fiveseven808: wonders if it's time to resume his japanese study~ (or change his major? X3)
about 8 minutes ago
YasminHumaira: My tummy's successfully greatly FULL! Even both of salmon sushi or miso ramennya gaada satupun yang terselesaikan dgn baik. Hm.
about 22 minutes ago
mangauniversity: MU Intern: The MU campus is closed on the weekend. Are you spending yours drawing manga or studying Japanese? Tell us in an @ reply!
about 44 minutes ago
DDNadine: Done with my breakfast... now it's sushi time :P or at least preparation time!
about 2 hours ago
ravivasavan: @OnyaMag ha, thanks for RT'ing me. And Wagamama is terrible! Come to Sydney - hit Ichi Ban Boshi or Kura for quality Japanese goodness.
about 2 hours ago
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At Nanakusa, in the Third Ward, you can often locate some rare finds like Ahi grade tuna on its sashimi list. |  |
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 | By Amy L. Schubert  Food Writer Photography by Whitney Teska E-mail author | Author bio More articles by Amy L. Schubert |
| Published Dec. 1, 2008 at 2:19 p.m. |
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Nanakusa Japanese Restaurant, 408 E. Chicago St., can now be classified as one of Milwaukee's veteran sushi restaurants, with more than five years of service under its belt, and it is one of Milwaukee's three premier sushi mainstays. Sleek and contemporary, Nanakusa draws well from the Third Ward condominium dwellers, and the open, airy bar space beckons a large cocktail crowd.
I've visited Nanakusa nearly a dozen times over the years, with varying degrees of success. On more recent visits, I have come to prefer the bar service and great wine selections with a smattering of appetizers over regular sit-down dining, where the quality seems to ebb and flow.
At Nanakusa, you can often locate some rare finds like Ahi grade tuna on its sashimi list, and when the restaurant is on point, the fish selection and presentation rival some of the best in the city. But, when it's off, it's really off, which will deter those diners who crave consistency, and more often, those of us who crave sushi.
Recent visits to Nanakusa left me underwhelmed with the food and dining service, but I found bar service to be prompt and attentive. During one visit, a dining room server disdainfully persuaded us to change our order from the Ten-Don, a tempura shrimp dish with rice and special sauce, served with Japanese pickles and miso soup ($9.50), to the Oyako-Don ($8.50), which she said was less authentic.
We weren't certain why or how the lack of authenticity was a good thing, but we were not pleased with the chicken cutlet version of the dish, which was heavy with egg and sticky rice that bordered on mushy.
Sushi and maki selections here, too, did not live up to previously set expectations. Hamachi (yellow tail, $7), unagi (freshwater eel, $6.50), and kihada (ahi tuna, $5.50) were all okay, but two rolls, the spider maki ($8.50) and dragon roll ($18) were virtually inedible. The soft shell crab in the spider maki was overcooked to a dry, crumbly consistency, and the dragon roll was wanting in portion size, flavor and presentation.
A salmon teriyaki appetizer ($6.75) from the grill was one of the better items on Nanakusa's recent menu, with the salmon slightly infused with the teriyaki sauce and pleasantly grilled to a lovely medium rare.
So, the draw at Nanakusa is its vibrant wine and sake selection, a fairly decent appetizer selection, and the occasional rare find that would bring me back for cocktail hour and nibbling. But for me, enjoying sushi and sashimi is as much about the presentation and atmosphere as it is about the flavors and textures, and I'm not confident I can consistently find those ideals at Nanakusa right now.
408 E. Chicago St.
Milwaukee, WI 53202
(414) 223-3200
Nanakusa is open at 11:30 a.m. Monday through Saturday and 5 p.m. Sunday.
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13 comments about this article. Post a comment / write a review. |
Recent Talkbacks ...
Posted by Accuracy please. on Dec. 24, 2008 at 10:44 a.m. (report)
http://www.dinenanakusa.com/ is Nanakusa's site.
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Posted by shopgirl121380 on Dec. 11, 2008 at 4:21 p.m. (report)
I have been dining for years and have never had bad food or service. In fact, I won't go anywhere else for sushi in the state b/c I know I will be disappointed. Nanakusa has a wide variety of sushi at a fair price. My favorite rolls are the flaki maki and the philly roll. We also have the chef make us a "chef roll" and they too, have always been tasty.
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Posted by geekers on Dec. 9, 2008 at 2:34 p.m. (report)
I am a regular customer at Nanakusa, and my satisfaction hasn't ebbed. There are always interesting additions on their menu based on what is in-season, fresh, and available or on what their chefs think up. They have affordable (and tasty!) events such as tea tasting, sake tasting, and wine dinner -- I've been to one tea and two sake tastings so far, and was more than pleased with the value. The food may be more expensive than other sushi 'joints', but the presentation, variety, and quality of Japanese dishes at Nanakusa is well worth the price.
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Posted by WestsideTide on Dec. 8, 2008 at 10:54 p.m. (report)
This review is very surprising. I love Nanakusa. Never, ever have I had a bad experience. Food and service is exceptional. Izumi's is good, but I think the quality and service at Nanakusa is unrivaled.
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Posted by ukd on Dec. 4, 2008 at 11:57 p.m. (report)
I could not disagree more with this "reviewer". She is probably not very familiar with Japanese food. First off..."Ahi grade tuna"? That dosen't even exist. Ahi is a type of tuna, one of 3 kinds that Nanakusa offers, in addition to the Big Eye and Blue Fin. They also offer different grades of tuna, such as toro, chu toro and Oh toro when available. Perhaps some research on the subject you are critiquing would be helpful. I have been going to Nanakusa for years, and have gotten to know the staff very well. They are the most knowledgable staff I have ever encountered in any restaurant. I was told they take a several hundred answer test before they are even allowd to serve. The menu is set up to be enjoyed as small plates and has the largest selection I have ever seen of both kitchen food and sushi. The fact that they offer 5 kinds of tuna, bring in live uni, or scallop, have fish on the menu that I have not seen offered anywhere else, costs money. So it stands to reason that their prices would be higher. I for one have no problem paying a couple of extra dollars for the quality and service I get there. And how about that cold sake list? I have never seen that many offered anywhere. I could go on and on. Go in and judge for yourself. I hardly think this reviewer has the knowledge and background to be judging fairly. I will continue to be a loyal customer and enjoy going back to Nanakusa again and again.
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