All right, who ordered all this raw fish? At the rate things are going, the city's Bardstown-Baxter strip is going to have to change its nickname from restaurant row to something like … well, how does "The Boulevard of Bistros and Sushi Bars" sound?The strip's bubbling demographic stew of hipsters, punks, tattoo'd and pierced people with a healthy dose of aging hippies, slow-food types and upscale LEO-reading liberals brings it about as close as Louisville can get to the Upper West Side.
It's only natural that sushi would have attained its firmest grip here, and indeed, Baxter welcomed the city's first sushi bar, Sachicoma, back in the mid-'80s. Just about the time Sachicoma sputtered to its quiet demise, Sapporo arrived with its edgy style and superior sushi in 2001.
Sapporo dominated the strip for a while, but over the past couple of years, sushi started busting out all over. Oishii arrived in 2008, run by former chefs from Sapporo. Last year, Clifton's Maido begot Dragon King's Daughter on Bardstown Road, and we saw that it was good. The defunct Café Metro's door now boasts a hand-lettered sign alerting us that Wild Ginger Sushi & Fusion is coming soon.
Now add Wasabiya, recently arrived in a Baxter Avenue storefront, former home of several short-lived eateries and bars, a spot that's seen about as much turnover as a by-the-hour motel.
Wasabiya could have what it takes to stick, but not without overcoming a few flaws. ...
Full story on LouisvilleHotBytes:
http://www.louisvillehotbytes.com/wasab ... -few-flaws
And in LEO:
http://leoweekly.com/dining/wasabiya-se ... -few-flaws
Wasabiya Japanese Cuisine
962 Baxter Ave.
618-2460
Robin Garr's rating: 79 points