Sushi Lovers Unite! blog

Children’s Day

Benihana is celebrating Children’s Day on Tuesday May 5th, 2009. Bring your entire family to Benihana for this traditional Japanese holiday and let your child help a child in need. All of the proceeds from the sale of Benihana’s children’s meals on Tuesday, May 5th will be donated to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®.

CHILDREN’S DAY DRAWING CONTEST

Plus, your child (grades K-6) can enter the Benihana Children’s Day Drawing Contest, Children Helping Children.

Beginning April 23rd, entry forms will be available online at Benihana.com and at your local restaurant*. Entry forms must be filled out completely and include the student’s name, address, phone number with area code, grade, a parent or guardian’s email and date of birth including year. Then bring your drawing representing the theme Children Helping Children to your favorite Benihana location* no later than May 31, 2009. Two winning entries will be selected and posted at each restaurant.

1st Prize – Dinner for eight at the Benihana of your choice*.
2nd Prize – Dinner for four at the Benihana of your choice*.
*Available at participating locations only. Click HERE for complete list of participating locations.

Sorry sushi lovers, but I have to reschedule the Sushi Lovers Unite! gathering at Takamatsu in Chandler. I will post details on the new date and time later in the month.

Today’s Sushi Lover-Boy is Muamer Habul, originally from Bosnia and currently the General Manager at Roka Akor Sushi and Robata Grill  in Scottsdale,  Arizona.  www.rokaakor.com               
 
How long ago did you begin eating sushi?
About 10 years ago                                
 
How were you introduced to sushi?
My wife took me to sushi Doraku in Miami Beach. She started me off with some Hamachi Cheeks  but then sneaked in some o-Toro. Did not have a problem with her being so “Sneaky”
  
Did you like sushi the first time you tried it? Loved it               
 
How often do you eat sushi?    Several times per week        How often would you like to eat sushi? Each meal
 
What is your favorite (or favorites) sushi? Belly tuna cuts, Wagyu, Uni, Hotate, Ebi, Ikura…. And on and on
 
 What is your favorite sushi restaurant?  Why?
Certainly Roka Akor in Scottsdale ( restaurant I work at ) for I do know what is brought in and how  well it is taken care of. I do like SeaSaw, I had some good Sushi at Nobu Miami, Sushi Rock (South Beach) …
 
What is your most memorable sushi experience? First time I dined at Roka Akor ( did not work here then, but came in for my birthday dinner). We had 11 course tasting menu that was a festival of flavors. I ended up working for the restaurant all because of that dinner. So you could say that that experience laterally changed my life!!!
 
Where is the most unusual or exotic place/city you’ve eaten sushi? I had it on one of the beaches of San Diego. Friend of mine is a fisherman ( completely mad about fishing) and he caught some Yalow Jack that we had right there on the beach. With just a little of soy, daikon and ginger.
 
Have you converted/introduced anyone to sushi? How many people? Quite a few. I am originally from Bosnia  and most people there do not eat raw stuff.  Each of my friends has at one point had some butterfish or beef tataki or Hamachi or mebachi that has managed to steal their breath away.
  
Yes or No (comments welcome) – do you enjoy:                     
Nigiri sushi (slice of fish over rice) yes    
Maki (roll) sushi yes
Tamaki (handroll) sushi yes
Chirashi (sashimi over a bowl of rice) love chirashi
Sashimi (slices of fish – no rice) love it
Miso soup – love good aka dashi
Edamame - yes

I send a warm welcome to the latest restaurant member of Sushi Lover Unite’s Miso Hungry Club. Get a free miso soup on the house at Takamatsu of Chandler with a $10 minimum order when you present this Miso Hungry Club online coupon.

Takamatsu offers sushi, Korean Barbecue , Japanese and other Asian dishes, and all-you-can-eat sushi for $19.95. At my last visit, Richard the manager presented this special tuna tataki sashimi in creamy sauce with thin noodles, aptly named “Screaming Orgasm.”  No comment necessary.

Screaming Organism Tuna Sashimi

As much as I am a sushi lover, I had to try the Korean barbecue, and I must say it was yummy. The meat was tender and juicy, and the sauce was just right. Ummm.

Korean beef barbecue

And for an awesome dessert, I treated myself to the tempura ice cream.

Tempura Ice Cream

Absolutely delicious!  So stop by, present your coupon, and enjoy a free cup of miso along with some good food. Be sure to tell the restaurant MakiMom sent you!

This restaurant profile was graciously submitted by Sushi Lover Nicole. Thanks Nicole!

Cherryblossom Noodle Café is located at 914 E Camelback Road, Phoenix, Arizona 85014. www.cherryblossom-az.com.

If you are ever in the 10^thstreet and Camelback area I suggest stopping by Cherryblossom Noodle Café.  Their menu ranges from sushi rolls, rice dishes, noodles, and even Italian!

 Recently I stopped in for lunch with MakiMom, Sushi Lover David and Sushi Lover Krystal.  We each had something a little different and it all was pretty good and reasonably priced ($80 for all four of us).

MakiMom ordered Unajyu ($10.50), which is grilled Teriyaki Fresh Water Eel over rice, and also an order of yellowtail sashimi.  I could not get myself to try the sashimi - yes I know I am a wimp but come on it’s like 2 inches of fish…and that’s it!  One day I will be able to but for now I cannot get over the texture.

Unajyu - Eel over Rice

Yellowtail Sashimi

Krystal had Yakiniku ($11.00), which was amazing! It is Korean style spicy thin sliced beef and veggies.  It even had a little “kick” to it. Big Baller David of course ordered 5 maki sushi rolls: the Alaskan roll (which was nothing special), the Philly roll, two Spicy Tuna rolls (which were definitely lacking in the spicy area), and a Spicy Salmon roll.   Cherryblossom’s roll menu is small but it ranges from $4.50 to $9.00 and the portions are pretty nice. 

Yakiniku

 I had the lunch special for $10.00. You start off with a side ginger salad–their dressing is the best ginger dressing I can find anywhere right now–followed by a Shrimp Tempura roll and your choice of another roll. I had the Crunchy roll.  The Crunchy roll is crab, cucumber, sweet sauce, with little tempura flakes on the outside, hence it’s name, and I cannot get enough of it.

Sushi Lunch Combo

Overall lunch was great. The only real complaints were that the spicy rolls were not very spicy.  If you want to try something spicy I suggest the Kamikaze roll at Ichiban on Central and Thomas —too bad the prices  there are so high or else we would be able to visit more.

Looking forward to our next luncheon. xx Nicole

From MakiMom - I’m sad to report that Ten Asian Fusion closed its doors this past Sunday. Let’s hope it’s temporary. See announcement below.

Dear Guests of Ten,

After 3 years of business in Cave Creek, we regretfully have to close our doors. This coming Sunday, April 19th, will be our last evening of service. We sincerely value your patronage over the years.

As true optimists, we are hopeful that the restaurant will open again in the near future. We will keep you updated of any potential reopening date.

 I thought I’d share with you this video of my young sushi apprentices being trained in the art of eating sushi with chopsticks. Okay so the chopsticks have training wheels, but that’s o.k. I predict they will be sushi chopstick masters in no time. If not, I’ll refer them to my blog post “It’s okay to eat sushi with your hands.” Enjoy the video!

Still trying new sushi every chance I get, I am happy to recommend the “Brothers Roll” at Ichi Ban restaurant in Central Phoenix. Perfect for eel lovers, it features eel on the inside and on top. Yummy!

GET FREE MISO SOUP AT ICHI BAN

Ichi Ban is one of the growing number of patrons of Sushi Lovers Unite’s MISO HUNGRY CLUB, which are restaurants offering Sushi Lover Unite! readers free miso soup or edamame with a purchase of $10 or more. Dowload and print the online coupon here and check out the “Miso Hungry Club” page at the top of the blog for a list of restaurant offers. Ichi Ban is located at 2815 North Central Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85004, 602.277.3559.

Today’s Sushi Lover-Girl is Barbara, a graduate student in Portland Oregon.

How long ago did you begin eating sushi? 5 years ago

How were you introduced to sushi? One of my friends invited my daughter and myself for her birthday.

Did you like sushi the first time you tried it? Yes.

How often do you eat sushi?   2 or 3 times a week     How often would you like to eat sushi? 3 or 4 times a week

What is your favorite (or favorites) sushi? Yellowtail and tuna roll

What is your favorite sushi restaurant?  SushiLand.  I like it because they have a conveyor belt.

What is your most memorable sushi experience?  I went to Lincoln City, Oregon and ate at a Japanese restaurant and they had some very good sushi rolls and they were very fresh.

Where is the most unusual or exotic place/city you’ve eaten sushi? Portland, Oregon

Have you converted/introduced anyone to sushi? How many people? Yes, Probably around 20.

Yes or No (comments welcome) – do you enjoy:               

Nigiri sushi (slice of fish over rice) yes.

Maki (roll) sushi yes

Temaki (handroll) sushi yes

Chirashi (sashimi over a bowl of rice) yes

Sashimi (slices of fish – no rice) yes

Cooked sushi only – nothing raw -no

            Miso soup – yes

            Edamame - yes