Mikuni Japanese Restaurant & Sushi Bars and Taro's by Mikuni

When you ask people in the Sacramento area for a sushi restaurant suggestion, there's a pretty good chance they'd recommend Mikuni. Why is it so popular? A lot has to do with the original owners' son, Taro Arai, whose infectious personality doesn't allow you to forget his restaurants are always busy. It's more than a gathering place to enjoy Japanese food with your friends or family or co-workers, Mikuni is also a restaurant you can count on for great food and a hip atmosphere.

Mikuni first opened in Fair Oaks in 1987 by the Arai Family. Eventually, the restaurant expanded into a larger space along

Hazel Avenue. As the popularity of sushi grew, so did the Mikuni establishments. There are five Mikuni restaurants in the Sacramento area that includes Taro's. Other locations are Lake Tahoe, Las Vegas (in progress) and Denver by September 2008. Owners have their eyes on Davis (target Spring 2009) and also on Portland, Oregon. In spite of a struggling economy, the restaurant business for Taro and his partners is looking good!

What's on the menu that keeps customers coming back? The sushi, of course, and a wide variety of selections including tempura, vegetarian dishes, udon or noodle soups, sashimi, chicken and beef dishes and salads. Each restaurant has a full bar and if you want to catch any sports, there are plenty of big screen TV monitors throughout. The atmosphere feels lively due to the high energy the staff generates.

The sushi rolls have fun names hinting at each item's ingredients like the “911” which contains spicy tuna and chili sauce. Other rolls simply have great names like the “Marilyn Monroll” that consists of deep fried shrimp, crab salad, avocado, scallop, masago (Icelandic caviar) and onion. The “Train Wreck” is another popular roll containing quite a few ingredients. If you're not in the mood just for sushi, Mikuni's Bento Boxes give you an opportunity to have a little teriyaki and tempura with a smaller roll. There's a little bit of something for everyone including the kids.

Taro's by Mikuni in the Arden Fair Mall is a bit of a culinary wonderland for Taro who experiments with different menu items. If the dishes prove popular, he may add them to the ever consistent Mikuni menu. There are so many items to choose from -hot to cold, appetizers to combos, and salads to desserts. The Hokkaido Scallops stands out as one of the popular cold dishes. These scallops are from Hokkaido, Japan and are pan seared and served over a small ball of rice, snow crab legs, jalapeno green onions and black

tobiko caviar. One of my favorites is The Arden Roll consisting of panko fried shrimp, avocado, masago, onion and sauce. For dessert, try the Yellow Delight, a tempura- style banana served with green tea mousse and chocolate powder. “They make sushi fun!” claims TV anchor-reporter Julissa Ortiz from CW 31/CBS 13 who usually orders the Peter 2 and the Berghuis rolls at Taro's, both featuring fried shrimp.

Mikuni hosts two golf tournaments a year, raising money for various causes such as Sutter Cancer Center's Breast Cancer Navigator Program and the Sacramento Asian Sports Foundation. They've also helped fund the construction of a church in Russia. When the first tournament was held some thirteen years ago, Taro hit the golf links and fell in love with the sport. Dressed sometimes in clothing as outrageous as he is, he says it's all about having fun. He even has personalized golf shoes in every color. His weakness is reading the green but usually finds someone to help him with that. With a handicap of 13, Taro jokes that he's been called a “ricebagger” instead of a sandbagger.

Mikuni can be found in Fair Oaks, Roseville, Midtown Sacramento and Elk Grove. Taro by Mikuni is located at the Arden Fair Mall. For more information, visit www.mikunisushi.com.