Chopstix

My 3.5 year old daughter loves sushi. She has even been known to demolish 2 rolls without blinking. So when we finished their dental exam at Chesapeake Pediatric Dental in White Marsh, I decided to head across the shopping center to Chopstix.

Not sure how to word this, but when we walked in, we were greeted with joy. They honestly seemed thrilled to see us, and not because they were dead in there since they had a decently full restaurant. They were super accommodating and even took care of my stroller and stowed it somewhere while I got the kids in the high chairs. Just a note : my 3.5 year old L is very capable of sitting in a chair, but she is really in a high chair phase right now, most likely because of her 14 month old brother, and I’m ok with just going with it.

Anyway.  The menu is pretty large and features both Chinese and Japanese foods. Since we were here for sushi, I got two sushi combos: Shrimp Tempura with a California Roll and Chicken Teriyaki with a California Roll. They both came with miso soup and a green salad. I figured that with two soups and two salads, I would get one of each and I’d give L the salad, since she is a fan of cucumbers and carrots and try to see if B would eat the miso soup. And I’d give L one Roll and the shrimp tempura and I’d eat the other roll and split the chicken teriyaki with B.

Service was very prompt, so there was not a lot of waiting with hungry kids. When the soups and salads came and chopsticks were presented, I tried to make L’s kid friendly by MacGyvering them with a rubber band and some folded paper.When I asked for said rubber band,  they brought me this cool contraption instead that you put on the top of the chopsticks to make them easier. Genius.

The salad was ok. Very fresh and crisp lettuce but the ginger dressing was definitely not one of the better ones I’ve had. That being said, I’m a HUGE fan of ginger dressing and can be very particular. The miso soup was average. To my surprise, B loved the lettuce from the salad and L was chowing down on the miso soup! Not at all what I expected.  

Then our boxes came and were very disappointing. Let me start with the good: the California rolls were actually quite good. L gobbled hers up pretty quickly and B actually enjoyed the crab filling out of mine. I would eat those again. Everything else in the boxes, however, was sub-par. First of all, the chicken teriyaki was awful. The chicken tasted like it had been cooked in the microwave and the sauce lacked flavor and was very watery. My 14 month old carnivore would not touch the chicken, if that says anything. The tempura seemed to have been battered in a breadcrumb mixture (that might not be true, but that’s what it tasted like) and was over fried. The only thing I really liked was the sweet potato, but, let’s be honest, I would probably eat sweet potato dipped in old baby food. L wouldn’t eat the shrimp so I was really glad she enjoyed the soup as much as she did because otherwise I would have had nothing for lunch if she wanted the second roll.

The hostess came over several times throughout the meal to coo at B and to see how we were doing. They definitely welcomed kids there and I didn’t feel out of place.  Despite their friendliness and openness to two lively kids, I would probably not go there again for a meal. While the California Roll was good, I could get something similar at most other places. Overall the food cost more than it was worth.

Kid Friendliness: 4/5

Service: 4/5

Prices: 3/5

Taste: 2/5