the place we chose for the kickoff was Japonais, a Japanese restaurant in the swanky River North area. the menu is slightly pricey, but they also have a few affordable dishes..though i wouldn't expect to spend less than $30 a person unless you only nibble on a single piece of nigiri or something.
J was completely drawn to the lobster spring rolls ($16), which came with a mango relish as well as a blood orange vinaigrette.
to be honest, i didn't think they were that amazing - like any other spring roll, the outside was crispy and the inside was chewy. they were quite generous with the pieces of lobster that they gave you, but i felt like it wasn't flavourful enough. i think good dipping foods should have a great taste to them even WITHOUT the sauce, and these were pretty much bland if you didn't have the vinaigrette. it was a unique concept though..i'll give them that.
J also ordered the house specialty wagyu robata ($14), which turned out slightly disappointing..
the presentation was pretty enough, but J said that the steak wasn't even as good as the one we grilled ourselves. it was quite tough and didn't seem like it was too amazing, especially for how much they charge and how little they give you.
i decided to go for a sushi dish, so i got the spicy mono ($17), which was a spicy octopus roll topped with an amazing tuna tartare...YUM.
it doesn't look like it'd be filling, but it was actually a lot of food. the tuna was absolutely delish!! i was quite impressed with how everything tasted, but wasn't blown away. for how much they charge, this really should've been standard.
look at how much octopus they give you! it was just chewy enough, and contrasted great with the tuna that basically melted in your mouth. definitely glad with my choice!
J and i also shared an order of their satsumaimo frites ($7), which is basically Japanese sweet potato fries.
i'd heard raving reviews about these, so i was quite insistent upon getting them, and they didn't disappoint! i was very pleased with the actual fries, though the seasoning was a bit too salty. they used Japanese seaweed seasoning, which is very unique..the next time i make chips/fries at home i will definitely try it. the spicy mayo dipping sauce wasn't anything special, in my opinion. in fact, it just made the salty fries even more salty. ehh.
overall, i think the ambience of Japonais is what draws customers here - not necessarily the food. i think if you stick with things from the sushi bar, you should be fine. they also have a b-e-a-utiful lounge downstairs, so i plan on checking that out, along with desserts, the next time i come back here.
Japonais
600 W. Chicago Avenue
Chicago, IL 60610
