Tiger Sushi - Mall of America

Rating:

My friend expressed interest in dinner until I mistakenly uttered three buzz-killing words: Mall of America. Not an unexpected response, as my urbanite pal hasn't been within 10 miles of Camp Snoopy since the late 1990s. But when I mentioned sushi, his aversion evaporated. Two hours later, we were bellied up at the cozy bar at Tiger Sushi, vying for the last piece of pickled ginger.

Owners Lisa Edevold and Chris (Tiger) Katayama have accomplished the highly improbable, opening a Hugedale restaurant that doesn't lamely recall the Amazon or celebrate has-been Hollywooders and isn't a cog in a chain. And they've brought the one food trend that should have landed at the mall years ago.

The menu looks simple enough: 10 maki choices, a half-dozen nigiri and sashimi options, a handful of traditional appetizers and a short list of daily specials. And much of what comes out of the hands of chefs Thong Yang and J.R. Malibirin has the classic simplicity that defines this genre: The sashimi (sliced raw fish) and nigiri (sliced raw fish seasoned with wasabi over a layer of rice) is handsomely cut and competitively priced. While the selection holds no surprises, rarely wandering from tuna, eel, salmon and other basics, the raw materials bear the hallmarks of quality, handled with care.

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