Katana Sushi Bar

Where: Katana Sushi Bar
920 Michigan Avenue
Sheboygan
Previously Caffé Kita
When: Lunchtime, Friday April 15, 2011

Sushi has arrived in town!!! We are talking about a real sushi restaurant solely dedicated to sushi. I have to admit I had low expectations just to avoid disappointment.

For a sushi fix option A was to drive to Milwaukee hitting Izumi 's or option B to stop by Pick& Save on 25th st for "supermarket sushis". Katana is now offering the missing option: Decent sushi rolls at a reasonable price a few blocks away from home. For sure there's a market for it. The sushi fridge at Pick & Save gets replenished fresh every morning at full capacity and is pretty much empty at the end of the day.

Pushing the door to to Katana was going back to Caffe Kita, a place I missed for its fresh soup and sandwiches. Nothing has changed since. Same décor, same furniture, same layout, did they change the color of the walls? No I don't think so. I always enjoyed the warm and buzzing atmosphere of Caffé Kita. But today the ambiance was cold and dull. The walls were naked and the artificial flowers on the tables seemed waiting for a breath of fresh air. While waiting for my partner in lunch aka the Chinese Stomach, the not-so-good details started to show up: tables not properly cleaned, multitude of footprints and food crumbs on the floor. Clearly nobody was on mopping duty yesterday evening at the end of the night shift. A lack of basic restaurant management and standards? Service didn't shine. It took 10 minutes to get a glass of water. At least our shy waitress had a friendly smile on her face.

Most important food was commendable. The Lunch Special was a hit: a miso soup and 2 rolls of your choice, a total of 12 pieces for $10. Miso soup had a strong flavorful body although a tad too salty. I got a taste of California rolls made with real crab, salmon rolls and spicy tuna rolls. The fish tasted fresh, the rolls were well-executed although slightly bland. Something was missing, was it the lack of vinegar and salt in the rice?

The best of all was Mandy's Tempura Shrimp roll: super crispy and seasoned perfectly. This one was the winner.

I'll be back for more. It's all I want: affordable fresh tasting sushis. I sincerely hope Katana will stay around and sharpen its edge.

For more information about location, chef and menu check this article from the Sheboygan Press.