Back on State Street, asking the question: "Can I find great sushi in the Midwest?" Maybe it's the raw fish, the high price tags or the sheer possibilities for Japanese goodness, but stakes are very high when I go out for sushi. There is always average sushi around. Just pop into any Whole Foods, or other high-end grocery store, and you can walk away with a California in the time it takes to spell sashimi. But if I'm going out for sushi, I have pretty high expectations. My tastes are very singular: I'm looking for fantastic rolls. Originally, I looked down on sushi rolls, thinking they masked the true taste of marvelous fish flesh. However, unless you've got just way to much money to spend, the array of nigiri available is just too small and grows very tiresome. However, endless supplies of rolls are available and each restaurant will have a selection of at least three or more house specialties, making each new restaurant a chance to find that perfect package, wrapped up in seaweed and rice.
Rating: ***** (oh-so-average)
Food: We started with a seaweed salad with "real crab". Bad news before the crab even hit my mouth: very fishy smelling. Once chewed upon it was confirmed, none of the beautiful flavor you expect when you pay extra for crustations. The rest of the salad was limp. Seaweed, cucumbers, and sesame seeds, in a very bland soy sauce/vinegar dressing. Not a winner. For the main course, we skipped the usual Japanese Restaurant offerings and went straight for the sushi menu. There are a handful of specialty rolls to choose from, and an average selection of other rolls and nigri pieces. The clear winner was the Badger Roll with fish (sorry I forgot what kinds), a tempura coating and a spicy sauce on top. We all loved it. A eye-pleasing entry was the Geisha roll, a pretty-in-pink package featuring tuna, spicy greens, and a special sauce. While it looked great, this geisha did not take any one at the table to new levels of pleasure. Other rolls were very average, though the fish tasted quite fresh. Fellow diners who tried the Nigiri thought it was quite good. Service: Our waitress was uber-friendly up front, but quickly fell flat. We had so much trouble flagging her down on multiple occasions, and she didn't even hear us when we yelled to get her attention. A good wait staff should at least send their eyes over to your table once every few minutes, to visually see if you are okay.
Atmosphere: Wasabi has much more of a lunch-place feel, than an actual dining room. While there's a lot of natural light, tables are very ordinary, and fairly cramped together. Some outside seating is available along a walkway. Semi-noisy.
Cost: ($$) Rolls and nigiri were fairly priced, soups and salads were perhaps a bit high.
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