Category Archives: Japanese

Boku Sushi & Grill

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Menu
Menu
Menu
Menu
Interior
Interior
Jalapeño hamachi
Jalapeño hamachi
Menu
Menu
Menu
Menu
Sashimi lunch
Sashimi lunch

***** (5 stars)

Boku serves excellent quality sushi and sashimi in elegant surroundings. It's tucked into the corner of its complex, next to the parking garage and behind the Starbucks.

The decor is a welcoming mixture of interesting textures and colors, a combination of wood, tile, and stone. I like that each table along the windows has its own unique lighting treatment.

The extensive dinner menu is supplemented by a lunch menu and daily specials. I started with the Jalapeno Hamachi, which was the best version of this appetizer I've had.

For my lunch I had the sashimi lunch with all fish, as I don't care for the clam, squid, or octopus selections that are often included in such samplers. I loved all of the fish, and the presentation was beautiful, and included plenty of shiso leaves, which are like catnip to me.

Service was friendly and the food was delivered quickly, so a good choice for lunch indeed.

Boku Sushi & Grill
140 Independence Ln
Maitland, FL 32751

https://www.yelp.com/biz/boku-sushi-and-grill-maitland

Yamato Japanese Restaurant

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Interior
Exterior

**** (4 stars)

This is a small restaurant in a strip mall. The sushi is well-prepared, and there were an interesting assortment of specials including kanpachi (amber jack), my favorite. We also tried the tempura, which was nice and light. Service was friendly.

Yamato Japanese Restaurant
1741 W Grand AveSte E
Grover Beach, CA
93433
(805) 481-3986
https://www.yelp.com/biz/yamato-japanese-restaurant-grover-beach

Tomodachi Restaurant

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Exterior
Interior

**** (4 stars)

This is an excellent choice for a neighborhood sushi restaurant, as evidenced by its popularity. The quality and variety of the fish is excellent. Just be aware that portions are very large, so don’t over-order like we did. For example, an order of salmon sashimi included eight pieces! Service is on a tag team basis, and worked very well.

Tomodachi Restaurant
2779 Agoura Rd
Westlake Village, CA
91361
(805) 777-7578
https://www.yelp.com/biz/tomodachi-restaurant-westlake-village

Hokkaido Chinese and Japanese Buffet

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Buffets

Exterior

Dining room

Sushi

*** (3.5 stars)

I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of this buffet. There’s an extensive selection of Chinese foods, and they are kept fresh, so the flavors and crispness are about as good as you would get by ordering off a menu. There’s even a lot of shellfish. But the real highlight is the sushi buffet, which is the largest I’ve seen. The quality and freshness are amazingly good.

The price is very reasonable given the quality and location.

Hokkaido Chinese and Japanese Buffet
12173 S Apopka Vineland Rd
Orlando, FL
32836
(407) 778-5188
https://www.yelp.com/biz/hokkaido-chinese-and-japanese-buffet-orlando-2

SUSHISAMBA – Las Vegas

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El Topo

Peruvian sea scallops

Kanpachi, yellowtail and yellowtail ceviche

Pumpkin spice old fashioned for Thanksgiving!

Interior

**** (4 stars)

Very good sushi with a slight Peruvian spin, such as the sauces used for the sashimi preparations. Fish quality was good, and service was friendly. Chill vibe.

SUSHISAMBA – Las Vegas
3327 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV
89109
(702) 607-0700
https://www.yelp.com/biz/sushisamba-las-vegas-las-vegas

SUSHISAMBA – Las Vegas

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El Topo

Peruvian sea scallops

Kanpachi, yellowtail and yellowtail ceviche

Pumpkin spice old fashioned for Thanksgiving!

Interior

**** (4 stars)

Very good sushi with a slight Peruvian spin, such as the sauces used for the sashimi preparations. Fish quality was good, and service was friendly. Chill vibe.

SUSHISAMBA – Las Vegas
3327 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV
89109
(702) 607-0700
https://www.yelp.com/biz/sushisamba-las-vegas-las-vegas

Deep Blue

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Interior

Menu

Chirashi bowl

**** (4 stars)

This place has surprisingly decent sushi for an airport. The interior decor is pleasant; and it’s arranged into two bars, one where the emphasis is drinking, the other for dining. There are also some tables. And of course the mandatory televisions.

All the sushi we had was good, if not cheap (it is, after all, an airport). Be warned, though, that the crudos don’t really match their descriptions (shishito peppers became jalapenos, ingredients were missing) and the ones we tried were both topped with unmentioned olive oil.

Service is pleasant but leisurely, so this is a good choice if you have plenty of time.

Deep Blue
John F Kennedy International Airport
Terminal 5
Jamaica, NY 11464
(866) 508-3558
https://www.yelp.com/biz/deep-blue-jamaica

Samurai Blue Sushi & Sake Bar

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Interior

Sashimi bento box

**** (4 stars)

This is a very cool space for an experience a bit different from the rest of Ybor City. The towering brick walls and exposed wooden rafters create a surprisingly pleasant ambiance for decent sushi. The lunch bento boxes are a good deal, and the sushi is good, if not particularly inspired. Service was pleasant.

Samurai Blue Sushi & Sake Bar
1600 E 8th Ave
Ste C208
Tampa, FL 33605
(813) 242-6688
https://www.yelp.com/biz/samurai-blue-sushi-and-sake-bar-tampa-2

Yamashiro Hollywood

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Samurai roll

Truffle hamachi

Scallop ceviche

Yellowtail and Serrano pepper sashimi

Courtyard

View

Entry

*** (3 stars)

Yamashiro is one of the neatest, most magical spaces in LA. I’ve been coming here for decades for the spectacular view, and the tranquil Japanese courtyard in the center of the building. On each visit, I am amazed at what a great spot it is, and equally amazed that the food never lives up to the promise of the location.

On this visit they were out of: sparkling water, 9 out of ten types of sparkling wine on their wine list, one type of chicken, and Kirin beer. I was beginning to suspect we’d wandered into Monty Python’s cheese shop.

But they did have (nearly) all of the fish on their sashimi menu, and we tried most of them. They were all fine–okay fish quality, and good sauces. Maybe it’s just that we’d been to Sugarfish for lunch the day before, but this sushi was not remarkable, just serviceable.

Our waitress was nice, although totally unfamiliar with the wine list, and seemed a bit shaky on the food, too. Maybe the focus of the business is on selling the fishbowl-sized fruit drinks; they were certainly doing a lot of that.

Still, I’ll no doubt go back. I always do. There’s no place quite like it.

Yamashiro Hollywood
1999 N Sycamore Ave
Hollywood, CA 90068
(323) 466-5125
https://www.yelp.com/biz/yamashiro-hollywood-hollywood