Two sushi rolls at hiko-A-mon: Eel roll at the top and veggie roll beneath, with pickled ginger, wasabi paste, and a tub of soy sauce on the side.
It’s hard to believe that Louisville got its first sushi bar, of sorts, as recently as the middle 1980s. (It’s also hard to believe that I’ve been writing about food and drink for that long, but that’s another story for another day.)
Back when Louisville had its first taste of locally-made sushi, served over a Fourth Street drug-store lunch counter on Thursdays only, the idea of sushi was a bit divisive. A few of us yelled “Yay!” A substantial percentage responded, “Yuk! Raw fish!”
Times have surely changed. Now that we can get boxes of sushi at the neighborhood grocery or even, if we dare, at a gas station, sushi is no longer strange and exotic. Just about everyone yells “Yay” nowadays, but there’s a gotcha: The most popular boxed sushi is maki, the familiar rice-wrapped sushi rolls. built in a tube and sliced into convenient rounds.
Nigiri sushi, the bite-size treat that features a healthy chunk of raw seafood or fish spread atop a ball of sushi rice with a dab of fiery green wasabi horseradish, wins praise from sushi geeks, as does the even more basic sashimi - artfully cut bits of fish laid out on a plate for consumption au naturel. If I just heard a “Yuk” from the peanut gallery, my point is made.
I could be a sushi snob and demand that you join me in a nigiri and sashimi feast today, but let’s save that for another occasion. Rather, let’s talk about quality maki rolls from one of the best Japanese restaurants around town: hiko-A-mon in Westport Village.
One of the first tenants of the renovated East End shopping complex, hiko-A-mon has earned deserved popularity with Kyoto-born Chef Hiko (who goes by only the single name) at the helm. We usually go there to sit down at the sushi bar to watch in wonder as the sushi chefs slice, dice, and gently set one delicious and colorful wonder after another on your plate.
That’s a wonderful way to do sushi, but we’re in a pandemic right now, and I’m not ready to sit among strangers doffing our masks to enjoy sushi even with proper social distancing until herd immunity arrives. Not to mention that unlimited sushi can add up in price. That’s an issue, too, during the pandemic economy.
But wait! This is where the roll comes in! A couple of good rolls, a Japanese salad, and a colorful dish of oshinko pickles don’t add up to all that much. They’re served cold, so there’s no issue with getting them home. And they’re really, really good to eat. ...
Read the complete article on LouisvilleHotBytes,
http://www.louisvillehotbytes.com/hiko-a-mon-sushi
You'll also find this review in LEO Weekly's Food & Drink section today.
http://www.leoweekly.com/category/food-drink/
hiko-A-mon
Westport Village
1115 Herr Ln, Suite 130
365-1651
http://hikoamon.com
Another location: 416 W. Muhammad Ali Blvd., Suite 100, 625-3090.
