Yamato Japan

A new Japanese restaurant opened this week in the Twin Cities plaza (at the site of the former Moose Creek coffee shop), and I had the pleasure of trying it last night. It's a wonderful addition to the area! The interior has been completely renovated in a warm, modern style, with approximately ten or fifteen tables and a small sushi bar seating area. Service was very friendly and efficient, and the food was fabulous. The menu features both sushi/sashimi offerings as well as an array of hibachi entrees. There is also a small selection of soba dishes.

My husband and I opted for hibachi and look forward to returning soon to try the sushi. Our soups were tasty, the salad ingredients fresh, and the entrees incredibly flavorful. We also couldn't resist the tempura ice cream (coated in pound cake for frying - SOOO good!), though there were some other intriguing-sounding desserts on the menu as well, including a mousse concoction with the amusing name "magic cube." Also worth mentioning, this is a BYOB establishment - one couple there had even brought their own sake cups.

In addition to appreciating the food and service, we were quite impressed by the reasonable prices. A multi-course dinner for two (with dessert and beverages) was only around $40, including tax and tip. The restaurant is also running a frequent diner promotion - for every $20 you spend at a single visit, you earn one stamp on your card. Once you've acquired ten stamps, you get a $30 gift certificate. Something tells me I'll have my first card fully stamped pretty quickly. :)

Although the restaurant is new and we were there on a Wednesday night, it was actually quite busy. We overheard two other tables talking about getting something different from their last visit, so the venue is already drawing repeat customers. I'm almost reluctant to spread the word about this place for fear it will become too difficult to get a table!

A restaurant website is listed on the take-out menus, but it's not currently functional. In case that doesn't change anytime soon, I've scanned in the menu and am including it here for reference (just click on the image above for a larger size). Enjoy!

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Obviously, I've been pretty awful about updating this blog lately. There are so many fabulous local things I intend to post about - the farmers' market, Rabbit Hole, Marshall Farm, the list goes on an on - but I just haven't had the time. For anyone's who's interested, please feel free to follow me on Twitter...it's much easier to toss out quick comments in that format!