The Top Japanese Restaurants in St. Louis, Missouri

The roots of Sushi go way back to the 4th century BC in Asia. Originally it was a way of preserving the fish. The cleaned and gutted fish were kept in rice so that the natural fermentation that occurred helped to keep the fish from spoiling for up to two months. When the fish was finally consumed, the rice was discarded. Eventually this practice spread out of Southeast Asia to China and then finally into Japan. The Japanese like to eat rice with their fish, so they started consuming the fish/rice mixture while the rice was still edible and the fish was partly raw. Hence the birth of Sushi as we know it today.

Japanese food is famous for using ingredients not usually eaten by Westerners. There’s the raw fish and rice (Sushi) and cut pieces of raw fish without the rice (Sashimi). They also like squid, octopus, and salmon roe as well as a nasty (to me) tasting fermented soybeans they call natto. Although not as common as the fish, you can also still find cooked locusts and bee larvae in Japan. Mix these up with a little shiokaro which is salted squid intestines and you got one yummy meal. As an appetizer, try some miso soup with the whole crab inside.

I must confess that I have sort of a love/hate relationship with Japanese food and raw fish in general. A lot of folks extol the value of eating raw foods. They say that it is a lot more healthful because the cooking process destroys a lot of the vitamins and minerals and phytonutrients. In India they believe that your body is all set up to digest the natural uncooked foods, and cooking just adds another step to the process and stresses the digestion. Others say that the rising popularity of Sushi in particular in the United States since the advent of the automated Sushi machines in the 1980’s raises some health concerns because of the increasing incidence of food-borne illness. This makes it particularly important to find a good Sushi chef. Here are some outstanding places to have Sushi and other Japanese food in the St. Louis area:

Sekisui 3024 South Grand. (314) 772-0002. One of the newest and probably the best Sushi restaurant in St. Louis. Kenji is one of the most knowledgeable chefs in the area. He has been in the business a long time before opening Sekisui and was trained both in Japan and Hawaii. The rice is excellent and the fish is always fresh. They also have a lot of off menu items and cooked dishes (try the fried vegetable tempura) for those who don’t want the Sushi. The dÃ?©cor is classic and elegant and they give you the traditional dampened napkins. (One of the few places that still do) Here are a few tips on eating Sushi from Sekisui: Start out by eating the lighter-flavored fish like Flounder. Then work your way up to the more flavorful ones like Tuna and Sea Urchin. Have some green tea in between to cleanse the palate. Then have some pickled or fresh Ginger. The Ginger will compliment the taste and the Japanese swear by its antiseptic properties. If you can get it, some freshly grated Turmeric root works just as well.

Nobu’s 8643 Olive Blvd. (314) 997- 2303 A close rival to Sekisui, Norbu’s prides itself on its fresh fish. They have traditional choices such as tuna, shrimp, and salmon as well as some more exotic ones like abalone, fluke, and orange clam. Norbu is also a very knowledgeable chef and you can ask him questions any time he is there. The dÃ?©cor is a little less elegant than Sekisui but still very nice and the wait staff is as well.

Robata Of Japan 111 Westport Plaza (314) 434-1007 Robata is a traditional communal dining hibachi restaurant where the quip-laden chefs do tricks with the food that would make a movie bartender proud. The restaurant is on the top floor of the gold tower at the Westport Shopping Mall, and this makes for a pretty fantastic view, especially after dark. The ride up in the glass elevator is neat also. After being greeted with a drink, you will be seated on the floor around the grill. The chef will entertain you with one-liners as he dazzles you with his Ginsu skills. A wide selection of tasty chicken, steak, and seafood entrees will have your mouth watering. Bear in mind that Robata is pretty expensive. A family night out there will run you about $100.00. There have been some complaints about long waits both to be seated and to get the food, so make sure you have plenty of time and money to truly enjoy the experience. . .