But while so few experiences live up to expectations, there's one thing that never fails to impress Bobble Tiki, one thing that â€" no matter how much it's talked about, no matter how often Bobble Tiki hears it praised â€" is always exponentially better than you could imagine. That thing is toro.

Tuna belly: the fatty, striated, dull-pink meat taken from the underside of that cattle of the sea, the giant tuna. Like eating velvet, like a taste of the divine â€" there are no perfect words to describe Bobble Tiki’s first taste of toro. And no matter how often he eats it, every time is like the first time. Toro never gets dull, never becomes old hat, and you can never eat too much of it. If there's a limit to the potential for enjoying tuna belly, Bobble Tiki would have found it by now, and he hasn’t.

Tackling toro at Jazzbones would seem like a recipe for disaster, especially since it’s house in their dark balcony.  It’s not.  It’s freakin’ good.

Mr. Lee hacks, slices, builds and presents delicious sashimi and sushi rolls, including toro, while bands rock out on the main floor.  It’s brilliant.  Between band changes, Bobble Tiki grabs a roll topped with melted scallops.  If jazz fusion graces the stage, Bobble Tiki will tackle toro, uni and carpaccio and watch the spazzy spectacle on the two plasma screen sandwiching the sushi bar.

Jazzbones bartender Johanna Gardner has almost completed her new cocktail creations, including many sake cocktails, to compliment the sushi bar.

Expanded seating and a pool table upstairs are in the planning stages.      

Short of hopping a jumbo jet bound for Japan, you are not going to find a sushi and music combo better anywhere in this area. â€" Bobble Tiki