Sake is known as Japan's major contribution to the drinking world, and the folks at Sushi 101 serve up of the Nipponese rice wine both hot and cold (we prefer the latter). While you can down a few carafes in this sushi joint's dining room (which is replete with such Asian-inspired décor touches as bamboo plants and paper lanterns), we dig hanging out in the lounge area. Why? Because it features a funky wooden bartop that's decorated with Japanese instructions on how to properly eat sushi and Polaroid snapshots of crazy customers and the various celebs and comedians who've stopped by after their gigs at the Tempe Improv a few doors down (like Caroline Rhea and Ralphie May). No word on whether they told the waitresses to "sake it to me." Don't miss Asian beers like Kirin, Asahi, and Tsingtao by the draft or the bottle. --Benjamin Leatherman
Night Train will appear here every day until December 27, when the Metro opens. For more about our light rail bar crawl project check out our first Night Train post.
