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Take your chances and try out Tsuki's killer maki and bargain martinis.

Monday Feb 19, 2007.     By Dana Kavan

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Drink of the week: A Peach Cosmo at Tsuki Japanese Restaurant & Lounge, 1441-1448 W. Fullerton Ave., on a Thursday night.

The damage: $5, discounted from $10.

Thousands of bars in Chicago, why this one? Over a year ago, Tsuki illegally served fugu, a type of blowfish that, when not prepared properly, can kill unsuspecting sushi eaters; it sparked a flurry of negative media coverage. Fugu's back at Tsuki through February 28, but this time it's 100 percent legal and probably quite safe. Still, I believe there are things that are worth the risk (dying my hair, riding the CTA) and things that are not worth the risk (living behind a burrito place, picking a potentially deadly fish over yellowtail). So, while it would sound sexier if I could boast about having gone to Tsuki to dine on dodgy fish, that just wasn't the case. I went for the cheap drinks.

How it went down: Ever since Carrie Bradshaw turned Cosmopolitans into the "it" accessory for urban women, ordering one has always felt a bit cliche. But what I like about Tsuki's martini markdown menu is the prices, not the options. When wavering between a martini named after a shot adored by college kids (the Lemondrop) or a Cosmo with a peach angle, I'm going to choose the latter.

A blend of Absolute peach vodka, triple sec, peach nectar and cranberry juice, the Peach Cosmo tastes sweet with little to no hint of booze. I had sipped my way through half of the bright red concoction when I pinned down its familiar flavor: Hawaiian Punch. Rather than standing out as two distinct flavors, the peach and cranberry melded into one deliciously tropical potion.

Would I want to become a regular? I recently learned the term Sushinista, which, with the number of men wearing blazers and females in Rock and Republics, could easily have been coined behind Tsuki's sleek, industrial walls. On Thursday nights, trendy patrons lounge on the grey leather couches to watch DJ John Simmons spin Bel Biv DeVoe. Two fireplaces placed side by side don't offer the optimal distribution of warmth but do make for a cozy spot to dine on Tsuki's hot and cold small plates or innovative sushi. The fried calamari skewers, with their crisp exterior and salty panzu sauce, beat any Italian representation of the squid. If lenient work hours allow you to get to Tsuki by 4:30 on Thursdays, you can order half-price maki until 6:30. The Spicy Pinenut Tuna combines pistachios, rosemary, ginger and white tuna—a roll I would risk cutting out of my cubicle early for.

Dana Kavan scours the city for drink deals so good you'll offer to buy a round and creative libations that outshine your average on-the-rocks concoctions. Want to give Dana tips on where to rack up a bar tab? Share your finds before her next night out.