by Amanda Knoles

BAMBOO TERI HOUSE
3391 Atlantic Avenue
Long Beach, CA
(562) 595-6049

Located in a small strip center in the Bixby Knolls area, this locals’ favorite began as a take-out sushi place but has expanded to offer a comfortable dining room and extensive catering services. Servers are attentive and friendly, and the menu offers an impressive variety of sushi, sashimi and specialty rolls as well as salads, soup, noodles, and teriyaki dishes. House specialties are shrimp tempura, crunchy spicy tuna rolls, and sesame chicken. Reasonably priced party platters feature generous assortments of California rolls, sashimi, chicken katsu, gyoza, futomaki and inari.
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by Andrea Stolarczyk

HAKASE JAPANESE CUISINE
3900 S. Paradise Rd., Las Vegas, NV 89109
(702) 796.1234

Hours:
Monday – Friday, 12noon – 2:30pm (lunch)
Open seven days a week, 5pm – 10:30pm

Only about half a mile east of the Strip, Hakase offers a very bare and authentically Japanese ambience decked out with maple wood, pinewoods and Oriental screens. Their fish is always fresh and cut to perfection, and the Miso soup is fiery and delicious. The Teppan grill does require reservations if you want to have a chef cook at your table. For those craving the authentic sushi experience, a Tatami room is available as well.

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by Lynn Marshall

SHIRO’S
2401 Second Ave., (206) 443 9844
Seattle WA

Since opening in 1994 sushi chef Shiro Kashiba’s restaurant has been at the top of every sushi list in Seattle. He and the restaurant have garnered national press for the way he combines traditional Japanese ingredients with the abundance of fresh local seafood available in Seattle. Kashiba trained in Japan and has been making sushi in Seattle since 1967.
Sitting at the sushi bar here is a treat, and may be your best bet on a busy night when all 17 tables are occupied – the spider rolls are the best in Seattle, and the chef’s choice sashimi options are always exquisite.

by: Scott Kessman

TOMO
(631) 724-1100
9 East Main Street
Smithtown, NY 11787

Tomo is your essential friendly neighborhood sushi restaurant, just the right size to instill a sense of casual comfort, while the attentive waitresses and sushi chefs cater to your needs with bright smiles. The décor is subtle, light wood paneling with hints of Japanese design accented by a bamboo umbrella that extends itself into the ceiling, and Japanese lanterns adorning the walls. Typical of most sushi restaurants, Tomo serves a wide array of sashimi and maki, along with daily specials and larger sushi entrees that include miso soup, an essential dish at all Japanese eateries. Also typical of many sushi restaurants on Long Island, Tomo’s menu includes and extensive list of Japanese appetizers, such as gyoza, yakitori, sunomono, and much more, as well as a variety of Asian soups and salads. Non-sushi entrees include Japanese noodle and vegetable dishes, and a number of delicious teriyaki or tempura dishes, along with a few extras. In fact, the menu is quite large considering Tomo’s small size, and even if you’re the sort who will never deign to let raw fish touch your lips, you can be certain that Tomo will have many other dishes that are sure to satisfy.