Raku - Edina, Minnesota

On my never-ending quest for a new sushi place to try, I am fortunate to be in a state where I will likely never run out of new sushi places to try! When I get a sushi craving, it hits hard. So Mr. H and I put our noses to the ground in search of a new, but CHEAP, sushi place.

We came upon Raku mainly because of the lunch specials. With a tight budget, I'm all about the sushi lunch experience! Mr H., also my chauffeur on many occasions, drove us to this crisp Edina shopping area in which Raku is nestled. Parking's a bitch. At least they have a ramp, albeit not a very convenient one.

Raku reckons itself an upscale Japanese fusion restaurant. The menu does boast of some seemingly maybe-kinda fusion items, and the sushi rolls are cleverly seperated into "raw" and " non-raw" categories. People who fear sushi because of the raw, this is the place for you. The specialty rolls are more diverse than many places I've been to, offering a chicken tempura roll and brown rice substitute. The decor is very modern and sleek. But as with many other restaurants I frequent for lunch lately, it was empty. I kind of wonder how a lot of places are staying afloat anymore? Unless you are in a prime location (and even sometimes THEN), it seems as if I am walking into many empty spaces these days.

So we sat in a nice booth, and I ordered my standard Ki-Ippon. The lunch menu offers a set menu for $16 a person. From it, you may order one soup OR salad, one appetizer, and one entree. We opted for the two rolls (one spicy crunchy salmon, one yellowtail) for $9 lunch special, which comes with miso soup. I also ordered gyoza, my sushi lunch appetizer staple.

Gyoza
Gyoza never varies much in flavor or texture. Regardless, this is one of the better gyoza I've had. It was firm on the outside, and soft and savory on the inside. The dipping sauce gave that sweet/sour/salty thing I love, and the pickled veggies on the side were lovely.

Spicy Crunchy Salmon and Yellowtail rolls



Normally, my sushi staple is unagi or yellowtail. To my surprise however, I enjoyed the spicy salmon roll the most. The yellowtail roll (wrapped inside the nori) was nondescript, and the nori paper on the outside was like thick paper. It wasn't overly chewy, but it wasn't as suple as I've experienced in other places. The Spicy Crunchy Salmon was excellent. Though it wasn't very spicy, it was well balanced texturally. I got that sushi umami that keeps us sushi lovers coming back for more and more. The pickled ginger was a tad too sweet, and the wasabi also seemed a little dull. The miso soup was one of the better I've had. Miso soup is a bona fide mystery to me. The flavors are very complex, and I don't exactly enjoy it. But I'm trying to figure it out. As with many Japanese foods, it is a full blown intellectual experience for me.

Greats
-Gyoza
-Atmosphere is perfect for a romantic night out
-They serve beer in the cutest glasses ever
-Spicy Crunchy Salmon Roll

Not so greats
-Parking
-Yellowtail roll
-that's it.

http://www.rakumn.com/index_flash.html