For the past couple years, I have posted a ton of restaurant reviews. Some good, some bad, many indifferent. When my blog began to pick up some momentum, some restaurants that I've graded low, or maybe not so low, have contacted me in various ways. Some are angry, and some want to know how they can improve my experience.

Restaurant Redemption is a small series I've created that will allow me to give those restaurants who are keeping up with their social media (notably, my blog) and have made an attempt to rectify a poor or mediocre dining experience. For the restaurants that have contacted me, I'm giving it another dining go. For the most part, I will try a different dish and make note of the previous observations about the experience as a whole.

"Hi Candace, I'm the owner of Ichiban in Charleston. When I read your review I was so disappointed with the experience you had! Warm sushi is not the way it should be served! Please accept my apology for your bad experience. I would love for you to give us another try so we could hopefully change your mind? I think you write really nice reviews and I hope some day we could receive an A from you! Please ask for me if you come back. Thank you for your time and passion about great food!" Laura Lea Miller - August 14, 2011

So, it's been a while. But I wanted to try it again. I've gone to Ichiban for lunch, which I feel is a much better option because it always ends up being cheaper for me.

But on this day, I decided to try something I hadn't had before. I went with a firecracker roll for my new one and lobster maki roll. And a glass of wine. Because wine.

The firecracker is smart. It's a simple, but smart roll because all it's doing is adding some chili powder and chili oil to an otherwise crab, crunch and spicy mayo roll. But it adds a different kind of kick. Albeit the kick was a little much for me, so I tapped off some of the topping. Tasty, simple but unique.

The lobster roll was pretty good. It's the same as many other rolls that are just basically indulgent - cream cheese, avocado, lobster and topped with a sweet sauce - eel sauce. Quite tasty.

The problem with getting these more specialty rolls is that it is so much more expensive. I definitely left spending more than I had hoped to, but the quality of the sushi is better than my previous experience.

It's clear this is marketed as a more upscale sushi experience. And that's totally cool. I just wish I had the extra pocket change to dish out on it more often.