WANG’S WOK 11517 Shelbyville Rd., 244-9898. This bright and attractive spot in Middletown is a step above your usual Chinese fast food. Dishes are served on attractive gold-rimmed white china, and there’s table service with a friendly, fluent hostess. Worth a special trip. $ WOK EXPRESS 234 W. Broadway, 583-8988. This corner spot has housed a variety of restaurants over the years. The latest tenant isn’t the fanciest, but it might be one of the most affordable. $ WONTON EXPRESS 3000 Hikes Ln., 452-2646; 5800 Preston Hwy., 961-9018. Traditional Chinese fare. Family-owned-and-operated, this popular neighborhood establishment has enjoyed a steady patronage for seventeen years. $ YANG KEE NOODLE 7900 Shelbyville Rd., (Oxmoor Center), 426-0800. This locally owned and operated Oxmoor spot is colorful and stylish. It offers an intriguing array of appealing noodle and rice dishes from all over Asia with fast-food efficiency and prices happily matched by sitdown restaurant quality and style. $ f YEN CHING 1818 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 491-3581. $ YOU-CARRYOUT-A 1551 E. Tenth St., Jeffersonville, IN, 288-8313, 827 Eastern Blvd., Clarksville, IN, 282-8881, 3308 Plaza Dr., 944-9866. $
ASIAN/JAPANESE BENDOYA SUSHI BAR 217 S. Fifth St., 581-0700. Adding international flair to its downtown neighborhood, Bendoya Sushi Bar is a genuine, serious sushi bar in a storefront just across the street from the courthouse. $ FUJI JAPANESE STEAKHOUSE 3576 Springhurst Blvd., 339-1978, 12905 Shelbyville Rd., 253-0036. Part of the fun of sitting at the sushi bar is that you get to watch the chef at work. Put in your order, then sit back, sip your tea while the artist
creates edible delights. This suburban sushi bar does the job well. $$ p
ratings as the city’s No. 1 spot for sushi and Japanese fare. $$$ p
KOBE STEAK HOUSE 301 S. Indiana Ave., Jeffersonville IN, 280-8500. Southern Indiana’s first serious Japanese restaurant is drawing crowds with its exceptional sushi bar, with skilled and friendly chefs who can be relied on to fashion fresh and tasty bites that are just about certain to please. $$$ p
SHOGUN JAPANESE STEAK HOUSE 9026 Taylorsville Rd., 499-5700, 4110 Hampton Lake Way, 394-0123. Shogun’s decor is attractive, and quality food and service make it a pleasant dining destination. It’s unthreatening enough to appeal to those who find exotic cuisine “challenging,” but good enough to satisfy just about anyone who craves a Japanese dinner or a bite of sushi. $$$ p
MAIDO ESSENTIAL JAPANESE 1758 Frankfort Ave., 894-8775. Not just another sushi bar, cool and stylish Maido is Louisville’s first and only “izayaka”style restaurant in the style of Kansai, the region surrounding Japan’s second city, Osaka. It’s also a sake bar, pouring a good variety of artisanal rice wine. $$ f OSAKA SUSHI BAR 2039 Frankfort Ave., 894-9501. This bright and cheery Japanese restaurant and sushi bar is named after Japan’s second largest city and the home of one of its most historic samurai castles. Sushi Chef James Lae presides, and that’s a good thing: a first-rate sushi chef, his welcoming presence and excellent English makes diners feel at home. $$ SAKURA BLUE 4600 Shelbyville Rd., 897-3600. Located in elegant, upscale quarters in a St. Matthews shopping center, Sakura Blue ranks among the city’s top sushi bars. $$ SAMURAI JAPANESE STEAKHOUSE 1510 Lake Shore Ct., 412-3339. Benihana has moved on after some 20 years in this Plainview lakeside landmark with its blue tile roof. But its successor, Samurai, appears to provide a very similar dining experience, featuring slice-and-dice chefs at grill tables, JapaneseAmerican standards and sushi. $$$ p SAPPORO JAPANESE GRILL & SUSHI Bardstown Rd., 479-5550. Trendy, even with hard-edged industrial decor—and important, excellent food—Sapporo ranks
1706 glitzy, most in my
TOKYO JAPANESE RESTAURANT 2415C Lime Kiln Ln., 339-7171. It’s appealing, pleasant in atmosphere and friendly in service, and most important, this East End sushi bar serves excellent Japanese treats, prepared with care and flair from high-quality, impeccably fresh ingredients. $$
ASIAN/KOREAN ARIRANG 4160 Bardstown Rd., 495-1004. The sign out front indicates (in English) that it’s both a Japanese sushi bar and a Korean BBQ, and a couple of lines of Korean lettering presumably say the same. More elegant than the industrial-style exterior suggests, this is a worthy stop for a fine Asian meal. $$ KIM’S ASIAN GRILLE 813 E. Market St., 595-7025. This lovable little Korean and Pan-Asian eatery is back where it started on a gritty urban block east of downtown. Despite its downscale look, you won’t want to miss its extensive selection of Korean and Japanese favorites. $$ f KOREANA II 5009 Preston Hwy., 968-9686. One of the city’s few restaurants devoted entirely to authentic Korean fare, Koreana is worth a special trip for this ethnic cuisine that offers a hearty, spicy alternative to the more familiar Chinese. $$ LEE’S KOREAN RESTAURANT 1941 Bishop Ln., 4569714. This little spot has been a secret since the
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