miso was especially satisfying. The sushi tasted fresh, and they didn’t skimp on the sizing. Our favorite was the Diamond Roll (salmon, eel, avocado, and crab deep fried and topped with spicy crab and ponzu sauce) though anyone wanting a change of pace should look into the Summer Mango (mango, avocado, and cucumber topped with salmon and mango sauce). The sweetness paired well with the other roll’s heat.

 

While Sushi Kingdom does place a two-hour time limit on AYCE, we felt no pressure during our meal. They explained the “rules” (leftovers = extra charge) at the beginning and let us eat in peace. Though the staff were, as mentioned, working up a storm, they remained cordial throughout.

Defying the odds, Sushi Kingdom shows that you can do all you can eat without sacrificing quality. I look forward to a return visit. Come early, and come hungry.

Andor

 

Searching for his long-lost sister, thief Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) ends up on the run from corporate security investigator Syril Karn (Kyler Soller). Andor’s friend Bix (Adria Arjona) puts him in contact with a black-market buyer, Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgard), who is actually a well-connected Rebel operative posing as an antiquities dealer. He hired Cassian for an audacious heist to strike at the heart of the Empire, an act that attracts the attention of intelligence officer Dedra Meero (Denise Gough) and makes Senator Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly), who is secretly funding the Rebellion, nervous. As different factions plot to outmaneuver one another, Cassian could be the one piece that ties everything together.

 

A spinoff of a Star Wars prequel inevitably raises the question “Who asked for this?,” but Andor’s relative disconnect from the greater mythology is one of its biggest assets. Freed from the need to fill in dozens of film-induced plotholes or pander to fans with familiar character cameos, this Tony Gilroy-created Disney Plus series is a refreshingly mature take on a Star Wars series.

 

Part political drama and part police procedural, Andor is a show that demands patience. There is no shortage of action (Cassian and Luthen’s introduction, the aforementioned heist, and a supremely tense finale being a few standout examples), but Andor takes its time to build up characters and their motivations before sending them into the fray. Given the various competing factions and ideologies, this is beneficial in the long run.

 

With neither Jedi nor Sith among the cast, Andor is able to offer a more grounded and nuanced depiction of the Star Wars universe. Luna is good in the title role, playing Andor as a mercenary cynic who eventually finds a cause worth believing in. The always dependable Skarsgard adds a layered performance as Luthen, who is somewhere between Nick Fury and Amanda Waller among ruthless but well-intentioned spymasters. Soller’s buttoned-down, perpetually humiliated Karn plays as a youthful and overmatched Javert to Andor’s Valjean, and Fiona Shaw, as Andor’s adaptive mother Maarva, provides pluck and hearty moral fortitude.

 

Paradoxically, fully appreciating Andor requires both some interest in wider Star Wars canon as well as some distance from it. For those who can strike this balance, there will be a planned second season to look forward to.

New in 2022 High Point/Jamestown Coffee Shop Roundup

 Though it was hardly lacking in coffee options beforehand, the High Point area welcomed several new coffeeshops onto the scene in 2022. I tried three of them – Message Coffee, Kindred Coffee, and Core Coffee – during the past month. Here’s how the cups stack up.

 

Message Coffee

Message Coffee is located inside of the Stock + Grain Assembly Food Hall in downtown High Point, which is both a blessing and a curse. Plenty of tasty food is but a few steps away, but during peak hours, foot traffic can be intense. Given the location, a reading/work space this is not.

Message offers hot and cold coffees, teas, and refreshers as well as a few pastries (from Camino Bakery). I went with an iced Salted Honeycomb for my first visit and found it quite sweet but not unpleasant. As with every Stock + Grain business, you end up overpaying for the location. Still, if you happen to be downtown and catch a coffee craving, you could do worse than overpaying to support these folks.

 

Kindred Coffee

 

Kindred Coffee is the newest tenant in the former Miller's Market space in Jamestown, but they are not new to the coffee game. If you remember buying coffee from a VW Bus (Cause Roast) in the former Black Dog Home lot a few years back, these are the same folks. They are on a limited coffee-only menu while they are starting out but will be adding food (and nitro cold brew) in the future.

As with the building's previous occupant, Kindred's space is bright and clean. The proprietors are personable and passionate about what they do, and they use a quality product (HEX Coffee, a specialty roaster out of Charlotte). The caramel latte I tried was smooth and satisfying (low acidity, good flavor, not too sweet).

That said, Kindred managed to be even more expensive than Message. My 12-ounce latte ran $5.75, and a 12-ounce peppermint mocha with oat milk was $6.75. Coffee that was miles ahead of everything available locally could perhaps justify the cost, but that wasn't the case here.

I will likely reappraise once Kindred has gotten a chance to expand its offerings. For their sake (and mine - it would be very convenient to have a coffee stop on the way to work), I hope that they are able to stick.

 

Core Coffee

 

Housed in Carolina Core Wellness on an offshoot of Penny Road, Core Coffee is considerably off the beaten path. Location aside, however, there is a lot to like here. The coffee shop is spacious and bright with comfortable-looking chairs and tasteful artwork. The baristas are kind, and, thankfully, patient. Core's fairly extensive repertoire of teas, coffees (they use Fortuna beans), and smoothies includes everything from nitro to a dozen seasonal drinks, which can make for a tough decision.

I opted for a Moravian Cookie Latte and picked up a lavender soy latte for my wife. The former included welcome spice notes that did not overpower, and my wife reported that the latter passed her "not too sweet" test. Prices here are reasonable (a 24-ounce latte ran $6), and they also offer Happy Hour discounts from 2 to 4 p.m.

While there may be more readily accessible java options elsewhere in town, if you're in the Palladium area and want a break from chain coffee, give Core a try.

High Point Bagels

 

Located at 1228 Eastchester Drive in High Point, High Point Bagels offers bagels, sandwiches, and baked goods. It is open from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily (though temporarily closed on Tuesdays). Catering is available.

 

Contrary to popular belief, good bagels are not hard to find in the Triad. You just need to know where to look. New Garden Bagels in Greensboro, with its Northern roots and traditional preparation (boil then bake), is one such spot, and High Point Bagels, which shares those attributes, is another. Though a bit rough around the edges, HPB offers unquestionably the best bagel in High Point and among the best in the region.

 

Owned by a Long Islander (with the accent and attitude to match), High Point Bagels lives up to its pedigree. Those of us from the New York/New Jersey area will find little to sneer at here as they nail the requisite (crisp outside/chewy inside) texture. And while the inventory varies, when HPB is fully stocked, the selection is hard to beat. On a good day, every flavor you’d expect (everything, pumpernickel, onion) will likely be accounted for, plus HPB offers the ever-elusive egg bagel as well as several types of spreads and cream cheeses (and muffins and black and white cookies and….you get the idea). You can’t go wrong with a breakfast sandwich here (they offer Taylor ham, which nets them another authenticity point) though if you arrive later in the day, the Reuben sandwiches, messy as they can be, are delicious. Try one on pumpernickel.

Though food quality is a constant, your experience may otherwise vary. High Point Bagels occupies a small, utilitarian (wall of license plates notwithstanding) space with only a few tables, and lines out the door aren’t uncommon. Staff are mostly friendly and frequently husting, but woe unto thee who ends up in line behind a large, complex order. In short, don’t go here if you’re in a hurry or want a quiet eat-in experience (unless it's an off-hour), but if you’re getting your bagels to go and have time to spare, you should be fine.