Restaurant Blog - Chowbaby.com

by Tracy Rose

MON JIN LAU RESTAURANT
1515 E. Maple Rd Troy, MI 48083
(248)689-2332
Mon Jin Lau is a fine dining Chinese restaurant. The tables are lined with white linen, but the atmosphere is trendy with modern décor. One reason customers fall in love with Mon Jin Lau is their Nu Asian choices. They are home to many less common Chinese dishes. The food is delicate, yet filling. A few of their specialty sushi rolls include: the rainbow roll, dragon roll, spicy fish roll and special eel roll with seasoned seaweed. Their more traditional sushi choices are salmon, octopus, squid, sweet tofu and tuna rolls.

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by Erin Blakemore

SONODA’S SUSHI AND SEAFOOD
1620 Market St, Denver, CO 80202
(303) 595-9500

Cradled in Denver’s hot LoDo district, Sonoda’s might seem as far from Japan as you can get.  But the minute you go downstairs into the narrow restaurant, you’ll feel immersed in a low-key, authentic Japanese eating experience.  Owner Kenny Sonoda has collaborated with a staff of expert sushi chefs to create a menu that highlights the best of sushi with no shortage of choice hot dishes, such as the superb nabeyaki udon and yakitori chicken.  The sushi is selected daily from a selection imported from both coasts, with sushi chefs selecting only the freshest cuts.  However handpicked the fish, prices remain reasonable for a sushi restaurant.  The notable list of nigiri offers a traditional take on kaki (oyster), tako (octopus), or tamer fishes such as fatty tuna and salmon. 

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by Barrett Brown

Kampai Sushi & Grill
4995 Addison Circle
Addison, Texas 75248
972-490-8888

Catering mostly to hip North Dallas professionals, Kampai seems to stake its success on the sheer improbability of its signature dishes, as well as the more subtle variances on everything else. Moderately unusual items like the paisley roll and crab meat-based volcano roll are made more exotic by virtue of being served not only with wasabi, but also jicama slaw, and the grand slam of gastronomic surprises comes in the form of the “Crawfish Dynamite,” a jambalaya-type dish that melds the culinary contributions of the Japanese and Cajuns. Meanwhile, a retinue of daily specials ensure further levels of intrigue.

by Diane Bobis

OYSY
888 S. Michigan Ave., 60605, 312-922-1127
Additional locations at:
50 E. Grand Ave, 60611, 312-670-6750
315 Skokie Boulevard, Northbrook, 60062, 847-714-1188
If sushi cravings hit at lunchtime, head to this South Loop locale where $12 will buy you a bento box overfilled with spicy tuna maki, California maki, vegetable tempura and your choice of grilled salmon, superwhite tuna, chicken teriyaki or nigiri sushi. Considered the best value in the city, Oysy beautifully balances super fresh sushi and izagaya (traditional Japanese cuisine) offerings with reasonable price points. Here, unhurried diners are encouraged to share and sample many different dishes, and to enjoy each one by one. Be sure to start with the Flaming Dynamite, a spicy breaded seafood appetizer served on a fantastic flaming shell. Then move on to the special maki menu with favorites like the Emerald (sautéed scallop, asparagus and cucumber topped with spicy sauce and green caviar) and the Fire Cracker (a deep fried roll filled with shrimp, eel, avocado, cream cheese and jalapeno peppers). The minimalist chic atmosphere designed by Chicago architect Douglas Garofalo is the perfect place to sit back and enjoy a relaxing hot tea or a mood-boosting martini. The floor-to-ceiling windows offer a great view facing Grant Park.

By Cynthia Antoji

SAKURABANA,
57 Broad St., Boston, Mass. 02109
(617) 542-4311

Busy financial district workers already know about Sakurabana, tucked into the heart of downtown Boston. Sushi-to-go is the theme here, with an online ordering service (www.SakurabanaOnline.com) offering “fast and fresh sushi, delivered to your door.” You can also dine in the tiny restaurant, where the lunchtime crowd shows up as early as 11 a.m. For a quick and hardy meal with co-workers, start with a bowl of steaming miso soup (what else?), then dip into the sushi lunch ($11, tuna, salmon, shrimp, white fish, tekka and daily roll), or sashimi lunch ($12, tuna (salmon, mackerel, octopus, and white fish). Non-sushi eaters can choose from teriyaki and tempura box lunches and udon. For a less hectic, relaxing meal, go for a late dinner when the business suit crowd has thinned out.