Sushi in Suburbia

I'm not sure when, or even how, it happened but Sushi has taken a huge turn to the West and gone completely mainstream. In an effort to seduce the Midwestern palate, Japanese sushi chefs have developed a variety of maki rolls to suit even the most sushi-shy of Midwesterners. Cream cheese, artificial crab meat, and even "Tasuda Age" (fried chicken nuggets) are now part of this hybrid cuisine. "McMaki Rolls" must be in product development as I type this.

Restaurant Pacific
7629 Sylvania Avenue
Sylvania, Ohio 43560
419-841-8484

Upon entering Restaurant Pacific, it is clear that the restaurant is designed to appeal to the masses. It features bright yellow walls adorned with flat screen tvs that display looping videos of tropical fish swimming in their natural habitat. The videos are mesmerizing, and I couldn't help but stare at the walls while waiting for my dining companion.

In an effort to sample the menu, we ordered the "House Dinner for Two" ($29.95). This is described as "Our famous boat dinner for two, now served with chef special Sashimi, Sushi Roll, Vegetables Tempura, Lobster Tail, Teriyaki Steak, Seaweed Salad and daily side in boat style dish. In addtion, it also includes miso soup, house salad, Yakisoba and choice of ice cream."

The first dish is the Yakisoba. These are cold soba noodles in a peanut sauce. The sauce is rather salty and somewhat bland. We were both underwhelmed with the first course. The miso soup and house salad are standard Midwestern sushi house fare. I'll never really know how a bibb lettuce salad coated with an orange, ginger, and rice wine vinegar dressing made it to the Midwest sushi house menu, but it is wildly popular in this town. The miso soup is hot and predictably pleasant.

As soon as we finished the starters, the infamous boat dinner for two docked at our table. The boat is beautiful. Each piece is artfully arranged and the presentation is certainly Japanese. One of the unique features of the meal is a boiled lobster tail filled with teriyaki grilled chunks of lobster meat. While I found the meat to be a bit dry and chewy, my dining companion had no trouble finishing the remaining pieces. She was equally pleased with the assortment of tempura vegatables. I managed to find a couple of small pieces of sushi grade tuna in the tip of the boat and promptly devoured them.

Surely there is a place for a Japanese restaurant that serves Americanized dishes. Judging by the crowd that night, and the number of stir fry dishes on the menu, this is what Toledo wants.

If you are looking for "Sushi light" this is a lovely restaurant with a great mix of Americanized Japanese and Chinese dishes. It is probably a good place for family dining as well. The cooked dishes outnumber the sushi dishes about 8:1 so it may be a great place for someone who has never tried Japanese cuisine of any kind.

For now, I will continue my quest to find a sensuous plate of sashimi in Toledo, Ohio (hira giri, please). In the meantime, there's always NYC....

“Glass City Gourmet” is a chronicle of one woman's attempt to cook, eat, diet and entertain with both flair and whimsy while based in Toledo, Ohio. I encourage you to read on as the "Glass City Gourmet" attempts grand recipes, samples locally owned restaurants, visits indigenous markets and humbly pursues her quest to be formally recognized as the official "Glass City Gourmet".

Bistro Wasabi

Bistro Wasabi
3150 Chappel Drive
Perrysburg, OH 43551
419-872-1988

Bistro Wasabi is an oasis of local sophistication in the midst of a synthetic culture shopping area. Tucked on a side street of "Levis Commons", Bistro Wasabi offers an eclectic mix of Japanese sushi house favorites, Asian fusion creations, and the Toledo staple of steaks and chicken. Chef John Kim, formerly of the Toledo based Fujiyama, shines in this Zen-like ambiance.

During my first visit, I dined with "the girls" on assorted Maki rolls ($5-$18 per roll), the seaweed salad ($6), and a spring roll ($10). The seaweed salad was a delicate mix of seaweed, sesame seeds, chopped peanuts, curly & crispy rice noodles and a gentle rice wine vinaigrette. My dining companions were surprised, but pleased, with the addition of small pieces of red onions in this salad. The spring roll, wrapped in rice paper, was served chilled and featured julienned vegetables with shrimp, as well as two unique dipping sauces. One was a spicy, vibrant red Southwest chipotle pepper sauce and the other a hot and sweet combination of orange marmalade and chili peppers. If this is how Wasabi Bistro does fusion...I want more!

I returned within the week for lunch with other friends. This time I ordered the "3-Course Lunch Express" ($15/four options) to sample more of the sushi. The miso soup was pleasant, the Asian salad luscious, and the nagiri zushi did not disappoint me. While I prefer to eat sashimi as hira giri (big, perfectly cut, unadorned pieces of fish), the nagiri zushi alternative was excellent (Nagiri zushi literally means "squeezed sushi" and is sashimi pressed onto a small, oval rice ball often with a small amount of wasabi between the rice and the fish.). I am anxious to return and see if hira giri may be requested.

My companions ordered the Teriyaki sampler ($9) appetizer that included marinated and grilled skewers of chicken, beef and shrimp and a perfect cylinder of the richest mashed potatoes I have ever tasted. Although I detest mashed potatoes in fine dining establishments, the heavy cream and butter ladden treat on our table sent my chopsticks flying while I used my fork.

In the interest of additional research, I also sampled the "Sosun Steak Hoggie" ($9), as well as the Sapporo maki roll ($6) and spicy tuna rolls ($10) on the plates of my friends. The hoggie tasted like a Teriyaki version of a Philly cheese steak and certainly offers an acceptable alternative to those who don't care for sushi.

On both visits, my friends noticed that the menu is void of iced green tea or the ubiquitous, non-alcoholic "ginger-beer" favored in Asian fusion restaurants. I inquired with the owner, who assured me these options are being investigated. However, the restaurant features a full bar with both an ample wine and sake list.

As for the decor, it is a simple combination of hardwood floors, Japanese screens, and contemporary furniture. With museum white walls, a zinc bar and subtle blue neon accents, it has a "Sex and the City" feel. The space is extremely loud when the restaurant is full. The walled off sushi bar may offer a more quiet place for intimate dining. Although my table mates on both visits felt that the mostly black and white interior could use a bigger splash of color and some cieling or wall fabric to absorb some of the noise, everyone agreed that Bistro Wasabi is a welcome addition to an otherwise predictable mix of chain restaurants.

“Glass City Gourmet” is a chronicle of one woman's attempt to cook, eat, diet and entertain with both flair and whimsy while based in Toledo, Ohio. I encourage you to read on as the "Glass City Gourmet" attempts grand recipes, samples locally owned restaurants, visits indigenous markets and humbly pursues her quest to be formally recognized as the official "Glass City Gourmet".

Dinner at Rosie's Italian Grille

Rosie's Italian Grille
606 North McCord Road
Toledo, OH 43615


Since 1983, the Barone family has operated Rosie's in Toledo. Originally, a family style pizzeria known for "hot mamma bread" and rectangular thick crust pizza, Rosie's had three locations and even a frozen foods line in local grocery stores. Times have changed. While the original pizzeria on Sylvania Avenue remains Rosie's Italian Grille on McCord Road takes a swift turn from pizzeria to trattoria as executive Chef, Chris DeWart, attempts to create a more authentic Italian menu in Toledo.

For purists, Toledo offers few options for true Italian cuisine. Chef DeWart comes to Rosie's from Ciao and a stint as an executive chef for Dana Corporation. The menu at Rosie's Italian Grille features Florida grouper and yellow tail snapper with a choice of eight tempting preparations. I chose the grouper ($23) with "tomato caper salsa", as it seemed closest to Mediterranean cuisine. It was both light and delicious. Pasta's range from baked rigatoni ($14) to a seafood with mushrooms pasta ($20) featuring shrimp, scallops, fresh mushrooms, asparagus, capers and white wine. Rosie's still allows diners to choose their own pasta shape to accompany the selection of sauces. Carne includes a stuffed bell pepper with an undefined "meat blend", rice and tomato sauce ($16) as well as New Zealand baby lamp chops ($22), and a 14 oz. veal porterhouse ($27).

My party was particularly pleased with the Caprese salad appetizer and noted that the mozzerella was as fresh as the sliced tomatoes and basil leaves. We inhaled the Zingerman's bread on the table, eagerly mopping up the balsamic vinaigrette remaining on our Caprese plate. While many of the entrees are creative departures from an Italian menu, Chef DeWart manages to avoid the themed chain restaurant cliche of serving some version of garlic mashed potatoes with the selection of carne. The list of optional side dishes includes sauteed spinach ($5), an Italian classic. For hometown traditionalists, Rosie's signature pizzas and "hot momma bread" are still on the menu. When we learned that none of the desserts were made in-house, we opted for coffee and cappucino. The dessert list includes tiramisu ($4), key lime pie ($4), cannoli ($3) and some form of chocolate cake ($4).

The McCord Road building is completely redone and includes an intimate bar with brightly colored Venetian style glass lighting and Thursday through Saturday night, features live music. We appreciated the subdued volume of a talented Jazz trio. The main dining room is comfortable, with simple booths, tables and quietly tasteful decor. It also features a lovely ceramic tiled fireplace but the wall mural and institutional cieling tiles are tacky remnants from the pizza parlor days. With the new Rosie's patio in clear view, I could easily imagine myself dining al fresco during the summer months.

The wait staff was pleasant, but unknowledgable about the menu or proper wine service. The waitress asked, "Have you ever had this wine before?" in lieu of pouring a small taste for me to check for the condition of this particular bottle. With this preface, it is probably no surprise that she flopped the bottle onto my glass as she poured it.

In spite of the need to increase the transition to fine dining with more service staff training, this is a bold departure from the old Rosie's and, with such an ambitious chef and sous chef, it should continue to become more refined as the menu evolves.

“Glass City Gourmet” is a chronicle of one woman's attempt to cook, eat, diet and entertain with both flair and whimsy while based in Toledo, Ohio. I encourage you to read on as the "Glass City Gourmet" attempts grand recipes, samples locally owned restaurants, visits indigenous markets and humbly pursues her quest to be formally recognized as the official "Glass City Gourmet".