Sushi

Over the last few years, my partner and I set out to sample a variety of St. Louis sushi in hopes of discovering new gems and reaffirming why we love our old favorites such as Sekisui on Grand. Other than Sekisui, my primary sushi experience has been SanSai Japanese Grill in Webster Groves. Because my chiropractor has an office nearby, it has become a convenient fast food way of eating sushi. I usually stop by and order the sushi and sashimi platters to go. With the platters comes a pretty decent variety of salads, one with slaw and almonds, another with mixed greens and mandarin oranges. The sushi is good, not always melt in your mouth good but adequate for the price. They serve a classic California roll and a vegetable tempura this is crispy enough to hold up for the ride home. You can also buy a small bottle of sake to take home and complete the experience.
In another review, I covered our experience with Sekisui Pacific Rim in Clayton. As a follow-up, we went there for Tuesday night; all you can eat sushi which is $25. We went with two friends who are experienced with sushi rolls but never had nigiri or sashimi. We ended up ordering a nice array, trying the tempura, spicy crab rolls, Philly rolls, and more.
But for me the classic sushi, particularly the salmon was the highlight of the evening as it absolutely melted in your mouth. The smoked eel was very good. We tried the conch which was a tad chewy but pretty good as well. We also enjoyed a sake flight which was a much better choice than wine from our last visit. You receive four substantial portions of sake which include a very nice dry one, a cloudy one with the flavor of anise, a sweet sake, and a plum dessert wine.
The original order of tempura is huge and they probably are trying to fill you up on something less expensive. But we persevered and kept on eating. Ordering sashimi is not an option and you are instructed to not order more than you can eat. All in all, for the price, it is an excellent way to sample a variety of sushi or possible just gorge yourself on salmon all night.
A recent visit to Wasabi on Washington revealed that there is no limit to the variety of sushi rolls that an inventive chef can create. We found a great variety that didn't even include rice but instead were wrapped in a thin rice paper. This place demands many follow-up visits to sample even more rolls.

A first time experience was the Drunken Fish in the Central West End. The primary pull here was the outdoor dining and recent city ordinance that allows you to bring your dog. The sushi was very good, the drink menu offered a nice selection of martinis and you just can’t beat the ambience. Another West End experience was Sub Zero. This place is all about the vodka, with the frozen bar and perfect temperature vodkas; it is an awesome experience on a hot summers day. We have made a couple visits to a third area place on Lindell and it ranks as average. Back to Clayton, we tried Miso and found it good but over priced. Tokyo Sushi on Lindbergh is a pleasant surprise in south county. I thought it was good after a first visit but upon returning, I enjoyed tuna that was so buttery it literally melted in my mouth. I will be back for more. Tachiabana on Olive was very good but not convenient for us city dwellers. We went on a gift certificate and were pleasantly surprised.

Sekisui Pacific Rim in Clayton

I love making five PM reservations at trendy places because no one else does. Saturday evening, we did just that and headed out to Clayton to enjoy some sushi and Pacific Rim inspired food. We had our choice of seating and picked one of the two tables between the huge water feature and a nice window view of Forsyth. I continue to see this particular water feature in sushi joints. There is a hug piece of textured glass and water runs down one or both sides into a trough below, a simple but elegant addition to each restaurant.
We took a look at the menu and saw the usual good stuff as well as a few interesting items such as conch salad.
My eyes always search for sashimi as I really feel that rice just gets in the way of good sushi. The rolls are fine as an appetizer or dessert but give me fish. Luckily, we found the perfect fit on the small paper menu, a 16 piece sashimi combo, chef’s choice. As an appetizer, we chose a nice mix of vegetable tempura and the dumplings in a sweet fruit sauce. Both were served with teriyaki sauce and were very tasty. The wine list was average and we mistakenly chose a pinot noir rather than sake. Most of the sakes were really pricey but nothing goes as well with sushi and the pinot was nothing special. The sashimi however, was very tender and flavorful. Even the octopus, which is often chewy, was nearly melt in your mouth good. For dessert, we opted for an order of Philly rolls and finally indulged ourselves in a little rice. All in all, this place has a great menu, great ambience, and we will be back.

Pho Grand and Lemongrass

My partner and I have sort of an odd tradition. We always eat Vietnamese food after we have our taxes done by a professional. If there is link, besides the location, it is the idea of eating such a tremendous meal for so little money. Pho Grand is the place that fills that bill. It is an immensely popular place and if you go there any time other than a cold night in February, there is usually a wait. She always gets the same thing, which I always must sample and that is a dish of scallops in a spicy coconut/curry sauce. It is not painfully spicy and fills you up with the warmth. I am more interested in trying a variety off their very extensive menu. This last visit, I had vegetables, noodles and a seafood mix. This dish was not spicy but I had several condiments available to add that extra zing. My favorite condiment is the fish hosein sauce. The seafood in this bowl was very tender, even the calamari was wonderful. There is so much more at Pho Grand to experience, the spring roll appetizers, the green tea dessert, and the seafood pancakes. I will update this review as I expand my experiences there.

Lemongrass used to be a very inexpensive hole in the wall Vietnamese restaurant on South Grand. Now it has moved to a much nicer location, just down the street. The food is as good as it always was and the prices didn’t skyrocket. It provides an interesting neighbor to Pho Grand, less than a block away. The primary difference is that there are a multitude of menu offerings that are enhanced with the flavor of lemongrass. Other than that, I find the two restaurants comparable and each has its devoted fans.

Sekisui

Sekisui was the location of my first sushi experience and as with love, there is nothing like the first time. I had been resistant to the concept of raw fish, especially after ordering a rare tuna once that I could barely stomach. But some friends talked me into trying sushi and they served as expert guides. I left that first dinner with what can be only termed a brain buzz. I felt more alert, more alive, more awake, even after a couple cups of sake. I never equaled that experience again but there was something very powerful there. What was even more amazing was that I loved it and had become an absolute sushi addict. Since then, I have tried sushi in some wonderful places like Berlin, Germany and some adequate places like sushi fast food in Webster Groves but nothing is any better than Seksui.
When I say sushi, I mean the real deal, not just he rolls. Though I do like a number of the rolls that they offer at Sekisui including the St. Louis roll with crab and eel, the Philly roll with crab and avocado, and their Cardinal roll which i ncludes smoked salmon and roe. But my favorite is the sushi sampler platter. I also learned how much I like to order sushimi, which is sushi without the rice. Really the rice is just there to help you fill up since sushi is so expensive. If I were fabulously rich, I would skip the rice entirely. The tuna is often the best you will find anywhere, as is the salmon. My favorite is the smoked eel which is sometimes so melt in your mouth good that you think you have just eaten chocolate.

As a side, the best thing is the variety of vegetable tempura. The tempura has just the right crispiness and sweet potato is the best. I have enjoyed nearly everything I have tried off the menu but at the end of the day, I am there for one thing, sushi. So what are you waiting for, falling in love with sushi is almost like falling in love.