Mikimoto
3301 S Carrollton Ave, New Orleans, LA 70118, USA
Uptown 4: Riverbend, Carrollton & Broadmoor
Anecdotes & Analysis
I eat differently here than I do in any other local sushi bar. The hot dishes from the kitchen--particularly the appetizers--are so good that I alternate them with sushi, course by course. This is particularly pleasant in the chilly time of year.<br /> <br /> Aside from all the other methods they use to expand service beyond their little restaurant, Mikimoto offers to send its chefs to your house for a sushi party.
Backstory
Mikimoto opened in 2000 in the Asian restaurant row on S. Carrollton Avenue between Earhart and Palmetto. There's some family connection with the long-running, nearby, popular Chinese Kitchen. Mikimoto renovated a former savings-and-loan office, keeping the drive-through window in place and using it for take-out service. Jackie Chan (not the movie star) is the owner.
Dining Room
The dining room is small, yet manages to be somewhat maze-like. When a crush of customers arrives, there's often no room to stack them up. If you see people standing on the sidewalk, the house is full. The sushi bar is also less commodious than one may be accustomed to finding. Still, the service and surroundings manage to be pleasant enough.
Why It's Essential
Mikimoto is small, inconspicuous, in a sort of neutral ground of a neighborhood, and much liked by the students of Tulane, Loyola, and Xavier universities. It has a drive-through window and does delivery. None of those are typical indicators of a great restaurant, but Mikimoto's work across its wide-ranging menu stands out. Not only is the sushi excellent, but their many cooked appetizers are delicious and unusual. Think of it as Asian tapas. Alternating hot dishes with orders of sushi makes for a fascinating and richly-textured dinner.
Why It's Good
Almost any standard sushi you've ever enjoyed is here. Past those, the chefs start innovating. The list of special rolls is noteworthy: it includes very few items with the tasteless crabstick and its derivatives. Mikimoto goes one step further and offers local blue crab instead of the fake stuff. Throughout the menu, one finds better-quality fish and vegetables than in most Japanese restaurants.
Most Interesting Dishes
<em><strong>Sushi (selected)</strong></em><br /> Amberjack<br /> »Baby soft-shell crab<br /> Eel<br /> Escolar<br /> »Fresh salmon<br /> Hokki clam<br /> »Lemonfish<br /> »Mackerel<br /> Octopus<br /> »Red snapper<br /> Salmon roe<br /> Scallop (cooked)<br /> »Hotate (fresh scallop)<br /> »Sea urchin<br /> Smelt roe<br /> Smoked salmon<br /> Sweet shrimp<br /> Toro (fatty tuna)<br /> »Tuna<br /> »Tuna tataki<br /> White tuna<br /> »Yellowtail<br /> »Tubugai clam<br /> Box sushi (salmon, shrimp, tuna, yellowtail, eel, or combinations)<br /> Sashimi (escolar, fresh salmon, tuna, whitefish, white tuna, yellow tail, or pepper tuna)<br /> »Carpaccio (tuna, whitefish, or escolar)<br /> Jalapeno hamachi<br /> <em><strong>Special rolls (selected)</strong></em><br /> Bayou roll<br /> Blue crab roll<br /> Boston hand roll (no rice)<br /> BBQ yellowtail roll<br /> »»Carpaccio roll<br /> Cajun roll<br /> »»Chef's special roll<br /> Crawfish roll<br /> Crunchy dynamite roll<br /> »Cucumber roll<br /> Dante roll<br /> »Fresh salmon roll<br /> »Fuji mountain roll<br /> Hawaii Five-0 roll (fried)<br /> Lobster roll<br /> Mango mania roll<br /> »»Mikimoto roll<br /> Nola roll<br /> Poor boy roll<br /> Red dragon roll<br /> Salmon skin roll<br /> Samurai roll<br /> »Sashimi roll<br /> Soft-shell crab roll<br /> Eel roll<br /> Tigers eye roll<br /> Yellowtail roll<br /> <em><strong>Starters</strong></em><br /> Shrimp and vegetable tempura<br /> Spring roll<br /> Baked green mussels<br /> »Crab shumai<br /> »Baked mixed mushrooms<br /> Grilled squid steak<br /> Baked salmon<br /> Baked seafood<br /> Tuna steak, teriyaki sauce<br /> »Baked yellowtail neck<br /> Fried calamari<br /> Snow crab spring roll<br /> Kuruma shrimp<br /> Chicken, shrimp, crabstick, vegetable tempura<br /> »Beef tataki<br /> Edamame<br /> »Gyoza<br /> Tofu steak<br /> Wasabi mussels<br /> »»Beef negimaki<br /> »»Beef asparagus maki<br /> Sesame beef or chicken<br /> Yaki tori (BBQ chicken)<br /> Super niku maki (sliced beef, snowcrab, asparagus, shrimp, teriyaki)<br /> Tuna tartare<br /> »Spicy baked scallop<br /> <em><strong>Soups and Salads</strong></em><br /> Seafood soup for two<br /> Tempura udon soup<br /> Chicken vegetable udon<br /> »Nabeyaki seafood udon<br /> Chicken or seafood yakiudon (fried noodles, cabbage)<br /> House salad<br /> Noodle salad<br /> Seaweed salad<br /> Cucumber salad<br /> Squid salad<br /> »Avocado deluxe (spicy tuna, snowcrab, smelt roe in an avocado half)<br /> »»Sunomono salad (fish, cucumber, ponzu sauce)<br /> Asparagus salad<br /> BBQ eel salad<br /> Salmon skin salad<br /> Scallop salad<br /> Seafood salad<br /> Spicy tuna salad<br /> Snow crab and avocado salad<br /> Tuna tataki salad<br /> Chef's special salad<br /> »Poke salad (seaweed, tuna, squid, avocado, cucumber)<br /> <em><strong>Entrees</strong></em><br /> Chicken katsu<br /> Chicken or beef teriyaki<br /> Shrimp or vegetable tempura<br /> Spicy beef with vegetables<br /> Fuji shrimp, ginger sauce<br /> Tuna steak teriyaki<br /> Tofu with vegetables<br /> Salmon teriyaki<br /> Unagi domburi (grilled eel)<br /> »Chirashi sushi (raw fish on sushi rice)<br /> <em><strong>Desserts</strong></em><br /> »Banana tempura, honey sauce, ice cream<br /> Ice cream<br /> Tempura ice cream<br /> Fresh fruit<br /> Cheesecake<br /> Tempura cheesecake<br /> Mochi
Deficiencies
Now that it's legal to have sidewalk tables, how about a few of those to ease the crush? (Not that Carrollton Avenue traffic is in any way scenic.)
For Best Results
Go through the appetizer and salad sections as soon as you sit down and before you order sushi. There's a lot of interesting food in there. The bar has an uncommonly large selection of premium sakes, and makes good cocktails with it (or without it).
Bonus Ratings
1
Attitude
1
Environment
2
Hipness
1
Service
2
Value
1
Wine