new Japanese restaurant in Squirrel Hill
Since coming home from Pennsic I've noticed a new restaurant on my way to and from services on Shabbat. The restaurant is Sakura, on Forbes near Shady, and is where Hunan Kitchen used to be (which is where Zen Garden was before that, Ze'eb's before that, and Sweet Basil before that -- it's an unlucky location for staying power). Choir practice ended early tonight, so Dani and I checked it out.
I had the regular (non-deluxe) sushi platter, and Dani had hibachi beef. Dani liked the beef, which came with vegetables, rice with stuff in it (not plain white rice but more like fried rice), and two different dipping sauces for the meat. The sushi was very good; the fish was quite fresh, the portions were generous, and the rice had the right amount of cohesion while still maintaining a nice texture. (In other words, it neither fell apart nor was overcooked.) The presentation was also lovely, eight pieces of nigiri (?) sushi radiating out from a set of maki rolls in the center. There was almost enough pickled ginger -- which is to say, more than most people would expect or call reasonable. (I'm a ginger fiend.) Much to their credit, there was no stupid little plastic green thing that I suppose is supposed to suggest foliage but never does.
Both dinners came with the canonical salad (ginger dressing; no other options offered) and miso soup. The salad was pretty good; the soup tasted fine but didn't have as much tofu in it as I'm used to. The bowl was also smaller than normal, though not unreasonable.
Because we were, after all, in Squirrel Hill, I asked the waitress if the sushi chef understands the directive "kosher species only". (The one at Chaya does, which is why I thought to try.) She said she didn't think so and that she personally did not, but she'd be happy to help: what can't I eat? I started to answer but then asked if, instead, she could tell me what was on the platter. I also said that if this was too much trouble I would just order a la carte. She said no, she wanted to help me, and everything on the platter was fine anyway with no substitutions needed. (I don't think I've ever seen a platter that didn't come with shrimp before.) I suppose the mix might change from day to day, though, so I might just order a la carte next time. It's not that much more expensive.
The menu had what I've come to recognize as "all the usual Japanese entrees", along with some chef's specials that were unfamiliar (but all involved meat). They might be light on vegetarian dishes; I noticed an udon bowl and a veggie tempura. I didn't examine that part of the menu carefully, though, as I was interested in sushi.
One oddity: Dani ordered green tea and they brought him a pot. Toward the end of the meal we noticed a piece of string between the pot and lid. I hadn't expected a tea bag.
The prices seemed comparable to other local Japanese restaurants (a little lower than Chaya), but the sushi portions (at least) were appreciably bigger. (Half-again Chaya's, at least.) I suspect that prices will rise or portions will drop; I don't know if what we had tonight is sustainable. Even with Chaya-sized portions, though, this is well worth going back to. (They can also seat about three times as many people as Chaya, so there shouldn't be as many long waits.)
There were people at several other tables, and a large party in the back, but the restaurant was not noisy. Any music flew completely below my radar (no obnoxious muzak or too-loud radio). The place was well-lit but not harsh. A sign in their window indicates that they have applied for a liquor license.
They have been open since the beginning of August. I plan to return.
I had the regular (non-deluxe) sushi platter, and Dani had hibachi beef. Dani liked the beef, which came with vegetables, rice with stuff in it (not plain white rice but more like fried rice), and two different dipping sauces for the meat. The sushi was very good; the fish was quite fresh, the portions were generous, and the rice had the right amount of cohesion while still maintaining a nice texture. (In other words, it neither fell apart nor was overcooked.) The presentation was also lovely, eight pieces of nigiri (?) sushi radiating out from a set of maki rolls in the center. There was almost enough pickled ginger -- which is to say, more than most people would expect or call reasonable. (I'm a ginger fiend.) Much to their credit, there was no stupid little plastic green thing that I suppose is supposed to suggest foliage but never does.
Both dinners came with the canonical salad (ginger dressing; no other options offered) and miso soup. The salad was pretty good; the soup tasted fine but didn't have as much tofu in it as I'm used to. The bowl was also smaller than normal, though not unreasonable.
Because we were, after all, in Squirrel Hill, I asked the waitress if the sushi chef understands the directive "kosher species only". (The one at Chaya does, which is why I thought to try.) She said she didn't think so and that she personally did not, but she'd be happy to help: what can't I eat? I started to answer but then asked if, instead, she could tell me what was on the platter. I also said that if this was too much trouble I would just order a la carte. She said no, she wanted to help me, and everything on the platter was fine anyway with no substitutions needed. (I don't think I've ever seen a platter that didn't come with shrimp before.) I suppose the mix might change from day to day, though, so I might just order a la carte next time. It's not that much more expensive.
The menu had what I've come to recognize as "all the usual Japanese entrees", along with some chef's specials that were unfamiliar (but all involved meat). They might be light on vegetarian dishes; I noticed an udon bowl and a veggie tempura. I didn't examine that part of the menu carefully, though, as I was interested in sushi.
One oddity: Dani ordered green tea and they brought him a pot. Toward the end of the meal we noticed a piece of string between the pot and lid. I hadn't expected a tea bag.
The prices seemed comparable to other local Japanese restaurants (a little lower than Chaya), but the sushi portions (at least) were appreciably bigger. (Half-again Chaya's, at least.) I suspect that prices will rise or portions will drop; I don't know if what we had tonight is sustainable. Even with Chaya-sized portions, though, this is well worth going back to. (They can also seat about three times as many people as Chaya, so there shouldn't be as many long waits.)
There were people at several other tables, and a large party in the back, but the restaurant was not noisy. Any music flew completely below my radar (no obnoxious muzak or too-loud radio). The place was well-lit but not harsh. A sign in their window indicates that they have applied for a liquor license.
They have been open since the beginning of August. I plan to return.