Wasabi Chi

I have really enjoyed my experiences at Wasabi Chi.  It's located on Douglas right near the Merle Hay mall.  It's sister restaurant, Wasabi Tao opened last year downtown.  

As you can probably guess, I was in this last visit for a Bento Box to continue my Bento Box tour of Des Moines!  I assumed it would be a lot like the one I had at Wasabi Tao, which was great because I liked it a lot.

To my surprise, it was much different.  I ordered the teriyaki chicken box and was promptly presented with miso soup.  I did hear another diner ask for hot and sour soup instead of the miso, so apparently that's an option too.

The miso soup was ok, but not as awesome as the spicy egg drop at Wasabi Tao.  My salad could have used a little more ginger dressing, but overall it was a great box.  And at $7.95 a great value as usual.

The chicken was juicy and especially good.  The "obligatory fried side" was a shrimp rangoon (tasty).

I like that they offer kids meals (Little Ninja meals) and they really have a wide menu including lots of Asian favorites like Pad Thai, fried rice and of course lots of awesome sushi.  Wasabi Tao and Chi both do a great job producing constantly good sushi.  Check out both locations and see which is your favorite!

Wasabi Tao

Wasabi Tao is the sister restaurant to Wasabi Chi (which is located near the Merle Hay Mall) and is located downtown on Walnut St, right across from the Gramercy Tap.

Being that I'm on a Bento Box kick, I stopped in for a Bento Box of course!  I'm getting quite versed on the Bento Box offerings at each restaurant in town and I definitely have some favorites.  It's refreshing that each offers such different options and I was not disappointed with Wasabi Tao's.


They have such a large selection that it was hard to choose.  They offer chicken, steak or salmon teriyaki, shrimp tempura, yaki udon or sushi or sashimi boxes.

I went with the chicken teriyaki so I could keep it an even playing field to make a better comparison with other boxes I've tried it town.

I have to say, Tao's box stood up the competition pretty well.  At $8.50 it's just a great value.  I was first impressed that I was offered a spicy egg drop soup in lieu of the miso and it was fantastic.  You can't go wrong with creamy ginger dressing over some fresh salad and their California roll was excellent.  The chicken teriyaki was in a rich sauce and I appreciated the fresh steamed veggies.  The shumai wasn't my favorite "obligatory fried side" that I've had in a local box, but it was tasty.

Over-all a winning box.  More food than I could finish for lunch and so much variety.  Ahh..the   wonders of Bento Boxes.  They service a lot of the downtown lunch crowd so it gets busy at lunch time, but they are fast and efficient with a good amount of seating.

It's obvious that I'm addicted to Bento Boxes and I'll happily order one from Wasabi Tao again soon.  Try it out or come in just for the great sushi, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Sakari

I'm officially on a Bento Box kick.  I love the boxes at Miyabi 9 and recently had a great one a Sakura Sushi in West Des Moines and Wasabi Chi on Douglas near Merle Hay Mall, so I decided to go for it at Sakari Sushi Lounge on Ingersol.



 The first photo is someone else's meal  I just had to snap a shot of since they were making it right in front of me at the sushi bar and it looked cool.

This place was busy!  Definitely a fun atmosphere and the chefs were were having a great time behind the bar.

The bento box was $12 which is a little more expensive than the other restaurants in town, but instead of the standard 1/2 roll you usually get, this included your choice of any of the special rolls they offer.

The menu said you could get a salad or miso soup, but I didn't specify and it came with a house salad which was fine.

While I prefer all white meat, the chicken teriyaki was very tasty and a good portion.  The highlight of the box though was the dynamite shrimp.  I have found a new addiction.   These are shrimp and cream cheese lightly tempura battered and fried.  OMG.  Amazing!


All-in-all I loved the fun atmosphere here.  I can see having a great time with friends eating sushi and drinking some cocktails.  The bento box portions were slightly larger than others, which was good because of the increased price and the dynamite shrimp was worth every calorie!  The sushi was beautifully presented and fresh.  Great meal!  And if I had any room left I would have went for the green tea cheesecake.  Next visit.

Sakura Sushi

So the temperature hit 100+ degrees this week as you all are well aware.  I still wanted some good eats, but not something that would weigh me down make me regret it.  I decided to check out the bento box at Sakura Sushi in West Des Moines.  It's right in the same plaza as Hy-vee at Grand and Ep True.

This restaurant was so cute!  I had never been there before even though I drive by all the time.

I pulled a seat up to the sushi bar to watch the action and chat a bit.    There was only one other table seated when I was there during the lunch hour, but the sushi chef assured me it would get much busier later.

I can totally see why he said it would get crazy in there!  It was great!  I ordered the chicken teriyaki bento box which included miso soup or salad, teriyaki chicken, rice, half of a California roll, sliced oranges and two pot stickers.  All for only $7.95!  Options like shrimp and tempura were a little more expensive, but not much,

I always love a good salad with ginger dressing and this one did not disappoint.  They were generous with the dressing and it was a nice starter.  I was so impressed with my bento box.  The chicken was moist and piping hot served over veggies and the tastiest sweet sauce.  It was maybe the best teriyaki chicken I've had in a bento box.  My California roll was fresh and the pot stickers were crispy.  I thoroughly enjoyed this meal

I was too full for dessert (event though I was aiming for a light meal) but the fried bananas would have been my choice even though the ice cream options sounded good as well.

They have all-you-can eat sushi on Mondays for $19.95 and all of the special rolls are only $9.95 on Wednesdays.  These awesome bento boxes are served every day for lunch and are a great deal.

If you love sushi, or any of the Japanese specialties they offer and don't want to fight the crowds downtown, check out Sakura.  You'll like it!

Miyabi 9

We love sushi! And Miyabi 9 does it right.  Because I'm originally from Massachusetts, Miyabi 9 holds a special place in my heart. The owner used to own a sushi restaurant in Framingham, MA on route 9, hence the name, Miyabi 9 when he moved to Iowa and opened up his sushi restaurant.  Located in the East Village area of Des Moines, at 512 E Grand Ave, it's very easy to get to off of 235. They definitely get busy for dinner, so get there early in the evening or for lunch if you can.

We especially like dining for lunch because of the lunch "boxes" they offer.  They are great for anyone newly discovering sushi or for the old pro who just wants to mix it up.  The boxes include a soup, salad, portion of chicken or beef teriyaki or vegetable tempura and a few pieces of sushi.  They have a few different options for the boxes, so check them out!  

The menu includes lots of wonderful sushi, but also some Japanese appetizers and hot meals like, teriyaki chicken and beef. So the sushi-lover can visit, but they also have other options for the non-sushi eater.  While this is typical of most of the sushi restaurants in town, the quality definitely sets Miyabi 9 apart from the competition.

I tend to stick to shrimp ebi and California rolls, while the hubby is a tuna and salmon type of guy.  The tempura sushi is awesome too.  Try the salmon with cream cheese. On the left is a tuna appetizer....MMmmm.....Order a saki and get ready for some good food!