Voice-Tribune/LHB: Mikato arrives in old Napa River space

[Robin Garr]

Louisville HotBytes.com in The Voice-Tribune
July 9, 2009

If you think of a Japanese restaurant, sushi may cross your mind, assuming you're a reasonably adventurous diner. Not so adventurous? Then the fun of Japanese slice-and-dice chefs showing off their utensil-tossing techniques at hibachi tables may ring your gong.

Adventurous or shy, just about everybody can appreciate the subject of today's sermon, the bento box. This attractive option, a Japanese food tradition for some 500 years, features a pretty, black-lacquered wooden box neatly divided into rectangular sections, each containing a different tidbit, each offering a delicious contrast of color, texture and flavor. (It's perfect for those who can't stand foods touching on the plate, but even the less compulsive can come to love a bento.)

Happily, you can find sushi, hibachi grills AND bentos - and much more - at Mikato Japanese Steak & Sushi in St. Matthews. This sizable, stylish restaurant recently opened in the much-renovated quarters that had housed Napa River Grill until that popular dining room's relocation to Westport Village. Old-timers will recall its original identy as Mamma Grisanti's, a family-style Italian eatery divided into dining sections that resembled the rooms of a house.

Mikato, which is locally owned and operated, has completely renovated the interior, turning what had been Napa River Grill's soaring wine-rack bar into a high walled, austerely decorated sushi bar long enough to seat 20 or so.

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Mikato Japanese Steak & Sushi
3938 Dupont Circle
891-0081

Very nice review and the pork sounds inviting. I had seen the sign from the Watterson for some time but had seen no comments on the forum. My issue with these type restaurants is the noise and smell of the habachi grill. To me it can make enjoying sushi difficult if not impossible. On the other hand kids love the theatrics of the habachi chefs. Some restaurants successfully provide some level of seperation. Fortunately our 14 y/o is a sushi freak along with mom and dad.

I went once, just had sushi and soup. The miso soup was good, but the sushi was average IMO. I prefer Sake Blue or Sapporo for sushi. After reading that review I may have to try the bento box.

Does anyone know if their shabu shabu is served traditionally (raw ingredients, boiling water/dashi, dipping sauces)? Or is it served as a hot pot with everything added in?

[Robin Garr]

I went once, just had sushi and soup. The miso soup was good, but the sushi was average IMO. I prefer Sake Blue or Sapporo for sushi. After reading that review I may have to try the bento box.

Yeah, for the record, in the full review (linked from the original post), I wrote, "We also sampled four nigiri-zushi from the sushi bar: Tuna, yellowtail, red snapper and mackerel (salmon was substituted for the mackerel, without explanation). All were estimably fresh but a bit loosely assembled; the fish weren’t firmly affixed to the rice, and the rice balls tended to fall apart between plate and mouth."

There also didn't seem to be any wasabi at all in the sushi: Fish laid on a loosely formed ball of rice. B+ for freshness and flavor, C- for assembly. The Bentos were good, though.

[Robin Garr]

My issue with these type restaurants is the noise and smell of the habachi grill. To me it can make enjoying sushi difficult if not impossible.

Mark, we went for a late lunch and it wasn't very crowded. As you can imagine, it's a good size space, and the sushi bar and accompanying tables are some distance from the hibachi grills. Still, when the flames and shouts went up from the one occupied grill table, you could notice. In fairness, though, don't most of the larger local Japanese places have a combination of sushi bar, tables and teppanyaki grills? I'm pretty sure Sake Blue does, for example.

[Robin Garr]

Does anyone know if their shabu shabu is served traditionally (raw ingredients, boiling water/dashi, dipping sauces)? Or is it served as a hot pot with everything added in?

Sorry, Aaron, we didn't try that, so I can't say for sure. Without taking anything away from a generally positive review, though, my intuition is that they likely do it the simpler way.