At some sushi restaurants, you wouldn't dare utter the words "I don't eat fish." But at Lori Hashimoto's Hana, you can feel free to let your non-fish flag fly — you'll even be rewarded. On a recent trip, we happily sampled Hana's veggie rolls while our dining companion scarfed down everything from halibut to octopus, munched on a salad called tori kara age (mixed greens with crispy chicken, topped with Hana's tangy house dressing), and already were feeling stuffed when an off-menu item hit the table. The gyuniku tempura roll was so good we had to ask Hashimoto just what the heck was in it.
Her reply: "It is a thinly sliced rib eye marinated with sake, soy sauce and ginger. It is tempura-battered and deep-fried, then rolled with daikon, red cabbage, carrots, and shiso inside, then topped with sautéed garlic, green onions and tataki sauce."Now this, folks, is Japanese eating at its finest. Our biggest problem: The guy across the table suddenly lost interest in his fishy pursuits, stuck his chopsticks across the table and dug right into our steak roll.