by Sarah McLure

Kitayama
101 Bayview Place
Newport Beach 92660
949.725.0777

Kitayama optimizes harmony and balance at their restaurant, nestled amid private Asian gardens, bamboo, Bonsai-style plants and miniature waterfalls, which wonderfully mute street noise. Vibrant and authentic kimonos sit on display for onlookers. Here, you’ll enjoy attentive servers, some donning kimonos and even see traditional private Tatami rooms — minimum $25 per person to reserve but a divine retreat for private parties. Veiled curtains for booths create an ultra-private space for dining.

by Jason Epstein

Takahachi Restaurant
85 Avenue A
New York, NY
(212) 505-6524

This a great place for a happy hour or dinner meet up with a co-worker or friend. Their sushi rolls are average sized but they’re full of flavor. The fish is super fresh, the sushi rice tastes great and the menu has plenty of sushi as well as hot Japanese entree choices. Everything here is excellent. Some favorites from the menu are the wasabi raw octopus with sweet vinegar (not for the faint of heart!) and their shrimp tempura which is sweet, crispy and among the best I’ve had. The service here is also very good because they are so attentive, even when it’s very busy. If you have the craving, this place will fulfill you as it fills you up.

by Christine Wolfe

ORIGAMI’S
7366 E. Shea Blvd., Scottsdale, 480-922-8824

Owner Nick Kahn and his chefs’ work all day over a hot stove to give diners from-scratch sauces, innovative rolls, and what Kahn calls the “most sushi rolls” in town. And with a menu that boasts 65 rolls and counting, it’s not just bragging. The only trouble you’ll have here is deciding what to have. There are spicy rolls, crab, shrimp, salmon and eel rolls. There is soft-shell crab, tuna, vegetarian, Philly and even rolls for the kids, in the form of a Teriyaki chicken roll. A lively atmosphere, attentive waiters and chefs who will make you what you want are enticing, but it is the modest prices and the fresh fish from four different sources that make the experience here memorable. Don’t like sushi? Then choose from more than 40 other menu items that won’t give you the heebie-jeebies - but contain the same fresh ingredients and attention to detail.

by Genevieve Wheeler

BUDDAKAN
325 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106
(215) 574-9440

Traditional Japanese cuisine meets ultra-hip modernity at Buddakan! A golden, 10-foot tall statue of the Buddha dominates the dining room, as do waterfall walls and a huge onyx table that seats 22! And as far as the food is concerned, the mantra at this establishment is originality! You’ll be transported to culinary Nirvana by such specialties as Tempura Jumbo Lump Crab Sushi Roll. And have no fear, you sushi lovers out there that have people in your lives that don’t share your love for the raw! You’ll be able to entice them to dine on such delights as Pan Seared Chilean Sea Bass (served with ginger mashed potatoes, oyster mushrooms, and asparagus), as well as Wasabi Crusted Filet Mignon!

by Katharine Branham

ICHIBON
12120 Greenspoint Dr., Houston, TX
(281)872-0309
406 Texas Ave. (Kemah), Houston TX
(281)538-0788

The happy hour Sushi specials are fantastic. Ichibon’s menu features 120 items that are carefully explained when asked about. You’ll be amazed by the table show that will entertain the entire family. They really turn it up for the kids, while the adults are able to enjoy themselves. The cutest and most popular dish here is The Caterpillar Roll-eel & rice rolled with paper and avocado.

by Christine Irvin

SushiKo Japanese Restaurant
122 Hutchinson Avenue
Columbus, OH 43235
(614) 985-6441
http://www.sushi-ko.net

SushiKo Japanese Restaurant bills itself as “the best Sushi Restaurant in Columbus!” They’ve been around for over 15 years which may explain their claim to fame. Their quality menu selections include more than 100 varieties of Sushi, Sashimi and Rolls, which as they say, covers the spectrum “from the traditional to the unique and unexpected.” Their featured rolls are: Samurai – “shrimp tempura, avocado, cucumber, eel, cream cheese, spicy crab topped with tuna”; Volcano – “spicy tuna, cucumber, topped with avocado, spicy crab salad, crunchy and special sauce”; and Fantastic 4 – “avocado, cucumber, tuna, salmon, red snapper, yellowtail, masago, spicy mayo”. Their menu also includes a selection of Kushi Yaki (grilled skewers – chicken, beef, salmon, or seafood), as well as soups and salads.

by Lynn Marshall

NISHINO
3130 East Madison St., (206) 322 5800

Nishino is a neighborhood favorite here in Madison Park and also one of the prettiest Japanese restaurants in Seattle. The curved wood sushi bar seats about a dozen, but the open kitchen makes sure that every seat has a view of the action. This is a busy spot – most nights two or three sushi chefs are working the bar. The seaweed-wrapped red-ceramic fish sculpture behind the bar is the restaurant’s icon.
In addition to first rate sushi and sashimi, the entrée menu offers many good choices for those in your party who may not be in a sushi mood - the noodles and tempura are great choices.

by Julie Muller Mitchell

ACE WASABI’S ROCK-N-ROLL SUSHI
3339 Steiner Street, San Francisco, CA 94123
(415)576-4903
In Japan, an Izakaya is a drinking place and a food house. Ace Wasabi’s in San Francisco’s lively Marina District strives to be a fun place to socialize while enjoying outstanding Asian food and drinks, and many locals would agree it’s succeeded (watch out, it gets crowded!). The sushi here is both fresh and creative. In addition to traditional nigiri (raw fish on rice), you can get one of the restaurant’s several fanciful rolls, such as spicy tuna and asparagus and tempura shrimp, eel and cucumber. During the week, regulars participate in noisy games of bingo before 6:30 pm with the prize being $20 worth of fresh sushi.

by Jenny Bengen & Chris Faust

SUSHI OTA
4529 Mission bay Drive
San Diego, CA 92107

Undoubtedly one of the finest Sushi bars and restaurants in San Diego, Sushi Ota combines traditional preparations with the casual friendliness of the laid back California lifestyle. The Sushi bar itself is staffed with two Japanese Chefs and two assistants as well as another two assistants making the platters and dishes which are delivered to the dining room. At any Sushi bar, the best indicator that your fish will be fresh is that the restaurant is busy and Sushi Ota is very busy. At lunch there is barely a seat at the Sushi bar and the dining room often has a wait. Dinner is more of the same. But it is well worth the wait. If you are a novice then stick with the main stays of Sushi dining like Hamachi, $4.50.

JASMINE CHINA BISTRO AND SUSHI BAR
4810 S. Highland Circle
Salt Lake City, UT 84117
(801) 278-6688

The combination of Chinese food and sushi may seem a little off-putting, but don’t let that fool you. The Jasmine China Bistro and Sushi Bar is a great place for high quality sushi made with fresh fish flown in daily. Jasmine’s sushi chef is also very knowledgeable, friendly, and takes requests. While you won’t find anything too unusual on the menu, you will find great sushi classics deliciously prepared. Unexpected yet delightful, Jasmine China Bistro and Sushi Bar will not disappoint.