Was a time when sushi was an experience in dining: a highly refined process that produced beautiful, edible art. Now, the ubiquitous packages of California rolls can be found in every grocery store or deli—be it Nebraska or Alaska.

An entirely new segment of Japanese cuisine has been reformatted for easy consumption: Samurai Sam's offers all that Japanese carnival food that tastes so good precisely because it's designed to make you happy. Choose a Teriyaki Bowl with a choice of chicken, veggie or steak ($3.49-$5.99) or the Yaki Soba Bowl ($4.49-$5.99), the same concept but the white or brown rice is replaced with dry, cold buckwheat noodles. Probably the ultimate crime to Japanese cuisine occurs when the rice/veggie/meat concoction is stuffed inside a wheat tortilla to make a teriyaki wrap ($3.99-$5.49). The one cute effect that seems right at home is the bubble tea “hut” where the beverage is available ($3.25-$3.50) for anyone on-the-go without time to brave Chinatown.

Maybe it's silly to be shocked by such ersatz Japanese dining; it's been our natural inclination to take something we enjoy for its complexity and then dumb it down for world consumption to turn a fast buck. But when the real thing is available in most parts of the city, why choose an inferior substitute? Oh right, because you're in a hurry.

Samurai Sam's

291 7th Ave. (betw. 6th & 7th Sts.)

212-807-8810