Shreeveport, LA — Sake Sushi

Sake Sushi Sushi 7511 Youree Dr Shreeveport, LA

518.795.8084 website map

I am a pilgrim (a SushiPilgrim) on a quest. A quest to review a sushi restaurant in all 50 states. Sometimes  pilgrims on a quest do strange things. This week I drove about 7 hours (3.5 each way) to have sushi in Louisiana. I was in the Metroplex (Dallas) and I had some free time so I drove to Shreeveport, Louisiana to Sake Sushi. Louisiana is the 43rd state in which I have reviewed a sushi restaurant.

Sake Sushi is a very modern restaurant with a large number of tables and an L-shaped sushi bar. I especially like sushi restaurants with a large number of specials and Sake did not dissapoint. I had an appetizer of thinly sliced duck wrapped around a mango slice. The appetizer was good as was the seafood and mushroom soup.

I ordered a Philadelphia roll and a Yellowtail scallion roll from the specials menu. Both rolls were good, not special, but the fish was tasty and fresh. For dessert I had a fried bannana. The bannana was a nice way to top of a good meal.

Sake Sushi is worth a visit if you are in Shreeveport.

Sake Sushi 3 rice bowls

San Mateo, CA — Joy Sushi

Joy Sushi 30 S B St San Mateo, CA

650.340.8974 website map

I was in the Bay Area with some colleagues. Neither of them were sushi fanatics but since I had the rental car — we had sushi. After looking for some online reviews we settled on Joy Sushi in San Mateo. When we got to Joy we were seated at a spacious in their upstairs seating area.

The complimentary Miso and salad were a pleasant surprise. We ordered a variety of rolls to share. When our food arived I was concerned because the portions were huge! To my surprise, at the end of the night we had eaten every bite. The menu contained an innovative selection of rolls. The quality of the fish was good and the meal was an excellent value.

Joy Sushi is definitely one of my mid-peninsula favorites.

Joy Sushi 4 rice bowls

Edison, NJ — Ichi Umi

Ichi Umi 352 Menlo Park Dr Edison, NJ

732.906.2370 website map

Sushi and Buffet are 2 words that rarely go together. However, this week in New Jersey, I took the recommendation of some colleagues and had dinner at Ichi Umi. Ichi Umi is a large Japanese buffet restaurant. The atmosphere is upscale and the decor is modern and clean.

When I arrived at Ichi Umi, it was late in the evening but the selection on the buffet was good. I started with some sushi and sashimi along with raw oysters. The fish I had ranged in quality from good to very good. I especially liked the yellow tail nigiri.The oysters were also good, a nice touch.

When I went back to the buffet, I tried a variety of cooked food. I think this is the first time that I have ever had jellyfish, it reminded me of eating sea cucumber — very tasty. They also had a variety of seaweeds and cooked fish and shrimp choices.

Ichi Umi suprised me — next time I am in the neighborhood, I will be back.

Ichi Umi 3 rice bowls

Napierville, IL — Kiku Japanese Steakhouse

Kiku Japanese Steakhouse 2764 Aurora Avenue Napierville, IL

630.305.3210 website map

My wife and I were in the Chicago area around our anniversary and her brother treated us to dinner. Since neither of them are sushi lovers (they both eat some sushi), we decided to go to a Japanese steakhouse that also served sushi. My brother-in-law had been to Kiku before so we were decided.

Kiku is a very modern looking restaurant in a strip mall. We sat down at the grill and ordered cooked entrees and some sushi rolls as appetizers. Of course in places like this, the show is the main draw. Our chef performed the requisite tricks with the grill and the steak I had was quite good.

We ordered a few rolls before dinner. I especially liked the Hawaiian Roll. It includes mango, pineapple and asparagus, along with a ton of other ingredients. All of the rolls were fresh and tasty.

For a Japanese steakhouse, Kiku has good sushi.

Kiku 3 rice bowls

Brattleboro, VT — Shin La Restaurant and Sushi Bar

Shin La Restaurant and Sushi Bar 57 Main Street Brattleboro, VT

.802.257.5226 map

42 down and 8 to go. With Vermont on the list, I have now personally reviewed sushi restaurants in 42 states. I was working this week in the Boston area so I took the opportunity to drive to Vermont in search of sushi. Looking at the map, Brattleboro seemed like the best choice close to Boston. It was a two hour drive but I decided it was worth it for state 42 — I was wrong.

I found a parking spot on Main Street and walked down to Shin La. Shin La is a combination Korean and sushi restaurant. The restaurant is in an older building and the decor is a combination of rustic, new and just old. The server station by the kitchen looked like it came out of a mobile home built in the '70s.

The evening started out to be very promising. The menu looked good and had a variety of rolls and sushi combinations. There were even some very expensive items, combos up to about $50. I ordered a couple of rolls and Miso soup. The soup wasn't bad and I think it had spinach in it.

When the rolls arrived they looked good but I was disappointed. The fish had a bit of an aftertaste and was served on the warm side..

Shin La has a sign in the window declaring them the most popular sushi restaurant in Brattleboro — Shin La must be the only sushi restaurant in Brattleboro.

Shin La 2 rice bowls

Cincinnati, OH — Tokyo Japanese Restaurant

Tokyo Japanese Restaurant 11481 Chester Road Cincinnati, OH

513.771.4488 website map

When I travel I like to try the local specialties whenever possible. I have been to Cincinnati before so I knew that the Four Pillars of authentic Cincinnati cuisine are:

1. Skyline Chili
2. LaRosa'a Pizza
3. Graeter's Ice Cream
   
4. Montgomery Inn Ribs

After my pilgrimage to the Four Pillars I was ready for some sushi. My colleagues all suggested that the best local sushi place was Tokyo. So on Wednesday, I decided to go to Tokyo for lunch.

When I got to Tokyo, I was not impressed. The restaurant is in a somewhat dingy building that looks like it may have been a Mexican restaurant in a former life. Further, Tokyo is also a Hibachi (Teppanaki) restaurant. In general I have not had good sushi experiences at Teppanaki places.

There is a Korean flavor to Tokyo. I ordered a sashimi combo and some gyoza. My waitress brought me an appetizer on the house. It was an order of Japanese pickles (one of my favorites) served along with some kimchee. The pickles were great and I even enjoyed the kimchee.

The gyoza was very good. But the sashimi was perfect. The fish was tasty and fresh. I think my combo was yellow tail, tuna, white tuna and salmon. Relatively tame choices but the quality was first rate. I am also a sucker for white tuna and Tokyo's white tuna was awesome. I love the way that really good white tuna melts in your mouth. I like to savor it on my tongue and let the flavor just spread.

Tokyo is not fancy, the presentation is mediocre at best but the fish was excellent.

Tokyo 4 rice bowls

Aiea, HI — Tadashi

Tadashi 98-199 Kamehameha Hwy Aiea, HI

808.485-8525 map

After Todai last night I was not sure that I wanted to have sushi today. But my colleague had built it up so much that I decided that I decided to go anyway and I am glad I did. My colleague said that Tadashi was notable for its rolls. So we ordered rolls.

I ordered a Rainbow roll and a Salmon Skin roll. My colleague ordered a roll with shrimp tempura and another that I do not remember. But to top it off, he ordered a Dynamite roll. My Rainbow roll was excellent and all the rolls were huge. All of the fish was fresh and tasted great. The Salmon skin roll was rather average. I really like salmon skin but the roll lacked something.

The Dynamite roll was something special. It consisted of a scallop roll, sliced and topped with Japanese mayonnaise. The roll was then baked. I don't know that I have ever had as rich an entree in a sushi bar. I do not normally order fancy rolls but this roll was absolutely awesome. I love scallops and the mayonnaise was perfect.

Tadashi was good and the Dynamite roll was amazing.

Tadashi 4 rice bowls

Honolulu, HI — Todai

Todai 1910 Ala Moana Blvd Honolulu, HI

808.947-1000 website map

After an afternoon snorkeling at Hanauma Bay, I was ready to enjoy sushi for dinner. Several colleagues and people at my hotel reccomended Todai. Todai is an international chain of Japanese buffet restaurants. I have been to Todai in Los Angeles and Chicago (before I was doing these reviews). In both cases Todai was average at best. In fact I found the non-sushi items to be pretty good and the sushi not so good.

So I have a history with Todai and it is not good. But this is paradise, I am surrounded by ocean and there is a thriving Japanese culture here.So, I decided to try Todai again.

Todai is a huge Japanese buffet in the Waikiki area of Honolulu. When I arrived I went right to the sushi buffet. There was a tremendous variety of nigiri and rolls. They also had sashimi. I tried a combination of sashimi and rolls. Unfortunately, the sushi was terrible. The sashimi was slimy and tasted a bit spoiled. The knife work on the sashimi was dismal! the pieces were not fully separated and the salmon had bones in it. The rolls were no better. I left nearly a whole plate of sushi and sashimi on my table. 

So, I decided to try the hot food. It was really no better. The noodles had been sitting under the heat lamp so long that the ones on top were beginning to get crispy. During the hour or so that I was there, the large quantities of sushi and sashimi on the bar simply sat there getting old.

Even on Waikiki, Todai is not worth it — I will never set foot in a Todai again,

Todai 1 rice bowls

Pearl City, HI — Zippy's (Pearl City Sushi)

Zippy's (Pearl City Sushi) 806 Kamehameha Highway Pearl City, HI

808.453.715 website map

Hawaii, 148 sushi restaurant reviews in 41 states, on my way to 50. I am in Hawaii this week for work and on Monday a colleague took me out to one of his favorite sushi places — Zippy's in Pearl City. Zippy's is a chain of Hawaiian restaurants that my colleague described as being like a Hawaiian Denny's only better. Zippy's specializes in local food and the Pearl City restaurant has a bakery and a sushi bar.

When we arrived we sat down at the sushi bar. We were given as appetizers turnips and clams in an almost watery sauce, very tasty. As well as a mixture of salmon with skin and onions in a vinegar mixture. I love salmon skin so Zippy's had me at hello!

Zippy's is not like the mainland sushi places that I visit. On the mainland, even in the best sushi restaurants, the selection is typically limited. I ordered salmon, toro (tuna belly), mirugai (giant clam) and white tuna. They also had some really good looking uni (sea urchin). In a mainland sushi restaurant I am usually pleased if I find one of: toro, mirugai, white tuna or uni. Here in Hawaii, surrounded by ocean, with a large Japanese population, these items seemed commonplace on the menu.

The sushi chefs were helpful and the service was very good. I was even able to ask for little dish of pickled daikon a form of Japanese radish (we called it daigu on Guam). I don't think I even looked at the menu, we just sat at the bar and ordered what looked good and everything looked good.

Zippy's is nothing special, not fancy in any way — just great sushi.

Zippy's (Pearl City Sushi) 5 rice bowls

Morgantown, WV — Hibachi

Hibachi 3091 University Morgantown, WV

304.598.7140 website map

Not too long ago, I drove several hours out of my way to review a sushi restaurant in West Virginia. I had supper on a story summer evening at Sushi Atlantic in Charleston, WV. I was sorely disappointed. I closed the review by writing, There may be good sushi somewhere in the hills of West Virginia, but not at Sushi Atlantic.

Well, by coincidence, I find myself in West Virginia again this week. One of my colleagues suggested a couple of local places. So, tonight with great trepidation — I went to Hibachi. As the name suggests Hibachi is a Japanese restaurant with Teppanaki, Table service and sushi. I was seated at a table in the sushi room.

Hibachi has a sushi bar with a large number of specials. As I was seated, I perused the menu. I decided to try some rolls. I ordered a Hibachi roll, Simons roll and a Philladelphia roll. I was surprised that while there were a lot of different rolls, there was really not much variety. There seemed to be an inordinate number of rolls with cream cheese or with tuna/salmon on top. 

Interestingly, when you order 3 rolls, you get soup and salad free, a nice touch. The miso was very good with lots of seaweed. The salad was very good, crispy lettuce with tomato and cucumber. The ginger dressing was excellent, the best I have had in a sushi place.

When my rolls arrived they were arranged nicely on a wooden plate. The rolls were quite large but not very uniform. The fish quality was average. By average I mean certainly not bad but not great either.

Service at Hibachi was good and the owners seemed to have a rapport with their customers. 

Hibachi is the kind of sushi restaurant that I visit when I'm in the neighborhood.

Hibachi 3 rice bowls