Sushi Fix Chef Brian Turner thumbs up the ‘Rainbow Roll’ and the ‘Red Head Roll.’ (photo/alandeckerphoto.com)

They serve their sushi on plastic plates. There, I came right out and said it. To those who judgmentally exclaim (albeit to themselves), “Well, forget it, I’d never eat sushi off of a plastic plate,” and are no longer reading this, I say the heck with you for being a food snob.

For the record, some of the best things I’ve ever eaten have been served to me on paper or plastic plates. The homemade french fries served at Tacoma Rainiers games at Cheney Stadium in Washington, for instance. And the best clam chowder anyone will ever taste comes in a paper bowl at Pike Place Chowder in Seattle.

Sushi Fix opened late last year in Little Italy. It is one of two quick-service, family-friendly sushi restaurants by Andrew Berlin. The first, also called Sushi Fix, opened in 2004 in Carlsbad and was so positively received that Berlin expanded to San Diego. These casual, inexpensive eateries offer sushi bar items and Americanized versions of popular Japanese dishes.

The setup is sort of like a Pat & Oscar’s type of place where you order at the counter and then your food is shuttled to you by servers. The lengthy menu features a large selection of hand rolls, nigiri sushi and sashimi, as well as a couple of teriyaki bowls.

Check out these prices: miso soup is $1.75, a cucumber salad is $2.25 and shrimp tempura is only five bucks. The Temaki Sushi, aka “hand rolls,” also are a steal; spicy tuna, shrimp tempura and salmon skin hand rolls are only $2.95 each. And get this: you caan order three hand rolls for only $8.50.

Diners can choose from more than 20 specialty rolls. Among the most popular is the “Red Head Roll” ($8.95), which is shrimp tempura and krab topped with spicy tuna, spicy sauce and crunchy tempura shavings. Those who are judgmentally exclaiming, “Oh, I get it, it’s not real crab, forget about it then,” can relax. For about a buck and a half more, you can substitute real crab. Other popular rolls are the “Cobra Roll” ($7.75), consisting of spicy tuna, unagi, avocado and eel sauce, and the “Super Albacore Roll,” which has shrimp tempura, krab, albacore and masago.

The menu was designed by Brian Turner, who trained for two years at Masuo’s in Solana Beach prior to opening Sushi Fix with Berlin. The fish is purchased locally and is sushi grade, and the preparations are spot-on.

One of my favorite things about Sushi Fix, though, is the sauces are self-serve, right there on a counter next to the soda fountain. Usually, I have to repeatedly ask for more sauce when I eat sushi. I favor the spicy, mayonnaisey sauce usually reserved for the “scallop deluxe,” and at Sushi Fix I can pump myself as many calories as I see fit. The ponzu, eel and 911 (super spicy) sauces also are right there for the taking.

Oh, and best of all, this is the type of place to take your kids. My two-year-old loved the white rice and green tea ice cream (which several hours later I realized was chock full of caffeine) and the two older kids scarfed down enough sushi to feed a football player for a lot less than at any other sushi restaurant in town.

Sushi Fix specializes in catering and also delivers locally to homes, events and offices. The Carlsbad restaurant delivers anywhere within a 1.5 mile radius and the Downtown store delivers to anyone in the 92101 zip code.

Sushi Fix is one healthy, delicious habit, but be careful, that sauce is addicting.

— By Terryl Gavre