I am lucky to have a hubby who was happy to indulge me these past few days by visiting two local sushi joints, one in Plano and one in Allen.
424 Jupiter Rd. Ste. 203
Plano, TX 75074
(972) 424.5350Sushi Heaven used to have a secret identity: mild mannered donut shop by day, unassuming sushi shop by night. A few months ago, Sushi Heaven (formerly Sushi Donut) finally divested themselves of the donut business and went full tilt into the sushi business.
Hubby and I finally got to visit them again after their brief identity crisis. Gone are the donut cases and in their place, a wall of photographs and menu descriptions. The restaurant was still spare and unobtrusive, but it was clean, brightly-lit and lacking that fishy odor that one might expect of a hole-in-the-wall sushi shop.
We came here for cheap sushi, so let’s get on with the menu. I’m disappointed to see the lack of smoked salmon and mackerel on the menu…items that are likely considered too ethnic for the Caucasian traffic that’s expected to visit here. For starters, we ordered the Stuffed Jalapenos, Soft Shelled Crab and Edamame. Hubby in typical fashion ordered Salmon sashimi. For our rolls, which seems to be the restaurant’s focus, we selected the Salmon Volcano and the Dragon Roll.
Our server quickly served us hot tea, which we pretty much ignored, since we weren’t tea drinkers. I even ended up spilling some on accident when I proffered the kettle to dear hubby. Luckily, we managed to clean up the mess before the courses arrived.
I was happy with both the crab and jalapeno appetizers; the latter lightly battered and full of cream cheese to tame the heat of an obviously fresh jalapeno. The crab, while tasty, was less crunchy and a just a tad bit soggy…thought that may be attributed to the crab stuffing. Still both appetizers were delicious.
As the sashimi arrived, the salmon volcano came hot on its heels and minus the spicy sauce, as we had requested. Both hubby and I were delighted by this rendition, and both agreed that this was an excellent deal. (Nothing on the menu was priced over $10 last I checked.) The Dragon roll was an acceptable preparation, reliably tasty, though not as heavy on the unagi as we’ve experienced at Kobe. The salmon sashimi looked and tasted clean and fresh. The owner chef was amused upon seeing hubby’s sashimi-wrapping ritual. Maybe it might inspire him to create a roll on this idea in the future. After quizzing the chef-owner further, he indicated that he had another branch set to open in an Asian market off Custer and Spring Creek. We’re both happy to hear that his restaurant looks to be successful.
Hubby and I both walked out of Sushi Heaven much happier that we hadn’t blown over $50 for sushi and with intentions to come back should our cravings for Japanese strike again.
My rating: stars
201 E Bethany Dr
Allen, TX 75002
(972) 396-7600Our Sunday quest for late lunch/early dinner took us into the direction of Allen. Hubby and I stumbled onto Hibachi Rock, and DH made the executive decision to pull up and dine, despite my reminder that Japanese restaurants don’t typically open until 5pm for dinner (it being 4pm on a Sunday afternoon).
We almost ended up in the adjoining Thai restaurant, but DH was insistent that Hibachi Rock was open. A quick scan of the restaurant sign revealed that HB was not only open, but open all day. Intrigued, we went in and sat down for the eponymous hibachi.
Hibachi Rock is subtitled Live Grill and Sushi Bar. Walking through the front door, we were confronted by a stage-and-light setup, suggesting live music and/or karaoke played here. Happily, there was no stage show today, and we were grateful for the relatively quiet and subdued atmosphere. Our server led us through the table and tv-studded bar area to the back where the grills were.
While our server brought out our sodas, we were confronted by the variety of grill items and roll options. I was determined to sample their Thai Style Fried Beef for an appetizer. We then finally narrowed our hibachi choices to Salmon Teriyaki and Filet/Scallops/Shrimp and ordered 2 rolls, Bethany and Caveman, for accompaniment.
The miso soup accompanying our hibachi entrees was warm and thick, though slightly saltier than I’m used to having. Both hubby and I dug into the light ginger-dressed salad hungrily. Apparently, the dressing wasn’t too overpowering for hubby to consume. The fried beef appetizer tasted great, slightly crispy, and enhanced by the sriracha dressing on the side. It paired well with the fried rice that our hibachi chef delivered.
On to the hibachi…normally, the show put on by these hibachi restaurants don’t grab my attention, usually proving more of a distraction to the meal. But our hibachi chef went straight into his performance without prompting and persuaded us to be entertained. He proved adept with his flying spatulas, the egg-toss-into-the-hat routine, and cracking the egg at the tip of his blade (though I would have to deduct points for some shell bits that he had to clean up). He made our food dance on the grill top, and while the delicious rolls came to divert us, he made sure to command our attention with the delicious aromas wafting from the grill. He proved to be attentive to demographics as well; he later entertained a family at another table, making sure to impress the kids with darkened lights and a train whistle.
Onto the food. The filet mignon came medium rare as requested. The scallops and shrimp however tasted slightly undercooked and may have benefited from a little more grill time, though they were no less tasty. My salmon teriyaki came out excellent: moist and delicious. I was glad to discover that the teriyaki sauce was not thick and cloying like some places.
The first roll delivered to our table was the Caveman roll, a seaweed topped eel roll that surprised both of us. The use of cream cheese seemed to tie the whole roll together, giving a slightly sour note to the overall sweetness of seaweed and eel. Both of us agreed it was an amazing roll. The second roll was their Bethany roll, a baked salmon special topped with mayo sauce. It came served on a charger dish, and the server warned us that it was temperature hot. Again, we were bowled over…the crab/salmon and mayo combo melted in my mouth, the flavor combinations were extremely satisfying.
In the end, I had to cry no more, having cleaned off my plate and consumed more than my belly could handle. DH was pleasantly surprised that I had reached my limit. We both agreed that we had made a delightful discovery in our neck of the woods, a short drive from Wylie into Allen. We’ll definitely be back for more!
My rating: stars