Favorite
The restaurant is patterned after the informal taverns in Japan where people stop for a snack and sake, or beer. Some dishes could be described as small plates: small bowls of seaweed in vinegar; fish cakes with wasabi; cold tofu; and mushrooms and grated daikon. There’s an extensive menu of rice, noodle, and grilled or fried dishes. Sashimi is on Read more...
Favorite
Urban-Japanese food with other Asian and Western influences modestly priced. There’s sushi, traditional first courses, main dishes, and salads. Worth trying is Toco Sunomono, a fresh steamed octopus served with Japanese cucumber and sea kelp. In main dishes, try the tangy, hot spicy udon beef soup or the tonkatsu, crisp breaded pork cutlets. L & D daily. H. Read more...
Favorite
Sushi lovers know Eddie Bautista and Noel Cabrera from their years with the Little Tree Sushi Bar and Katana in Royal Oak. Now they have their own small, personal restaurant in a nicely refurbished space in a Madison Heights strip mall. In addition to sushi, they offer noodle and rice dishes in a soothing caramel-and-brown setting. Patrons choose from two Read more...
Favorite
Though sushi and a small selection of Japanese entrees share the bill here, it’s Korean food at center stage – or more literally, on the barbecue grills set into the tops of most tables, on which meat and seafood are grilled to order. Of the choices cooked this way, of special note are the traditional beef dishes kalbi and bulgogi. Read more...
Favorite
The simple, high-ceilinged room is in a modest shopping strip not far from Ikea, and, like Ikea, it has an affordable menu. Options include sushi and sashimi, noodle dishes and rice bowls, as well as teriyaki and tempura dishes. The proprietor is Fari (Mako) Sanatgar, formerly of Cherry Blossom. L & D daily. Read more...
Favorite
Serving very traditional Japanese food in a stunningly contemporary setting, this special place has a glow from ceiling to tableware, edamame to shabu shabu, a single pristine piece of yellowtail sashimi to a sushi dinner that looks like nothing less than the best tray in a fine jewelry cabinet. There are touches of the exotic in such things as sake Read more...
Favorite
The semi-circular sushi bar is the central core of this authentic restaurant that’s a spinoff of the original in Ann Arbor. Veteran sushi chef Bobby Suzuki has a loyal following in West Bloomfield for his precise nigiri and rolls. There are also traditional tatami rooms and conventional seatng for Japanese noodle, teriyaki, katsu, and yakitori dishes from the kitchen at Read more...
Favorite
It’s not bad being the next-door neighbor of the DIA, and that’s where this Asian restaurant is located in the Park Shelton, the very building where Diego Rivera lived while working on his murals. A sushi bar and a full Korean/Japanese menu, including many of the favorite dishes from both countries, give the Midtown neighborhood an interesting choice. L & Read more...
Favorite
Refreshing pre-meal hot towels, perfectly crisp little salads, miso soup garnished with the tiniest dice of tofu, sashimi and sushi served from a glitteringly clean bar, oversize bowls of soba or udon noodles, and all the familiar – and some not-so-familiar – entrees, every bit of them shown in mouth-watering photographs on the menu, combine to make this spot special. Read more...
Favorite
Slurping Turtle: The second Slurping Turtle (the first is in Chicago) marks the return of Takashi Yagihashi – the former executive chef at the gone but not forgotten Tribute. This fun, casual ramen restaurant in downtown Ann Arbor has contemporary, clean dining areas with communal tables and traditional seating. There are plenty of dishes for sharing such as hamachi tacos Read more...
Favorite
A woodsy contemporary setting and expertly prepared sushi and sashimi make this Royal Oak corner a popular spot. The menu of expertly made sushi, ranging from spicy tuna rolls to yellowtail and salmon eggs and well beyond, is augmented by a concise menu of cooked fare. The room is broken up into sections by cedar columns and stands of live Read more...
Favorite
Longtime restaurateur Jay Park calls this spot an izakaya-style restaurant, the Japanese equivalent of an American pub. It includes an extensive menu of Asian dishes, from noodle soups and pan-fried dumpling to yakitori, tempura, and sushi at a bar with comfortable high-backed chairs. The menus are especially helpful, because explanations accompany each listing. L & D daily. Read more...
Favorite
For more than 10 years, this Japanese/Korean spot has kept its prices unchanged, resulting in one of the finest deals around – a bento box for two that includes house salad, seaweed salad, miso soup, edamame, sushi or sashimi, California roll, dumplings, shrimp and vegetable tempura, chicken or beef teriyaki, salmon teriyaki and ice cream, for $30. The sushi is Read more...
