Cooked sushi

Jim and Nancy do not disclose the fact that they will review a restaurant before they attend, ensuring their reviews are unbiased and uninfluenced by their position with the Sun Day.

Old habits and recipes die hard, especially with Nancy. Truth be told, she is actually an excellent cook. This was evident when we were younger and had a houseful of people over for holiday dining. Now our family is dwindling and the kids and grandkids have all moved away, but the recipes stayed the same. As a result, Nancy always cooks for the holidays a meal that would easily feed 12 people even though it is just the two of us. I made the mistake of mentioning that maybe she could cut down the recipes, but to her, change is evil. The recipes have been handed down from generation to generation, and must not be tampered with. Such was the case during the recent Thanksgiving holiday.

Jim and I had our fair share of leftovers, which include: turkey sandwiches, turkey hash, turkey pot pie, turkey chili, and the inevitable week-old turkey jerky. After days and days of these culinary delights, Jim decided to take me to one of our favorite Japanese restaurants. I needed a day of no cooking, no clean-up, and most of all, no turkey, so we jumped into the Mini-Mobile and went off to the Sakura Japanese Restaurant in McHenry.

This quaint little restaurant is located in a strip mall and has six tables, 12 booths, and a cute thatched roof sushi bar with seating for six. There is a beautiful tropical fish tank next to the sushi bar. Does this contain possible future sushi rolls??? They do advertise “fresh” sushi…

Their menu is extensive, and I mean extensive, offering every Asian food item known to mankind. We decided to start off our meal with an appetizer of gyozas ($5.50). What arrived were five gyozas with dipping sauce in a little boat. These gyozas were pan fried pork dumplings that were the lightest and most delicious we have ever had. The problem, since there were only five, was Jim and I were fighting with dueling chopsticks to see who would get the last one. I am not good with chopsticks, and after mortally wounding that poor dumpling, we decided to cut it in half and share it. We are adults, you know…

This is the best place for Jim’s style of sushi, cooked!!! He ordered the Makimono Lunch ($15.25). He was able to choose three sushi rolls out of 18 selections. He chose the Spicy Crab Meat, the Shrimp Tempura Roll, and the McHenry Roll (shrimp, cucumber, crunch, and creamy wasabi). These were served with Miso soup, which he changed to hot and sour soup. This is his favorite combination and he never waivers from getting it when we come here. Dining Duo Tip: Do not put wasabi on the spicy crab roll. It registered a 12 on his “sweat head” meter and cleared his sinuses out.

Nancy went with her favorite entrée which was the Shrimp (5) and Vegetable (9) Tempura ($17.95). This entrée was served with Miso soup (she changed it out for chicken noodle soup), salad with ginger dressing, and steamed white rice (she asked for fried rice for a $1.95 upcharge). She said the tempura is so light and crunchy and the best deal for the money. She took half of her meal home with her in a doggie bag.

FYI: This restaurant is handicap accessible.

If you like sushi or tempura, you will love this restaurant. The quality and presentation are top notch, and the prices are very reasonable.

The price for our luncheon outing was $51.99. Not having a turkey sushi roll, priceless…

Jim’s take: Don’t pass up the gyozas, they are to die for.

Nancy’s take: The BEST tempura anywhere and the gyozas are out of this world.

Have comments or restaurant suggestions for the Dining Duo? Send them an email at: thediningduo@gmail.com

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