Tokyo Sushi

Sunday, September 16, 2019

Tokyo Sushi

1215 Howard Street, Omaha, NE

We

Where we went:

Kyle got some exciting news yesterday, he won the Hamilton Lottery, so he got two tickets to the Broadway show Hamilton that is performing in Omaha’s Orpheum Theater! We decided we had to go out and celebrate before the show, so we wanted something downtown within walking distance of the theater. Because Kyle was supplying the tickets, Eric let him pick dinner tonight. Kyle chose a place he hasn’t been to in a long time, Tokyo Sushi.

What We Ate:

Tokyo Sushi is an all you can eat sushi restaurant. They have a menu you can order off as well, but it is very convenient to just order from the all you can eat sheet. Kyle ordered the Salmon and White Tuna Nigiri, the Asparagus Salmon Roll, California Roll, Alaska Roll and Philadelphia Roll (can you tell Kyle also loves salmon?). Eric, who isn’t a fish eater, went with the A.C. Roll (Avocado and Cucumber), The Yam Tempura Roll, Chicken Teriyaki, Gyoza (Deep fried dumpling), Chicken Katsu and Vegetable Tempura. To go with his meal, Eric also ordered theTokyo Iced Tea, a Japanese version of the Long Island Iced Tea. Dessert came with the all you can eat menu, Kyle got a scoop of strawberry ice cream while Eric went with the green tea ice cream.

The Food:

Kicking the meal off was Eric’s Tokyo Iced Tea cocktail. He enjoyed it, but can’t for the life of him tell what makes it different from a standard Long Island Iced Tea.

Eric always feels overwhelmed in asian restaurants due to not being very familiar with the cuisine. So when Tokyo Sushi provided an All You Can Eat option, he just kind of ordered a bunch of different things hoping at least a few of them would hit the spot. The Chicken Teriyaki, Eric’s safe I-know-I’ll-like-that choice, was actually the stand out. Unlike many other places, Tokyo Sushi made this dish with a rather thick teriyaki glaze that Eric found absolutely delicious. When paired with the perfectly cooked chicken, Eric actually ended up asking for another order!

The Chicken Katsu turned out to be kind of like very thin chicken tenders- breaded and fried, and came with a side of some tasty barbeque sauce to dip in. The Gyoza fried dumplings and Vegetable Tempura tasted very similar, probably due to both being fried in the same batter, and were otherwise forgettable, so after a few bites Eric pushed them to the side to save room in his belly for more Chicken Teriyaki. For the veggie sushi Eric god, the Avocado Cucumber tasted pretty standard, while the Yam Tempura Roll was the stand out. Something about the fried sweet potato really clicked with his taste buds on this visit.

Kyle’s loves sushi, and Tokyo sushi is always a delight. The sushi rolls are large and fresh. The bed of rice for the nigiri is always slightly warm, which pairs really well with the very cold slab of raw fish on top. The fish in all the sushi rolls are always very cold and extremely fresh, something that isn’t always easy to get in this landlocked state. Unlike most people, Kyle likes his sushi, both with raw and cooked meats, plain. He doesn’t dip it in any of the sauces that most people do. He has tried it, but just prefers the more natural taste of rice, seaweed, vegetables and fish.

The dessert options, while not extensive, were still very tasty. In fact, the small-ish portion size turned out to be just right after stuffing themselves with the All You Can Eat menu. Eric’s Green Tea ice cream was sweet and refreshing and a great palate cleanser to conclude the meal. Kyle’s strawberry scoop was delicious. They call it ice cream, but he wonders if it isn’t more like gelato. It is more dense than ice cream normally is, and the fruit flavor stands out much more to Kyle, in a way he has only tasted in gelato.

The Atmosphere:

The outside of Tokyo Sushi doesn’t look that great, it is just a plain, one story, brick building surrounded by older structures, each with far more history and character to them. The inside, however, has been designed to give a very sleek and trendy, vibe. From the triangle stained glass window in the entrance hall, to the glass tile work behind the bar, and the backlighting against stonework. It mange to do this while a distinctly Japanese flair to it. With dark woods, and ornamental wood carvings throughout.

Service:

The service at Tokyo Sushi was fast and friendly. They had added a new feature since Kyle’s last time there, a buzzer system that allows you to notify your server when you are in need of service. Some may think this is cheating, as a server is supposed to keep tabs on the table and know when service is needed, but Kyle particularly, really likes this feature and believes it should be in place at every restaurant.

In the End:

Tokyo Sushi is an excellent place to go if you are craving a sushi fix, and are hungry enough for all you can eat. Despite being “all you can eat” every serving is made fresh when you order, nothing is sitting around like some places. The staff is always friendly, though we have noticed in the past, they sometimes their english is a little broken. With only a handful of sushi restaurants in Omaha, Tokyo Sushi is among the best. It’s location in the Old Market makes it a great place to go during a night on the town.

P.S. Hamilton is amazing! If you haven’t seen it, go see it, or at the very least, listen to the soundtrack!