Miso happy with Nagoya

Welcome to Nagoya

Saturday January 26, 2019

On Saturday I had the pleasure of dining at Nagoya Steakhouse and Sushi. My friend and I arrived around 7:30 pm. The restaurant was full of people and the mood lively, with the Hibachi grill going and the general conversation and laughter there was an overall splendor in the atmosphere. The aromas of grilling chicken and steak from the hibachi wafted through the air, making my tummy grumble with anticipation. We didn’t wait even five minutes and were seated at a table. I do believe, however, there may have been a little longer wait for those wishing to dine at the hibachi stations.

So let’s get to the meat and potatoes, if you will. To begin our meal, we ordered the Harumaki, or Japanese fried vegetable spring rolls. They were served with a sweet chili sauce. The spring rolls were fried perfectly with a thin crispy wrap and the sauce was better than delicious! They could have used a little seasoning as I thought the filling was a little bland. Our server explained the sweet chili sauce, as well as all of their sauces they serve, are made in house. That is a bonus point in my book!

We then ordered the Chicken hibachi dinner, which is served with a salad and a soup of your choice. We ordered the ginger dressing for the salad, which was very good, creamy similar to a ranch style dressing. However, they can be a little heavy handed with it, so feel free to ask them to go light on the dressing and they will happily oblige.

The options for the soup are the miso and the house. The miso soup, with seaweed and tofu, is quite flavorful and if you enjoy miso then you will surely enjoy this. My only grumble with the miso soup, is the seaweed was cut into rather large pieces, and it made it a little difficult to consume, at least daintily. The house soup has mushrooms, scallions, fried onions, in a chicken broth. As it turns out I enjoy the house soup more, it is definitely a soup I would curl up on my couch with on a cold night and a good book. Though, you really cannot go wrong with either soup.

Along with the chicken and vegetables the meal is served with noodles and fried rice. The chicken was cooked well and seasoned well and served in perfect size bites. The vegetables consist of zucchini, mushrooms, broccoli, onions, and carrots. They were cooked tender crisp, which is another bonus point in my book, I mean really, who likes mushy veggies? That being said, I could probably make a meal out of the vegetables themselves, I enjoyed them that much. The fried rice is yummy, and the noodles are decent, but I didn’t become overly excited about them. The rice and noodles are served in a pretty large portion, and it is served with yum yum sauce on the side. Overall, the hibachi dinner is delicious, it is a large portion, so go hungry or share, and the presentation was pleasing. For the cost you are absolutely getting your money’s worth, and I highly recommend it.

Blackjack Roll and Tallahassee Roll

Finally, we ordered two sushi rolls. First the Blackjack roll, a spicy crunchy salmon roll with avocado, snow crabmeat topped with fresh tuna, black tobiko (fish roe), eel sauce and honey wasabi sauce. This roll is fresh and light, and the tuna is so tasty on top. It has a nice salinity and snap from the fish roe and the honey wasabi sauce is creamy and adds spiciness with a subtle sweet finish. To say the least, this roll really packs a punch of flavor! My friend and I enjoyed it immensely. The second roll was a nice balance as it was savory and a tempura. The Tallahassee roll is salmon, cream cheese, eel, avocado, deep fried and served with spicy eel mayo. The flavor combination of this roll is pretty typical, but it is executed flawlessly by Nagoya’s chefs. The outside tempura coating adds a nice crunch while the cream cheese becomes soft after being fried, giving the roll a quite pleasing texture. Also, the spicy eel mayo adds a little zip to bring the whole thing together. With our meal we enjoyed a lovely Sauvignon Blanc, the only one on their menu. It was crisp and fresh with a bouquet of tropical and citrus fruit, this paired very well with the sushi.

To conclude, Nagoya Steakhouse and Sushi restaurant is a relaxed and delightful dining experience. The service was exceptional, our server in particular was attentive and knowledgeable about the menu. The wait for a table was brief and I can say the same for the wait for our dinner. Our water glasses never empty and it is worth mentioning all drinks are 2 for 1 all the time. This is a restaurant you could bring the family for a special night out, maybe the boss for a good impression, or a fun setting for a group of friends to laugh and enjoy a good meal. After all, isn’t that what it’s all about?

Address: 1925 N Monroe St, #101, Tallahassee, FL 32303

Tel: (850) 999-2179

Hours: Lunch: Mon-Fri 11am to 2:30pm

Dinner: Mon-Thurs 4:30pm to 10:00pm Saturday: 11:00 am - 10:30 pm Sunday: 12:00 noon - 9:30 pm http://nagoyafl.com/