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Restaurant Ratings

The ratings are based mostly on the degree to which the food excites us, and a little on environment, service, and other considerations. I rate restaurants relative to all other restaurants in the New Orleans area. Here's what the stars mean to me:

starstarstarstarstar
Among the best locally.

starstarstarstar
Excellent and ambitious.

starstarstar
Worth crossing town for.

starstar
Recommended.

*
Acceptable.

No star
Unacceptable.

Cost Ratings
Each dollar sign indicates a ten-dollar range, including a normal meal for the restaurant (dinner, if they serve other meals), not including drinks, or tips. So, for example. . .

1$--$5-15
2$--$15-25
3$--$25-35

. . . and so on, with no upper limit. While this scheme may suggest mathematical precision, know that perception of price varies from diner to diner as much as the star ratings do. So consider this an estimate.

All reviews are based entirely on meals I have personally taken at the restaurant and paid for from my own pocket. I don't take free review meals, nor am I reimbursed by anybody for my restaurant expenditures.

starstarstar
pricebar

Hana

Japanese. Sushi.
Riverbend: 8116 Hampson. 504-865-1634. Map.
Lunch and dinner continuously, sevem days.
Casual.
AE DC DS MC V

WHY IT'S NOTEWORTHY
Hana's longevity and location--in the restaurant row anchored by the Camellia Grill--brings it an unusually loyal cadre of regular customers, many of them from the nearby universities. Being a known customer here confers even more benefits than usual. Walk in from nowhere, and you'll find a pretty good sushi bar, but nothing spectacular. But if your face is familiar, the chefs start letting you in on all sorts of unusual specialties. (You can also get that if you're a friendly, inquisitive type.) The quality is above average, the price below average.

WHY IT'S GOOD
They are capable of building remarkable works of sushi and sashimi part here. Ask and receive. But they're also caught in the same current vogues of using too much mayonnaise and snow crab salad in too many dishes. The cooked side of the menu also ranges from the standard to the remarkable. With a little notice, they'll build a kaiseki menu that will remain in your mind a long time for its beauty and deliciousness.

BACKSTORY
Hana opened in 1988, when you could count the number of sushi bars in New Orleans on the fingers of one hand. It has been steady state ever since, following the trends (like the current one toward immense rolls with too many ingredients) as it went.

DINING ROOM
The restaurant lives in a converted cottage with high ceilings, which add spaciousness to a not-very-large restaurant. They’ve decorated it fancifully and colorfully.

ESSENTIAL DISHES
Sushi and sashimi.
Shu-mai (steamed dumplings).
Miso soup.
Seafood soup.
Seaweed salad.
Sunomono salad.
Tuna tataki.
Tuna poke (Hawaiian-style tuna tartare).
Japanese ceviche.
Irori (skewers of various meats and seafoods, grilled at the table).
Hana bento (a dinner of sushi and sashimi with many side vegetables).

FOR BEST RESULTS
Become a regular, or ask a lot of questions. If you don't see it, ask for it. Don't hesitate to request the unusual or ambitious dish.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT
The sushi always seems a touch too warm for my taste, but it's not a serious issue.

FACTORS OTHER THAN FOOD
Up to three points, positive or negative, for these characteristics. Absence of points denotes average performance in the matter.

SPECIAL ATTRIBUTES

This review was updated with new information on 12/8/2009.

 

A list of all 300 full, current reviews is here.