Twin Cities Restaurant Blog

Crave ~ Mall of America, Edina, and St Louis Park, MN

Cuisine: American, Sushi, Seafood, Steaks, Pasta
Restaurant Features: Bar, Happy Hour
Locations: Mall of America, Edina (Galleria), St Louis Park (Shops at West End)

Addresses & Maps:

Mall of America- 368 South Avenue Bloomington, MN 55425 952.854.5000 (3rd Floor Across from Macy's)

Edina- 520 W. 70th Street Edina, MN 55435  952.697.6000

St Louis Park-1603 West End Blvd. St. Louis Park, MN 55416 952.933.6500

Hours: MOA- Lunch 11a-4p  Dinner M-Sa 4p-10p Sun 4p-8p

Edina- Lunch 11a-4p  Dinner M-Th 4-10p Fri-Sat 4-11p Sun 4-9p

St Louis Park- Lunch 11a-4p  Dinner M-Th 4-10p Fri-Sat 4-11p Sun 4-9p

Links: Crave Website  OpenTable Reservation

Atmosphere: The Mall of America location of Crave is on the 3rd floor of South Ave, across from Macy's.  The restaurant is large and spacious, with a large bar off to the left side near the entrance and a sushi bar centrally placed along the wall in the middle of the main dining room.  Although the majority of seating is at tables throughout the dining room, there are also several high-backed booths that allow for more privacy.  The lighting is dim and romantic, with mood lighting created by the illuminated art behind the sushi bar and the softly glowing candles at each table.

The kitchen is open along the back of the restaurant, with subtle views of the place where the chefs work their magic.  The lighting from the kitchen also gives the nearby tables a soft glow.

Menu: The menu changes seasonally and features natural, organic and locally grown ingredients.  All beef is certified beef.

Appetizers on the new Fall Menu at Crave include Calamari, Chicken Satay, Lemon Garlic Wings, Pita & Spreads, Seared Scallops, Baked Crab & Artichoke Dip, Pesto Shrimp, Mini Burgers, Gingered Beef Eggrolls, Artisan Bread Basket, and Edamame.

Salads offered include Asian Noodle Salad, Atlantic Salmon, Steak Niçoise, Starter Crave Salad, Starter Caesar, Starter Roasted Beet & Walnut.  Soups include Hearty Tomato Pesto, Roasted Chicken & Wild Rice, and Leek & Potato.

Pizzas and Flatbreads at Crave are also quite popular.  Flatbread choices are the Roasted Chicken (with pesto, sun dried tomato and portobella mushrooms), Grape & Apple (with Amablu cheese and honey), Thai Chicken (a peanut sauce with cilantro, Asian cabbage and marinated cucumber), and the Napoleon (with garlic prosciutto). Pizzas include Pepperoni or Sausage, Margarita, Shaved Ribeye and the Chipotle BBQ Chicken.

Sandwiches on the dinner menu include Steak Sandwich, Ahi Tuna Steak and Crave Burger.

Pasta selections at Crave include Seas Scallop & Shrimp Fettuccine, Fettuccine & Roasted Mushrooms, Shrimp Scampi Al Fresco, Roasted Chicken and Penne, Baked Truffle Macaroni, Baked Cheese Penne, Spaghetti Pomodoro, and Ravioli Bolognese. Crave offers the option of a half-order of any of their pastas.

Crave has a nice selection of dinner entrees as well, such as the Grilled Petite Tender, Grilled Ribeye, Crab Crusted Filet Mignon, Tuscan New York Strip, Brined Pork Tenderloin, Chicken Stir-Fry, Crispy Half Chicken, Mango & Prawns, Grilled Ahi Tuna, Pistachio Crusted Salmon, Minnesota Walleye, Miso Glazed Sea Bass

The sushi selection at Crave is also pretty extensive.  Nigiri and Sashimi offerings include Crispy Rice Bars with Spicy Tuna, Scallops Poppers, Amaebi (sweet raw shrimp), Hamachi (yellowtail), Hirame (flounder), Hokki-Gai (surf clam), Maguro (red tuna), Mutsu (escolar), Sake (salmon), Suzuki (striped sea bass), Ebi (cooked shrimp), Unagi (cooked eel), Masago (smelt roe), Tako (octopus), Tobiko (flying fish roe), Wasabi Tobiko, and Seaweed Salad.

Maki Sushi offerings are the Tekka (tuna), Sake (salmon), Negihama (yellowtail and scallions), Unagi (cooked eel), Kappa (cucumber), Spicy Shrimp Cones, Chipotle Ocean Roll, Keilani;s Roll (shrimp tempuraavocado, wrapped with eel), Mexican Roll (yellowfin and escolar with avocado, cilantro,  jalapeños and spicy mayo), Number Nine (crunchy Spicy Tuna Roll), Dragon Wraps, Rainbow, Caterpillar, Spider, Veggie Roll, Tempura Roll, Spicy Tuna, California, Minnesota(cooked smoked walleye), Dynamite, Spicy Salmon, Crunchy Roll and Fire Roll.  There are alsoa  couple of sushi combos like the Sushi Sampler, Sushi Lunch Combo and Sashimi Lunch Combo.

Crave also has a delicious selection of desserts that changes seasonally.  The Fall desserts at Crave include Golden Raisin Bread Pudding, Key Lime Pie, Molten Chocolate Cake, Vanilla Bean Cheesecake, German Chocolate Cake, and Coconut White Cake.  The dessert menu also includes a variety of after-dinner drinks such as the Girl Scout Cookie and Buttery Bailey's, Ports and Dessert Wines, and hot cafe drinks.

Price guide: Appetizers $8-13 Salads $8-15 Pizza/Flatbreads $12-13 Pastas $14-24 Entrees $24-37 Nigiri/Sashimi $6-10/order  Sushi Rolls $7-19/order
Happy Hour Specials:

What we ordered: My companion and I started with a couple of the Crave specialty cocktails, the Cranberry Smash and the Blueberry Lemonade.  The Cranberry Smash was made with vodka, ginger ale, mint leaves and cranberry juice.  The Opulent vodka revved up the drink but it wasn't overly strong. The ginger ale gave it a pleasant sweetness that I wasn't expecting, but the cranberries were tart enough to counter the sweetness.  I loved that the cranberries were frozen into ice cubes and floated at the top.  The Blueberry Lemonade was also very good and slightly sweeter than the Cranberry drink.  Excellent blend of flavors.

 

The Pesto Shrimp appetizer came highly recommended by our server so we started with that.  What a great start to a great night of food! The sauteed tiger shrimps were served on little slices of crostini toast that had been topped with oven-dried tomato, and then the shrimp toast was covered with pistachio pesto.  The shrimp was perfectly cooked so it was tender and complimented the crunch of the toast.  The pesto sauce was creamy and rich, a perfect sauce to go with the shrimp.

 

The Panko-Crusted Scallops also sounded really good so we tried an order of those as well.  These scallops may have been some of the best I have ever eaten! The scallops were large and coated with a layer of panko bread crumbs before being seared to a golden brown in the pan. They were cooked so that the meat was tender enough to melt in your mouth, yet the panko and seared edges gave it a nice crunch.  The scallops were served with a dressy arrangement of picatta buerre blanc and fresh field greens.  The butter and capers added the perfect touch of saltiness to compliment the sweetness of the scallop meat.

 

Sushi Chef Tony Lam brought us a special sampler platter that included a Mexican roll, ceviche, flying fish roe with quail egg wrapped in salmon,  amaebi (sweet raw shrimp), crispy rice bars, prawn heads, and three different fish mixtures atop cucumber slices.

The Mexican roll (pictured top right in photo above) is Crave's most popular roll and became my new favorite after just one bite.  This roll is the perfect marriage of Mexican and Sushi, two of my most favorite foods.  It had both yellow fin tuna and escolar with avocado, cilantro, a slice of fresh jalapeño and spicy mayo wrapped in rice and seaweed.  It is then topped with a soy citrus sauce (ponzu), and chili oil with fresh lime juice squeezed on top. It was so good! I loved the spiciness of the jalapeño, and the lime and cilantro gave it a fresh citrus twist.  The tuna and the escolar inside the Mexican roll were very tender and not at all fishy. Bravo!

The Crispy Rice Bars were also wonderful.  The rice cake was like a thick chewy rice cracker and had a lot more flavor than ordinary sticky rice.  It was topped with a heaping pile of spicy tuna mix, flying fish roe, and sliced jalapeno pepper. The combination of textures went together really well and I enjoyed it quite a bit.

 

The ceviche was one of my favorite items that Sushi Chef Tony Lam made for us to try.  A very thin slice of potato was fried with tempura batter and then topped with sliced raw fish that was marinated with a citrus soy sauce, scallions and fresh chili peppers.  It was packed with flavor and the tenderness of the fish paired with the texture of the tempura potato went perfectly together.

The sushi was so good we ordered even more of Sushi Master Tony's creations.  Clockwise From Lower Left: The Mexican Roll, Fire Roll, Number Nine, Dragon Wrap (top right), Hokki and Hamachi Sashimi, and Scallop Poppers (pictured in photo after the one below)

The Number Nine was filled with pieces of shrimp tempura, spicy mayo, kaiware and yama gobo wrapped with salmon and avocado and topped with a sweet soy based sauce. The Fire Roll was filled with pieces of shrimp tempura, cucumber, kaiware and yama gobo wrapped with a spicy salmon mix and topped with chili oil.  This one was nice and spicy, just the way I like it.  The Dragon Wraps were also good.  Instead of rice, this roll is made with an egg omelet wrapped around  spicy tuna, fresh water eel, avocado, fried green onions, crunchy flakes and miso dressing.  Served in two big rolls.  The Scallop Poppers were also excellent. The scallops were baked in spicy dynamite sauce then wrapped in salmon and topped with crunchy panko flakes. Loved the combination of flavors and textures. 

For my entree I ordered the Crab Crusted Filet MIgnon. This was outstanding! The filet was thick and cooked medium, as I requested.  It had a creamy crab and cheese mixture with just the slightest hint of buttery breadcrumbs baked on top and served on a bed of lobster cream sauce.  This absolutely melted in my mouth. The crab and cheese together created a rich flavor that went slendidly with the tender and juicy beef.  Herb roasted new potatoes and buttery seasoned baby carrots were also served, both were very good.

My companion had the Miso Seabass.  The perfectly-cooked Korean miso sea bass was served atop a bed of steamed white rice and adorned with baby bok choy and a crimson ponzu sauce.  Asian pickled cucumbers sat layered atop the fish.  This dish was delicious as well! The flavorful yet mild sea bass went really well with the sweet, fruity panzu sauce.

 

Despite being extremely full after enjoying all of this delicious food, we also tried a sushi dessert.  What an extraordinary creation this was! The middle of the the roll had homemade vanilla-bean cheesecake and a slice of fresh mango then wrapped with a thin layer of rice and topped with a thin slice of strawberry. The roll was arranged atop a drizzling of chocolate and vanilla sauce.  The cheesecake and rice were such a unique combo of flavors and textures and together it was like a thick, fruity, creamy and sweet rice pudding.  So different and so, so good!

Service: We had exceptional service at our first visit to Crave.  The hostesses were very friendly and our server, Dawn, was very knowledgeable about the menu and had some wonderful suggestions about appetizers, entrees and cocktails too.  We ordered a lot of food and took our time but never felt rushed since food was paced perfectly.  The restaurant wasn't too busy (nor was the Mall in general) on this pre-holiday-shopping-season Tuesday evening and we were able to get great customer service and attention from everyone all the way up to the manager.

Overall Impression: The culinary and sushi creations were outstanding. I tried quite a variety of foods and loved every single thing.  The Mexican Roll should win an award! There is quite a variety on the menu and the Happy Hour specials are a really good deal.  Great place to have a casual yet elegant dinner and worth every penny for the fine ingredients.  The service was exceptional.  I can't wait to go back again soon!

Akita Sushi & Hibachi ~ Woodbury, MN

Cuisine: Japanese

Restaurant Features: All-You-Can-Eat, On-Site Parking, Bar
Location: Woodbury, MN
Address: 779 Bielenberg Dr. Unit 106 Woodbury, MN 55125 (651)578-7888

Hours: Mon-Fri 11am-2pm 4pm-10pm  Sat-Sun 11am-11pm
Links: Google Map

Atmosphere:  Akita is located in the corner of a strip mall (NE Corner of Tamarack Trail and Bielenberg Dr) and is larger than I expected it to be.  In the center of the restaurant is a large wooden pagoda-type structure, which is where the sushi chefs work their magic, and the alcoholic beverages are made.  Along one side of the structure is a sushi bar that seats about 12 people, the other three sides have bar-height tables that wrap around and can accommodate two to four people.

Another view of the bar/restaurant

Akita also has several booths along the outer walls of the restaurant which seem to offer a little more privacy.

Menu:  There are three menu options at Akita: Habachi (which has a separate dining area), A La Carte and All You Can Eat.  You may order anything off the AYCE Menu (all food is made-to-order) including:

Appetizers- Seaweed Salad, Edamame, Flying Fish Egg Salad, Miso Soup, Vegetable Salad, Cold Tofu, Chicken Wings, and Onion Soup.

Sashimi- Salmon, White Tuna, Snapper, Surf Clam, Mackerel, Crab Meat, and Tamago.

Sushi- Octopus, Sushi Pizza, Tofu, White Tuna, Salmon, Snapper, Mackerel, Unagi, Shrimp, Squid, Surf Clam, Tamago, Spicy Salmon, Spicy Tuna, Crab Meat, and Tobiko.

Maki Rolls (4-6 rolls per order)- Dragon, Spider, Rainbow, California, Shrimp Tempura, Cucumber and Surf Clam, Crispy, FutoMaki, White Tuna, Crab, Spicy Tuna, Spicy Salmon, Sweet Potato, Cucumber and Avocado, Cucumber, Salmon, Avocado, Tamago, Unagi, Tobiko, Dynamite, Pickled Mushroom and Pickled Radish.

Temaki (Hand Roll in a cone shape)- Shrimp Tempura, California, Spicy Tuna, Cucumber and Surf Clam, Cucumber, Avocado, Spicy Salmon, Salmon, Cucumber and Avocado, White Tuna, Crab Meat, Sweet Potato, Unagi, Snapper, and Tamago.

Teriyaki- Chicken, Grilled Pike/Mackerel, Salmon, Salmon Head, Beef, Salmon Neck, Eggplant, Mackerel

Tempura- Shrimp, Squid, Crab Meat, Eggplant, Vegetable, Snapper, Potato, Mushroom, and Toro.

Teppanyaki- Baby Muchroom Beef Roll, Green Onion Beef Roll, BBQ Eel Fried Rice, Seafood Fried Rice, Sirloin Beef, Chicken, Salmon, Vegetable, Japanese Fried Rice, Vegetable Fried Rice, Chicken Fried Rice, Chicken Fried Udon, Japanese Fried Udon, Seafood Fried Udon, and Vegetable Fried Udon.

Udon (Thick Noodle) & Soba (Thin Noodle) in Soup- Vegetable, Dumpling, Spicy Seafood, Seafood, Beef, Tempura, Spicy Beef, Crab Meat, Chicken Teriyaki, Chicken Cutlet,  and Pork Cutlet.

You may also get any of the following foods deep-fried: Scallop, Dumpling, Pork Cutlet, Chicken Cutlet, Curry Chicken, Capelin Fish, Curry Pork, Tofu, Curry Beef, Spring Roll, and Squid Ball.

Desserts include Green Tea Ice Cream, Red Bean Ice Cream, and Vanilla Ice Cream.

Price guide: All You Can Eat Dinner $25  A La Carte $3-10 (per order) Hibachi $17-34

What We ordered: My companions and I first shared this large bowl of edamame (soy beans)

I started with a Dragon Roll (tempura shrimp, cucumber, avocado, and rice rolled with salmon or tuna on top and then drizzled with spicy mayo sauce).  This was one of my favorites! I loved the combination of flavors and the slightly sweet crunch of the tempura shrimp along with the spicy sauce on top. One order includes 8 large pieces, almost too big to fit in my mouth. (I think I ate two full orders of the Dragon roll just to myself!)

The spicy tuna rolls were also delicious.  The tuna seemed to be cut into very fine pieces and mixed with a spicy mayo sauce, then paired with finely-sliced cucumber and wrapped with seaweed and rice.

Next I tried

some sushi; Salmon, Yellow Tail and Surf Clam.  The fish was sliced thin and was of pretty decent quality; fresh.

We also tried the Beef Teriyaki, which was thinly sliced, tender and slightly sweet form the teriyaki sauce.  The order is big enough to share with others and conveniently cut into thin pieces.

The Fried Scallops were also very good.  I have eaten many scallops in my time, but I had never had them deep-dried until now.  Very good! The outside was very crispy and the inside was hot, but the combination of the tender scallop meat with the crunchy outside was a great combination, similar to a fish-stick or nugget, but so much better.  The top was drizzled with a creamy sauce (mayo?)

Another companion tried the Unagi (eel)

Another companion ordered the Octopus Sushi with Surf Clam and Yellowtail Sashimi.  The sashimi is sliced very thin and almost melts in your mouth.  The octopus does not have a real strong flavor, but the texture is quite chewy.

For dessert we each tried the Green Tea Ice Cream (although I think we were all too full to really enjoy it).  The small scoop was just the right amount to cleanse your pallet after a very filling meal of sushi!

Service: I honestly wasn't sure what to expect as I had read many mixed reviews about the service at Akita, but my visit on a quiet Tuesday night was quite good.  The hostess wasn't very friendly and our waitress spoke limited English, but we were able to get by without a problem.  All of our food was made-to-order and brought to us in a reasonable amount of time and our drinks were refilled in a timely fashion.  We were able to order as much as we wanted, whenever we wanted.  Our server was very up-front in letting us know that they have a surcharge of 15% for excessive waste, so it isn't the best idea to order foods that you will not eat.
Overall Impression: Best All-You-Can Eat- Sushi offering that I have found in the Cities yet! For $25 I was able to try a large selection of the menu and ate enough to be totally stuffed out of my mind.  Try going on a Monday or Tuesday when it is less busy and you should be happy with the service.

Sakura Restaurant & Grill Japanese- St. Paul, MN

Cuisine: Japanese

Location: Downtown St. Paul

Address: Carriage Hill Plaza 350 St. Peter Street St. Paul, Minnesota 55102 (651) 224-0185

Fri & Sat  11:30-2:30pm, 5:00pm-11pm  Sunday  12pm-2:30pm, 4:00-9:30pm

Links: Sakura Website Google Map

Atmosphere: Sakura has a romantic, yet industrial feeling, with high ceilings and dim pendant lighting. The dining room is long and narrow, but features a full-length bar.

Menu: Appetizers include a variety of cold appetizers ( various fish and seafood items marinated in a variety of sauces, seasoned radish, boiled asparagus, boiled cold spinach.)  Hot appetizers include pan-fried and steamed dumplings, sliced ribeye rolled with asparagus, fried tofu, oysters, boiled and steamed fish and seafood items, etc).

Entrees include
Sukiyaki
Prime slices of rib eye, fresh vegetables, tofu and noodles,
cooked in sukiyaki sauce. Yosenabe- "Japanese Bouillabaisse." Seafood and vegetables cooked
in a flavored broth.
Shabu Shabu- Thin slices of rib eye and vegetables made at your table in
a seasoned broth.  Chicken Katsu-Breaded chicken, deep fried and served on a bed of fresh cabbage.  Tonkatsu-Breaded pork, deep fried and served on a bed of fresh cabbage.  Yaki Niku-Marinated, thin slices broiled beef served on a bed of fresh cabbage.
Sushi and sashimi includes:
Maguro (Tuna). Bincho (Albacore Tuna). Hamachi (Yellow Tail). Shake (Salmon). Hirame ( Halibut). Suzuki(Striped Bass). Saba (  Mackerel). Tako  (Octopus).
Ika (Squid)Ebi (Shrimp). Amaebi (Sweet Shrimp). Kani (Crab) Mirugai (Jumbo Clam). Hokkigai   ( Surf Clam). Akagai (Ark Shell). Hotate (Scallop). Tamago (Egg). Unagi (Fresh Water Eel)Anago (Sea Eel). Uni-(Sea Urchin). Ikura (Salmon Egg). Tobiko (Flying Fish Egg). Masago (Smelt Egg) Bin Toro (Super White Albacore)
Sushi Rolls:
California (California Roll). Spicy Tuna (Spicy Tuna Roll). Anakyu (Sea Eel Roll). Salmon Skin (Salmon Skin Roll). Lob & Aspara (Lobster & Asparagus). Tekka (Tuna Roll).Shakemaki (Salmon Roll). Negihama (Yellow Tail Roll). Kappa Maki (Cucumber Roll).  Tekka Maki (Tuna Roll). Oshinko (Pickled Radish Roll).  Kanpyo (Seasoned Gourd Roll).  Futomaki (Mixed Big Roll  - cooked vegatables include katyo, spinach, black mushrooms, cucumber, fish flakes, and egg.) Shake Maki (Salmon Roll)

Specialty rolls include
Aspen, Caterpillar, Dr. Nick, Spicy Tuna, Mexican, #9, Philadelphia, Rainbow, Spider, Tempura, Dancing eel, Dragon

Price guide: Nigiri sushi (2 pieces per order) $4.00-8.50, Specialty roll $6.25-14.95

What we ordered:My companions ordered Negimaki (Asparagus)-
Sliced rib eye rolled with Aparagus and ginger sauce.  I did not try this but it looked delicious and the others enjoyed it quite a bit.

Please excuse the terrible quality of this photo, but we also ordered the gyozo.  Fried perfectly and packed with flavor!

The sushi I ordered at Sakura was amazing! I found a new favorite in the Aspen Roll (crab, shrimp, daikon sprouts, avocado, spicy mayonnaise, rolled with masago on top.  The spicy tuna roll was also very good.  The vegetables and fish were very fresh and had a great texture.  The Phill roll was also quite good as long as you love a lot of cream cheese!

My companions ordered (clockwise from the top left): Ikura (salmon egg), Tobiko (flying fish egg), and several orders of uni (sea urchin), some of them with quail egg. 

Also ordered was yellow tail (Hamachi), arctic clam (hokki)

Another companion ordered Sukiyaki, which first came with miso soup and house salad.  The sukiyaki was decent, but not a favorite of my companion.  The beef was somewhat chewy.

Another companion ordered the chicken teriyaki/shrimp tempura plate and really enjoyed it.

Service: Very friendly and patient, considering she was serving a large group.

Overall Impression: Cool atmosphere and delicious, fresh sushi.  Prices seemed pretty reasonable compared to other Japanese restaurants.

Saji-Ya Japanese ~ St Paul, MN

Cuisine: Japanese

Restaurant Features: Bar, On-Site Parking

Location: St Paul, MN

Address: 695 Grand Ave. St. Paul, MN 55105  651-292-0444

Hours: Lunch  Monday-Friday 11:30 AM-2:30 PM  Dinner:  Monday-Thursday 5:00-10:00 PM Friday 5:00-11:00 PM  Open all day Saturday Noon to 11:00 PM  Sunday 4:00-9:00 PM

Links: Saji Ya Website Google Map

Atmosphere: Located at the beginning of Grand Ave's trendy restaurant district, Saji-Ya shares a building with Dixie's Cajun Restaurant.  Recently remodeled, Saji-Ya features a sushi bar within the main dining area, as well as a cocktail lounge.  Teppanyaki tables are located upstairs.  General vibe is contemporary yet romantic.

Menu: Saji-Ya serves a variety of traditional and modern Japanese dishes.  To start off, try their delicious ginger chicken wings, edamame, teriyaki chicken or beef skewers, soft-shell crab, shrimp or vegetable tempura, tuna tataki, and sauteed mushrooms.

Japanese entrees include sukiyaki, okisuki, salmon steak, shrimp tempura, soba and udon noodles.

Sushi options include maki sushi (rolls), nigiri sushi (fish atop rice) and sashimi (raw slices of fish).  Fish choices include albacore, yellowtail, red snapper, salmon, clam, octopus, various fish roe, shrimp and scallop. Full menu of sushi selections here.

Price guide: Appetizers $5-12  Entrees $17-24   Sushi and sashimi $4-15 (per order)

What I ordered: To start off, I had the Saji-Ya house salad.  I highly recommend you try this salad! It is on the small side, but the dressing is like no other you have had anywhere...its light, creamy and just a little bit sweet.

My companion and I shared this gorgeous plate of Sushi.  Clockwise from lower left: Hokki (arctic clam), spicy tuna roll, crunchy roll (masago, shrimp tempura, spicy mayo, and coated with tempura flakes), kaibashira (scallop mixed with spicy mayo), Ikura (salmon roe) and hamachi sashimi (yellowtail). Fresh and fabulous! The crunchy roll and spicy tuna roll are my favorite types of sushi.  These were both excellent.

Another companion of mine ordered the spider roll (soft shell crab) and the Number 9 (shrimp, salmon and avocado).  Thought they were excellent as well.

Service: Very friendly. Wait staff are knowledgeable about sushi and will make suggestions if needed. It does take awhile to prepare such beautiful sushi, but it is worth the wait.  Reservations are accepted and a good idea if you plan to dine on a weekend evening.

Overall Impression:  Fun and trendy, a good place to go for either sushi or teppanyaki.  You get a decent amount of food for the money, but be prepared to shell out some $$ if you want to try many types of sushi.  Saji-Ya is a long-time personal family favorite