by Elizabeth Slonim Macanufo
SEKISUI
3024 South Grand Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63118
Diners at Sekisui are treated to one of the most unique features in all of St. Louis restaurants – a calming waterfall dividing the restaurant into two parts. The waterfall forms an open and relaxing atmosphere for sushi lovers to enjoy chef Kenji Nemoto’s creations. Chef Nemoto is notorious for his devotion to St. Louis Cardinal’s player So Taguchi, and has created a Cardinals Roll (smelt roe avocado, smoked salmon, cream cheese, and cucumber) in his honor. Sekisui’s menu includes a section of “Chef Kenji’s Specialties,” listing varieties of Sashimi Salad to squid and octopus with miso sauce. Chef Nemoto is known to wander among his diners, inquiring as to how they’re enjoying his rolls. The answers are inevitably positive.

by Magda Nakassis
Kaz Sushi Bistro
1915 I Street NW, Washington, DC 20006

Kaz Okochi was head chef at Sushi-Ko for 10 years before starting up his own restaurant, Kaz Sushi Bistro. At this I Street eatery—bustling with World Bank employees at lunch and Washington foodies at dinner—Chef Okochi offers his unique blend of “Free Style Japanese Cuisine.” More than just your traditional Japanese fare, the sushi at Kaz’s bring Western ingredients and techniques to the table in an “east meets west” menu that has won over nearly every DC food critic. This is the place for adventurous sushi fans who demand top-quality fish, presentation, and sake selection.

by Steve Goodman

Matsuri
5759 Bird Road
Miami, FL 33155
Matsuri is a little off the beaten path, however most gems are little hard to find. But, don’t worry you won’t need a treasure map to guide you to one of the best Japanese Restaurants in the area, if the large crowd of Miami’s Japanese Americans you find dinning there every evening does not convince you of that, the tempura and sushi certainly will. While Matsuri does not have the trendy flair of its South Beach cousins, locals swear it offers the freshest sushi and sashimi you can find, and you can dine in a casual, family friendly atmosphere. So for good fresh sushi, and other scrumptious Japanese fair that is tempting on your palate and easy on your wallet, leave the beach and “go west young man” (and take the wife and kids too!)