Sake Cafe
2830 Magazine St, New Orleans, LA 70115, USA
Uptown 1: Garden District & Environs
Backstory
Sake Cafe II (its official name) is a spinoff of the original Sake Cafe in Metairie, opening in 2003 in an expansive building that once housed a K&B Drug Store (hence the parking lot). Uptown had few sushi bars at the time, and it caught on quickly. After the hurricane, Magazine Street was a magnet for diners, because few of the restaurants were flooded. The Sake Cafe was in particularly good shape.
Dining Room
Modern in style but decorated with enough sleek, shiny Japanese wall displays, Sake Cafe is spacious even when packed. The sushi bar has an unusually engaging staff of chefs, who will make an impression right away by serving a marvelous little amuse-bouche--the first New Orleans sushi place to do that. The staff is almost infamous for aloofness, but I haven't found that to be the case.
Why It's Essential
The most physically striking Japanese restaurant in town, the Sake Cafe on Magazine Street shares its origins with the other Sake Cafes, but is now a separate business and incomparably better. Its kitchen has a much greater variety of food not only than the other Sake Cafes, but also than just about any other Japanese restaurant here. Its selection is strong both at the sushi bar and in its kitchen, and its presentations are lovely. Here also is a first-class bar and wine operation. And a parking lot--a rarity in that restaurant-jammed stretch of Magazine.
Why It's Good
The sushi bar claims to be able to make anything for which it has the raw materials. It has plenty of them to work with, including rare, expensive food items. Textures, temperatures, freshness, and presentation know only a few peers locally. On the cooked side, they bring more excitement than usual to dishes like teriyaki (which always comes to the table sizzling) and noodle dishes. It's the kind of restaurant to which sushi fanatics can take less-adventuresome friends, and have everybody equally happy.
Most Interesting Dishes
Selected Special Rolls <br /> »Rocky III (spicy tuna, avocado, masago, soybean sheet)<br /> »Tiger Roll (Tuna & salmon inside, tuna, salmon & eel on top, masago, eel sauce)<br /> »Uptown Roll (spicy scallops, chopped tuna, salmon, yellowtail, tobiko)<br /> »Spider Web (fried soft shell crab, avocado, cucumber, spicy tuna, wasabi tobiko)<br /> <em><strong>Starters</strong></em><br /> Pan seared sea scallop, mushrooms, wasabi pepper sauce<br /> Edamame <br /> »Beef negimaki (rib eye beef rolled with scallions)<br /> »Rock shrimp tempura <br /> »Gyoza (pork dumplings)<br /> »Goat cheese gyoza, lemongrass-cheese sauce<br /> Grilled yellowtail neck, ponzu sauce<br /> Shumai (shrimp dumplings)<br /> Crawfish spring roll <br /> Wok fried calamari <br /> Kobe beef carpaccio <br /> Shrimp tempura <br /> Baked New Zealand mussels<br /> Baked salmon & snow crab<br /> »Screamer oysters (spicy) <br /> Escargots in shiitake mushroom, parsley, garlic, goat cheese, butter<br /> <em><strong>Sushi Bar Starters </strong></em> <br /> »Seared tuna & avocado <br /> TNT (chopped yellowtail & tuna, black tobiko, wasabi tobiko, quail egg)<br /> Thinly sliced torched tuna and cucumber<br /> »Sashimi <br /> »Tuna tataki <br /> Pepper tuna <br /> »Caribbean style ceviche <br /> Japanese baby mackerel<br /> Yellowtail & jalapeno salsa <br /> <em><strong>Soups </strong></em><br /> Osumashi (chicken broth, noodles, mushrooms) <br /> Miso soup <br /> »Gyoza soup (clear soup, pork dumplings)<br /> Seafood soup, vegetables <br /> Chicken, shitake mushroom in spicy basil chicken broth<br /> Nabeyaki udon noodle soup, chicken, egg, vegetables, fish cake, shrimp tempura<br /> <em><strong>Salads </strong></em><br /> Garden salad, ginger dressing<br /> Bean sprout salad, crabstick<br /> »Cucumber salad, ponzu<br /> Sashimi salad <br /> »Seaweed salad <br /> Squid salad <br /> Snow crab salad <br /> Warm mushroom salad <br /> <em><strong>Entrees</strong></em><br /> Chicken, beef or salmon teriyaki <br /> Chicken, shrimp or crabmeat tempura <br /> Pineapple fried rice, chicken or shrimp<br /> Pad thai, chicken or shrimp<br /> Mango fried rice, chicken or shrimp<br /> Ginger shitake soba noodles, ginger & shiitake <br /> Kuruma shrimp stuffed with snow crab<br /> »Wok seared ginger duck, vegetables, soy ginger glaze<br /> »Akita snapper (breaded, deep fried, chili lime-miso sauce)<br /> Tilapia thai style, green curry sauce<br /> Love boat for two (assorted sushi) <br /> <em><strong>Raw Bar</strong></em><br /> Raw Pacific top neck clam, spicy tropical salsa<br /> »Raw Japanese Kumamoto oysters <br /> Ocean trout sashimi appetizer <br /> »Abalone (live) sashimi<br /> Alaskan king crab <br /> Pacific dungeness crab <br /> »Mediterranean black mussels, spicy samba sauce<br /> <em><strong>Desserts </strong></em><br /> »Cheese cake tempura, strawberry topping<br /> Apple banana spring roll, chocolate syrup, vanilla ice-cream <br /> Banana tempura <br /> Ice cream tempura <br /> Ice cream (green tea, red bean or vanilla) <br />
Deficiencies
The hostesses could go a little farther in making new arrivals feel at home.
For Best Results
Ask as many questions of the sushi chef as you can. They won't tell you about all they really have otherwise. The mackerel is especially fine, and served in two courses: sashimi, then the rest of the fish fried.
Bonus Ratings
2
Environment
1
Local Color
1
Service
1
Value
2
Wine