Monday, January 12, 2009

I Heart Sushi

This is "Cali Cruncholific." It's a tempura-fried cali roll topped with tuna and sweet unagi sauce. Let me say right now: I did not make these. Travis, "senior media developer" at Home & Away (so says the masthead), is an amateur sushi artiste. He sent me these photos yesterday, inducing a deadly sushi craving (one that will be satisfied today at noon). I think I may have even started drooling. It's funny, sushi ends up being the thing I eat the most when I'm out. Maybe because I can't make it at home--though Travis swears it's not as hard as it looks. Travis doesn't have a Web site for me to link to, so I'm connecting you to his wife's home page--she's a massage therapist who specializes in ashiatsu foot massages. At the bottom is a quick guide to all the "legit" sushi joints in Omaha (Whole Foods and Bakers don't count). Above is tempura cream cheese jalepenos with tuna and sweet chili sauce. You will notice as you scroll that Travis likes his sushi with a kick. Yellowtail sashimi with jalapenos, cilantro and srirachi sauce. Wasabi stinger variation: tempura shrimp and crab on the inside and yellowtail on the outside with wasabi cream and sriracha sauce. Another colorful wasabi stinger variation with jalapenos and peppercinos on the outside with wasabi cream and sriracha sauce. Veggie roll wrapped in soy paper instead of seaweed with cucumber and avocado. Veggie roll with cucumber, (surprise) jalapeno, avocado and topped with wasabi cream.

Blue Sushi Sake Grill has three outposts. This place is super trendy, and their happy hour specials always have a wait. I believe one of the owners was once an interior designer. And the sushi is pretty good--I would say top three in town.

Hiro is located on 132 and Maple but will be opening an outpost in the Old Market this spring. This is every sushi snob's favorite (for good reason).

Matsu Sushi was the first sushi bar downtown (it's on 10th and Farnam). It's good but doesn't have the reputation of Hiro or Sushi Japan.

Sakura Bana, formerly Sushi Ichibon, is pretty traditional--it's the only place I've been served a warm cloth. They have a good central location in Uptown.

Sushi Japan Yakinuku Boy is my personal favorite, though Hiro is right up there. Sushi Japan is really quiet, and their actual bar seems to be pretty popular.

Sushi Yama is in LaVista. I have only eaten there once, and we got soggy edamame. The sushi was OK.

There are other restaurants that serve sushi that don't necessarily specialize in it: Kona and Urban Wine would be two notables.

4 comments:

snekse said...

I wasn't aware that Hiro was opening another location. Did that owners tell you that?

Ditto on Sushi Japan.

Mt. Fuji Inn also serves sushi. I've only been there for the Mai Thai, so I'm not sure how good their sushi is.

Making your own sushi isn't too difficult. The rice is the hardest part. Just make sure you buy your fish from the right place. Personally I think Aki market on 84th Street (between F and L Streets) is the only place in Omaha that sells sushi grade fish. Even Absolutely Fresh is questionable at times for raw fish.

Aki gets sushi quality fish flown in on the first Saturday of each month. Get their early though, since there's a line forming before they open.

Lainey Seyler said...

I forgot about Mt. Fuji, although I haven't actually been there or tried their sushi.

I interviewed one of their owners maybe a month ago, and they are opening a new sushi bar/restaurant (though it won't be named Hiro, puzzling).

I did a story for The Reader last year about Aki, and they actually do not fly in the fish anymore. They stopped about a year ago after Aki died. Too much work, they said.

Lainey Seyler said...

I forgot about Mt. Fuji, although I haven't actually been there or tried their sushi.

I interviewed one of their owners maybe a month ago, and they are opening a new sushi bar/restaurant (though it won't be named Hiro, puzzling).

I did a story for The Reader last year about Aki, and they actually do not fly in the fish anymore. They stopped about a year ago after Aki died. Too much work, they said.

lindsey baker said...

i need some of that soy paper veggie roll. sushi sans seaweed=happy lindsey. :)