Please tell me y’all read that as Tokyo Japanese Steakhouse, just like we did.

It wasn’t until we pulled in and – after noting that this building quite obviously used to be a steakhouse of the Ponderosa variety – that we realized the “y” was missing in the name. That seems like cruel joke by the naming gods, no?

Anyway.

In case anyone needs a sign that destiny is real, I give you this:

All you can eat sushi not only exists, but we’ve somehow stumbled upon the home of it without even trying. It’s like the gates of heaven have opened for Ted and Shane.

Except that we’ve entered a new year, which means that a brand new set of New Year’s resolutions have once again turned one member of our group into “Healthy Shane” whose goal is trying to cut down on his portion sizes. So clearly he was thrilled that this discovery occurred on this first Wednesday of 2024.

He also had to order a Bud Lite after our question about the brands of tequila they served elicited a name neither of us had ever heard before. Or could remember now.

WTGW: 1. New Year’s resolutions: 0.

This is also why you don’t order a margarita at a Japanese restaurant, people.

I opted for the white peach sake wine, which sounded delightful but really was like a glass of peach syrup. The taste certainly didn’t seem like something that should be clear and fluid.

In what was probably the smartest alcoholic decision of our table, Ted ordered a Sapporo Reserve beer. Bonus points for the arrival in a can that could’ve qualified as a weapon in most states.

Ted of course chose the AYCE sushi, and for his first round got spicy tuna, the eel and cucumber, and the red dragon roll.

He justified the AYCE with some elaborate math equation involving the cost of specialty rolls ($12-$15 each) and what ordering the amount he thought he would be able to eat individually would come to versus the cost of AYCE ($25.99). And while math problems involving food are admittedly about the only math problems I can make myself care about, even I tuned out somewhere in the middle of that explanation.

After much deliberation and internal debate – which has less to do with math and more to do with the aforementioned quest to be healthier- Shane also broke down and got AYCE. He started with the Philadelphia, spicy tuna and spicy salmon.

Because I know the limitations of my stomach and that any AYCE option is lost on me, I opted to just order the spicy maki combo, which came with soup and salad.

For reference, by the time the guys put in their second order on the AYCE list I still had half of my order (so 8 pieces) left on my plate. Pacing, I guess? I mean I didn’t want to be bored while they kept eating.

For the second round, Shane was already slowing on the sushi so he got two apps (which are also included on a smaller scale on the AYCE options) and one roll. Apps were three pieces each of calamari and crab Rangoon. And then the spicy tuna roll.

Not one to give up on a challenge, Ted went all-in and got two more rolls for his second order – the specialty Godzilla roll and the spicy fire roll.

But the joke was on him, as one of those rolls ended up being 11 pcs instead of the 8 he was expecting. So that was a little more than he bargained for.

Hey, remember math problems? Let’s try another one! If Ted had 20 pieces of sushi on his first round, and 19 on the second round, that makes … drum roll … 39 pieces of sushi in our meal.

Hey, remember that time Ted ate 39 pcs of sushi? Well, you should, because if history is any indication with this group then I’m sure that sentence will get uttered many, MANY times in the years of WTGW to come.

It should also be noted that it’s clearly stated in several places that AYCE is dine-in only, and you do get charged for any leftover food that goes to waste. So it wasn’t just pride motivating these terrible post-ordering food decisions on this evening.

Although when it was all said and done Ted did actually leave two pieces of sushi on his plate. But that can be attributed to the greater number in the Godzilla roll – because if it had only been the eight pieces he was expecting then he would’ve finished it all. The server didn’t charge him, maybe be a use of that but also presumably because she could see he put in a valiant effort.

He also wasn’t even able to finish his one beer that he ordered at the top of the meal because there wasn’t room. That may be the very first time in the history of WTGW that ever happened. Even when forced to drink bottled domestic beer on wing night at The Big Dog.

So to amend my previous comment – and so it’s on the record for all future commentary – remember that time Ted ate 37 pieces of sushi?

I’m not sure any of us had this on our bingo card for 2024, but lucky for us we can cross that space off so soon into the new year.

For the record Shane finished his second order of one roll and two apps, and was in pain the whole way home. He kept saying that he should’ve just ordered the same thing I did and not the AYCE, but felt peer pressured by Ted. Clearly Shane was paying attention during the elaborate math equation.

Remember that time Shane learned a lesson about portion size? No, because we go through this about once every month.

Overall Toko doesn’t have a lot of ambiance, but the service was good and the sushi was tasty. If you’re like Ted and enjoy the specialty rolls, then the AYCE is definitely worth it. But if you’re like me and Shane and prefer the regular rolls like spicy tuna or California, it’s probably better just to get them individually – unless you plan to eat like seven or eight.

By the way, we asked the server who holds the AYCE record, and the most she’s ever seen anyone eat was nine. So there’s that.

I have no doubt that this visit be remembered in the archives of WTGW visits of overindulgence- right alongside the time the guys ordered full sheet pizzas each for themselves at Bellacinos, or the time Shane thought three pounds of frozen yogurt would make a tasty dessert after a full meal. Should we be concerned that all of these things happened in Kent? Maybe we need to take that into consideration the next time we pick a place in this area so we can all plan to put on our stretchy pants in advance.

Picked by: Ted