Half-price sushi? Friend or foe? Yes, anytime I see a vendor hurriedly trying to push fish or shrimp by cutting the price in half, I'm worried. Thinking the price cut usually implies a past due expiration date or questionable contamination, I stay away. However, as what seems like a good portion of Milwaukee agrees, half-price sushi can easily become more than a good friend at Fujiyama Sushi and Hibachi in West Allis.

It's arguably the best sushi in the city and on Mondays and Tuesdays-- catering to a constant flow of sushi-crazed residents -- the same top-grade sashimi, roll and hibachi prices are cut in half.

The rules are simple: you only have one shot at it, you must order everything you want at once and anything ordered after jumps to full price. Yes, Japanese tradition generally encourages diners to sit and relax ordering one item at a time, but Fujiyama's one-time ordering rule keeps things moving and cuts down on what would otherwise surely be an insane wait. And of course, it is their same high-quality product at a fraction of the price and so for that, I'll play by their rules.

I can't mention the Fujiyama experience without bringing up its complimentary birthday celebration. Complete with a rotating disco ball, balloon crown and sparklers, Fujiyama staff presents the special guest with an ice cream sundae as a recorded Japanese sung version of "Happy Birthday" plays so loud, it's impossible to ignore.

I can only imagine the staff repeats the routine dozens of times a night; over an hour-long dinner, I probably witnessed five such "celebrations." And while this description may sound annoying, it's in fact quite endearing as the staff cheerfully claps and customers laugh at the over-the-top antics.

They don't require you show a driver's license or even verbally proclaim your birthday, they just dutifully take your word as fact and for that I love them.