by Amanda Knoles

HARU HARU JAPANESE RESTAURANT
The Marketplace
6257 E. Pacific Coast Highway
Long Beach, CA
(562) 596-5272

Tucked away in the Marketplace Shopping Center, this Japanese restaurant offers an upscale atmosphere with two levels of seating inside and a cozy patio for those who prefer to dine al fresco. Dim lighting and an exotic ambience make it a perfect spot to take a date or spouse for a romantic evening. Along with a wide selection of sushi appetizers and sashimi dinners, the restaurant features Korean style barbecue beef ribs, tempura, jumbo prawns and several udon and yakisoba noodle dishes. (Most dinners come with miso soup and salad.) The house special Dinner Boat featuring sashimi, sushi, rolls, teriyaki and tempura is great for sharing.

by Erin Auerbach & Andrea Stolarczyk

TSUNAMI
3377 Las Vegas Boulevard S, Suite 2285 (inside the Venetian), Las Vegas, NV, 89109
(702) 414.1980

With the fantastic contemporary and art deco design, this is the kind of place that makes you feel as if you’re in L.A.; it’s chic, trendy, and beautiful. The good news is that the prices are no more expensive than most sushi restaurants and the menu is extensive. The better news is that the quality and presentation of the food is as alluring as the restaurant itself. The hand-rolled sushi and combination sashimi platters are both enticing and generous. Yes, it may be super cool, but the staff is friendly and unpretentious. You must try the chicken coconut soup!

by Tracy Rose

SHIRO RESTAURANT
34180 W. 9 Mile Rd, Novi MI 48375
(248)348-1212
Shiro is a unique mix of Japanese and French cuisine. What’s even more unique is the setting. It is housed in a historical mansion that was built in 1929. It has cozy fireplaces and dining rooms on multiple floors that create a level of intimacy. The mansion also has a gorgeous grand stairway. Shiro offers some unusual sushi choices and special dipping sauces that put soy sauce to shame. Some of the choices include: red snapper, BBQ river eel, fried tofu, salmon skin roll, spider roll and a variety of spicy rolls. House specialties include the: super dragon, tiger roll, Hawaiian roll, shiro roll, spicy shrimp and crab roll and the dynasty roll. The sushi prices range from $2-13. A sushi appetizer plate is $10. Though it is a pricy dinner spot, a seat at the sushi bar makes a great lunch date, for either business or casual. Dinner entrees include the: sesame crusted ani tuna, shrimp tempura, filet mignon, breast of Peking duck, and black bean tofu. The meals at Shiro meet the needs of vegetarians, meat-lovers and seafood enthusiasts alike.

HAPA SUSHI GRILL AND SAKE BAR
2780 E 2nd Avenue, Denver CO 80206
(303) 322-9554

With names like Magic Mushrooms, Spicy Tuna Nachos and the Orgasm Roll, it’s clear that Hapa Sushi offers more than your average sushi joint. What it serves up is deceptively simple: Japanese favorites with a chic, contemporary twist as fragrant and decorative as a fresh slice of lemon on a piece of salmon sashimi. Whether you’re in the mood for sweet (plums, strawberries, mandarin oranges and sweet sauces come into play in several dishes), pungent (try the incredible fuji apple bleu cheese salad studded with candied pecans), or spicy (the hamapeno roll features both hamachi and jalapenos), you’re in the right place. Add some warm sake and the attentions of a casual, young wait staff and you’re in hip sushi heaven.