Little Tokyo (Izakaya)
4704 Veterans Memorial Blvd Suite 101, Metairie, LA 70006, USA
Metairie 2: Orleans Line To Houma Blvd
Anecdotes & Analysis
If it seems that there are far more sushi bars around town than are really needed, you may be right. Sixty-five Japanese cafes are slicing raw fish and wrapping it with cool, special rice. One of the reasons for the expansion is that opening a small sushi bar is almost a turnkey proposition. The suppliers of the fish, the menus, the special plates and right down to the fake parsley are just a phone call away, and they can get a would-be entrepreneur started in short order--regardless of his skill level at actually serving food. Standing high above that level of the business is the long-running local Little Tokyo chain, where the staff can turn out almost any Japanese dish with first-class ingredients.
Backstory
Little Tokyo is second only to Shogun in longevity among sushi bars. Yusuke Kawara opened it in 1988 to such uniform raves that the Little Tokyo name spread to a few branches and franchises. There was always some inconsistency from one location to another, but most have been well above average. The one being reviewed here is the recent relocation (four blocks toward the lake) of the original Little Tokyo on Causeway Boulevard. The branch on Bienville and N. Carrollton is also good, but emphasizes the hibachi side of the menu. The best of the franchises is the one in Mandeville.
Dining Room
The new restaurant occupies what looks like an entire small strip mall. The longest sushi bar in town stretches along at least half of it, with rows of tables lining the exterior windows. There's a karaoke bar in the rear for some after-dinner fun, especially if you've had a few Japanese beers. The service style is different. Instead of soft-spoken Asian waitresses, the servers here have a gabby, American approach. The advantage of this is that you actually get full information on what's available from the sushi bar, and what exactly all that is.
Why It's Essential
The is the new, much larger location of what has been for twenty-five years one of the best purveyors of sushi and other Japanese fare. The old place, despite its small size, always put forth an astonishing range of both raw and cooked creations. In its new quarters that program has only been revved up, to the point that reading the menu's dozens of dishes is a puzzling chore.
Why It's Good
A large contingent of long-time regular customers--many of them Asian--keep the standards up at the Metairie edition of Little Tokyo. Temperature, moisture, selection, and portioning are all just about perfect all the time. The sushi bar always seems to be overstaffed--a good thing. Meanwhile, the non-sushi eaters are kept happy with the monumental fried platters served at the tables.
Most Interesting Dishes
Edamame<br /> Baked salmon <br /> Lettuce wrap (for two; shrimp, mushrooms and vegetables)<br /> BBQ tuna <br /> Baked mussels with creamy smelt roe sauce<br /> Squid steak <br /> Snowcrab calamari <br /> Seafood and vegetable tempura <br /> »Sesame chicken <br /> Yaki tori (broiled, skewered chicken teriyaki) <br /> »Gyoza <br /> Tofu steak <br /> »Hamachi kama (broiled yellowtail)<br /> Baked seafood <br /> »Miso soup <br /> Seaweed salad <br /> Squid salad <br /> Cucumber with seafood salad <br /> Scallop or snowcrab with avocado <br /> Sushi specials:<br /> Angel roll (spicy tuna and snow crab inside, escolar, avocado, wasabi tobiko outside)<br /> Baked salmon roll <br /> Boston hand roll (shrimp, snow crab, avocado, »seaweed paper, no rice)<br /> Box sushi (salmon, yellowtail, tuna, and/or eel) <br /> »Burning man roll (spicy tuna inside, pepper tuna, avocado, green onion, hot sauce outside)<br /> »Cajun pepper tuna sushi / sashimi: <br /> Calamari crunchy roll: <br /> »Chef special roll (yellowtail, salmon, tuna, asparagus, avocado, seaweed paper) <br /> Cowboy roll (beef, lettuce, avocado and snow crab)<br /> Cucumber roll<br /> Dancing tuna roll (spicy salmon, sliced tuna, avocado)<br /> »Devil roll (salmon, tuna, yellowtail, cucumber, Japanese yellow mustard) <br /> Dynamite roll (salmon , tuna, wasabi)<br /> »Fresh salmon roll<br /> »Jazz roll (BBQ eel, avocado, spicy tuna)<br /> Lettuce wrap roll (shrimp, snow crab, avocado, lettuce wrap--no rice)<br /> »Louisiana roll (spicy crawfish and avocado)<br /> Mandeville roll (whitefish, snow crab, asparagus, smelt roe, seaweed; whole roll fried)<br /> Manhattan roll (fried soft shell crab, BBQ eel, snow crab, avocado, smelt roe)<br /> »Old school roll (scallop, tuna, salmon, yellowtail)<br /> »Rainbow roll (California roll inside, tuna, salmon, yellowtail outside)<br /> Rice paper roll (tuna, salmon, crab stick, carrot, lettuce, asparagus, cucumber, avocado, rice paper, chili sauce)<br /> Scallop and asparagus roll<br /> Smoked salmon roll<br /> »Special eel roll (BBQ eel, cucumber, avocado, smelt roe, sesame, eel sauce)<br /> Spicy tuna roll<br /> Tiger roll (yellowtail, tuna, smelt roe, BBQ eel, salmon, avocado)<br /> »Tropical roll (coconut, avocodo, mango)<br /> Tuna tataki (sliced seared tuna with ponzu)<br /> Vegetable roll<br /> Yellowtail roll<br /> <em>Noodle dishes</em><br /> Tempura udon (shrimp and vegetable tempura) <br /> »Nabeyaki udon (seafood noodle) <br /> Yaki udon (pan fried udon noodles with seafood) <br /> Seafood tempura <br /> Steamed fish <br /> »Chicken teriyaki <br /> Beef teriyaki <br /> Chicken katsu <br />
Deficiencies
The menu is so extensive and overdesigned that it's difficult to read or understand.
For Best Results
For a really incredible evening of Japanese eating, you can order ahead for the all-evening kaiseki, a procession of small, elegant courses.
Bonus Ratings
1
Hipness
1
Value