eat2winraleigh » Sushi

Yuri Japanese Restaurant & Sushi Bar Review

eat2winraleigh — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 13:36:49 +0000

Raleigh Restaurant Review
Yuri Japanese Restaurant 1361 Kildaire Farm Road, Cary
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Yuri Japanese Restaurant & Sushi Bar is the new restaurant located in the Shoppes of Kildaire at the corner of Kildaire Farm Rd and Cary Parkway in Cary. The inside is sparse but nice. Nicer than you would expect in the middle of a strip mall.

We went to Yuri for the first time on Saturday night and went back on Monday night. Both times we sat at the Sushi Bar and were very impressed.

We ordered the Sushi Sampler and Potstickers.

Sushi Sampler

Then we ordered some rolls.

Philly Roll

Spicy Dragon Roll

Tango Roll

These are on the deep fried section of the sushi roll menu.

Tornado Roll

Las Vegas Roll

And then when we were about to leave on Saturday night, our server insisted we try the fresh Toro.

fresh Toro

And then Monday night when we were stuffed to the gills, the Sushi chef prepared us this Firecracker roll. And since we are polite people, we ate it.

Firecracker Roll

The New Yorker- Yuri might be my new favorite sushi restaurant in Cary. I love Mura and Sono and this is right there with them in terms of the sushi. I could eat at Yuri every night. It’s local for us (in Cary) and is near our favorite yogurt place, Skinny Dip. It’s in a nice shopping center. The pieces of sushi are fresh, big and delicious. The rolls, especially the house special rolls, are big and they have a huge selection of them. I haven’t eaten anything that wasn’t great here yet, and they even have different varieties of rolls that I’ve never had before. In terms of the sauces, the spicy mayo and the spicy wasabi sauce are exactly what I’m looking for, like I used to eat in NY.

The Raleigh-ite: We ate at the sushi bar and the sushi chef’s and the servers were very friendly and helpful. The potstickers were delicious. Yuri’s menu is extensive; they have hibachi, and lots of sushi roll options. They have house rolls, deep fried rolls and classic rolls. I would definitely recommend the Hawaiian Roll (California roll with avocado and tuna on top) and the Tornado roll. The Tornado is a deep fried shrimp tempura roll with avocado, potato string, sweet sauce and spicy mayo and it was OUTSTANDING. The other deep fried rolls that we tried, the Las Vegas and the Firecracker, I didn’t love because they were really heavy. All of the sauces are really great here– the spicy mayo, the wasabi sauce, the sweet sauce. The Tango roll is one of their most popular rolls; it is shrimp tempura and crab meat with avocado and tuna on top with four special sauces.

Yuri has restaurant coupons on their website. 15 % off your entire bill seems to be the best one.

Do Over? Absolutely! Yuri is great Cary sushi! Went 3 times that week!

11/13- We ordered 1 diet coke, 2 glasses of Riesling, the Sushi Sampler appetizer, the Potstickers, the Spicy Dragon Roll, the Philadelphia Roll, the Tornado Roll and two pieces of Toro. Our total was $76.02.

11/15- We ordered 1 diet coke, the Sushi Sampler appetizer, the Spicy Tuna roll, the Tango roll, the Las Vegas Roll and the Hawaiian roll. Our total was $54.

Spring Rolls

eat2winraleigh — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 00:47:06 +0000

Raleigh Restaurant Review
Spring Rolls 4361 Lassiter at North Hills Ave, Ste 100, Raleigh
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We bought a $30 gift certificate to Spring Rolls on Living Social (group buying site) and so tonight we went there for dinner to check it out. Spring Rolls opened in the North Hills area in North Raleigh four months ago; the restaurant is located near the Moe’s, Ruth’s Chris & Ethan Allen. Spring Rolls has a chic atmosphere with contemporary decor. They have a size-able cocktail menu and an Asian Fusion food menu, with traditional Chinese & Thai offerings.

We started out with the Saigon Spring Rolls and BBQ Spare Ribs.

Saigon Spring Rolls

BBQ Spare Ribs

And then the NYer had wonton soup.

Wonton Soup

We shared the Pad Thai Chicken and the Mongolian Beef entrees.

Chicken Pad Thai

Mongolian Beef

And finally we split a Strawberry Bubble Tea. (We had never had Bubble tea before this.)

The Raleigh-ite– I personally LOVE Asian Fusion cuisine and this was fairly good. It’s no Mura (also located in the North Hills shopping center) but it’s less expensive and better for a weeknight. The spring rolls were light and I loved the peanut sauce they were served with. The BBQ spare ribs weren’t quite as tender as I expected, but they were served with a good duck sauce, so they were tasty. Spring Rolls’ “Famous Pad Thai” has very thin rice noodles and was good, but the flavor was semi-lackluster. I prefer Champa’s Thai food. I topped it with some soy sauce, and that gave it just the flavor pick me up it needed. The Mongolian Beef had great flavor, and I loved the onions it came with. I’ve never had Bubble Tea before and I wasn’t impressed with the one we had here. So I’m not sure if I don’t love Bubble Tea or if I don’t love the Bubble Tea from Spring Rolls. We told our very helpful waiter not to add any sugar to it, so I’m not sure if that would have made it better. We had a great waiter, but we were one of only 5 occupied tables on a Monday night.

The NYer- Spring Rolls has a nice atmosphere in North Hills. Great tasting Wonton Soup. Flavorful Pad Thai. Seems like a big menu with plenty of choices. Service was excellent.

If you love Chinese, try Five Star.

Do Over? Definitely. It’s the right price for a weeknight meal, especially with the living social deal I purchased.

11/2- We ordered- Saigon Spring Rolls, BBQ Spare Ribs, Wonton Soup, Strawberry Bubble Tea, Pad Thai Chicken, Mongolian Beef, 1 Diet Coke. Total : $50.50 (We had $30 off of this price)

Waraji Restaurant Review

eat2winraleigh — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 22:19:40 +0000

Raleigh Restaurant Review
Waraji 5910 Duraleigh Rd, Raleigh
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Waraji is located off Duraleigh road in North Raleigh near the intersection of Duraleigh road and Glenwood avenue.

The New Yorker- Good sushi. Fresh. Like the shrimp tempura roll and beef negimaki. Still prefer Sono/Mura for sushi.

The Raleigh-ite – Waraji is a good place to go for takeout, or if you don’t feel like getting dressed up but want decent sushi. We ate Waraji last night and sat at the sushi bar. The restaurant is kinda small but does have some traditional Japanese seating. The sushi chef was very friendly and attentive along with the waitress. The spider roll was kinda mushy but the shrimp tempura was flavorful with the right texture. I prefer simple rolls here.

Do over? We would eat Waraji again if we are in the area and don’t feel like dressing up or driving far. But, we prefer Sono or Mura for sushi. Or, if you are in the North Raleigh area, Champa Thai and Sushi.

8/14/2009- We ordered Kirin light 22 oz, Diet Pepsi, Beef Negimaki, Shrimp Tempura roll, Spider roll, Mary roll, Hurricane roll. Total: $53.30

Sushi Thai Cary Restaurant Review

eat2winraleigh — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 01:20:27 +0000

Raleigh Restaurant Review
Sushi Thai 106 Kilmayne Dr, Cary
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Sushi Thai Cary is located in a shopping center near the intersection of Kildaire Farm road and Maynard road in Cary.

The New Yorker – If you like sushi do not eat at Sushi Thai. The spicy mayo wasn’t good. Salmon was too slimy. Way over priced. The dragon roll and philly roll were edible, the spider roll and the crunch roll were not. The gyoza was OK. We won’t be eating at Sushi Thai again. Champa Thai and Sushi kicks Sushi Thai’s butt!

The Raleigh-ite – The spider roll tasted way funny- probably the worst spider roll I’ve ever had. The dragon roll was ok, but also one of the worst I’ve ever eaten. I would eat the gyoza’s again but thats about it. We ate the food, but looking back–I kinda wish we hadn’t. The philly roll was OK but I took the salmon off the top because it didn’t taste right.

Do over? We would maybe go again to try the Thai at Sushi Thai, to give them the benefit of the doubt, but won’t be eating the sushi again. For sushi we like Sono, Mura and Sushi Blues. Also, there are better Cary restaurants near this location like Los Tres Magueyes and Yuri Japanese Restaurant.

7/26/2009- We ordered: gyoza appetizer, spider roll, dragon roll, crunch roll, philly roll. Total: $46

Wasabi Restaurant Review

eat2winraleigh — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 17:37:49 +0000

Raleigh Restaurant Review
Wasabi 107 Edinburgh South, Cary
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Wasabi is located in MacGregor Village off Tryon road in Cary. Wasabi is a small restaurant with simple decor.

The New Yorker – Wasabi is OK. I had the sashimi platter. Decent spicy mayo.

The Raleigh-ite – Wasabi is good for a lunch sushi place. We ate the Beauty & the Beast roll along with a philly bagel roll. The Beauty & the Beast roll is decent, but when we ate here it was mushy. It’s hard to compete with Sono’s lunch deal especially since the sushi doesn’t compare.

Do over? We would go to Wasabi again if we were standing next to it, or if we were in a jam and in the vicinity in Cary. Our go-to sushi restaurant in Cary is Yuri.

Mura Restaurant Review

eat2winraleigh — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 02:28:57 +0000

Raleigh Restaurant Review
Mura 4121 Main at North Hills St, Raleigh
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Mura is located in the North Hills shopping center in North Raleigh.

Handmade Gyoza

The New Yorker – In my opinion, there are only two sushi restaurants in Raleigh: Sono and Mura. Mura has fantastic sushi rolls and great spicy mayo. The Gyoza appetizer is just the right texture with great spice. The Red Snapper Carpaccio appetizer is very fresh snapper, but is kind of bland, lacking a distinctive taste.

The Raleigh-ite -I LOVE the sushi at Mura. Great atmosphere–chic decor. There are 4 private rooms inside, a dining area, tables outside and a bar area with flat screen tvs. Mura is a classy setting for a great meal. We ate outside and it was so nice, right next to a fountain. Beautiful restaurant indoors also. The menu has lots of options. The Screaming O is a must order in terms of rolls; the spicy tuna crunch roll is great also.

Do Over? We could easily eat at Mura 3 times a week. If this restaurant wasn’t 15 minutes away from where we live in Cary, we would probably drive an hour each way just to eat this sushi. Mura is definitely one of the best restaurants in Raleigh!

Mura & Sono are sister restaurants.

7/3/2009- We ordered: 4 Kirin lights, 1 Firecracker shrimp app, 1 Beef Tataki small plate, 1 Ahi Tuna salad, 1 Dragon Roll, 1 Screaming O roll. Total: $75.43

8/18/2009- We ordered: 1 glass of riesling, 1 diet Pepsi, 1 Gyoza appetizer, 1 Red Snapper Carpaccio appetizer, 1 Spicy Tempura roll, 1 Spider roll, 1 Screaming O roll. Total: $58.85

10/2/2009- We ordered (for takeout): 1 seaweed salad, 1 Gyoza appetizer, 1 Screaming O roll, 1 Spicy Tempura roll, 1 Tempura Vegetable roll, 1 Dancing Eel roll. Total: $59

Sono Restaurant Review

eat2winraleigh — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 05:18:20 +0000

Raleigh Restaurant Review
Sono 319 Fayetteville Street Mall, Raleigh
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Sono is located on the Fayetteville Street Mall in downtown Raleigh.

The New Yorker- Great spicy mayo. Great special rolls choices. Tuna Tartare appetizer is great along with the Screaming O roll.

The Raleigh-ite - Sono has EXCELLENT sushi. INSANE lunch deal- 2 special rolls for $14! All the special rolls are great. Great date atmosphere at night. Valet parking. Sono’s Chilean Sea Bass entree is the best Chilean Sea Bass I’ve ever had. THE. BEST. I’VE. EVER. HAD.

Mura (North Raleigh) & Sono (downtown Raleigh) are sister restaurants. They have different menus but there are similarities and some common dishes.

Highly Recommend: Screaming O Roll.

Do over? Sono is so good we drive downtown just for lunch when we have the chance even though we work in Cary. Sono is definitely one of the best restaurants in Raleigh!

7/7/09: We ate here for lunch and ordered: 1 screaming O roll, 1 spicy tuna crunch roll, 1 tempura vegetable roll, 1 diet pepsi. Total : $27.43 BEST LUNCH DEAL IN TOWN

Sono has a $25 fixed priced menu deal on Mondays that I think would be great to try!

Yoho Asian Bistro Restaurant Review

eat2winraleigh — Fri, 01 May 2009 20:08:35 +0000

Raleigh Restaurant Review
Yoho Asian Bistro 2020 Boulderstone Way, Cary
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Yoho Asian Bistro restaurant is located in the Tryon village shopping center in Cary across from Ruckus Pizza.

The New Yorker – Not impresse with Yoho Asian Bistro. At least we ate. Definitely take a fork–gotta find a way to lose less at this restaurant! Below average compared to NY sushi/Chinese.

The Raleigh-ite – Only reason I ever go here is if I’m hungry and the only other option is fast food. I have gotten some takeout sushi rolls from Yoho where I have thrown out the entire roll after one bite. The sweet potato roll is decent.

Do over? If we are starving and don’t want fast food we will eat at Yoho again, but will be very selective with the menu.

Sushi Blues

eat2winraleigh — Fri, 01 May 2009 20:03:14 +0000

Raleigh Restaurant Review
Sushi Blues 301 Glenwood Avenue, Raleigh
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Sushi Blues is located in downtown Raleigh on Glenwood Ave.

The New Yorker – Nice Bar. Trendy. Good Sushi. Good spicy mayo.

The Raleigh-ite – Sushi Blue’s has great sushi. Pain to find parking in this location downtown. LOVE the wolfpack roll. Great place to go as couples, or with the girlfriends. If I could get takeout here, without having to park away from the building and walk, I would get it constantly. As it is, whenever the New Yorker is out of town–I make the trek to Sushi Blue’s for a great takeout meal

Do over? Sushi Blues is one of our go-to” places for dinner and drinks before going out in downtown Raleigh. After you eat here, make sure you visit The Cupcake Shoppe for dessert!

9/25/09- We ordered: 1 diet coke, 1 bagel roll, 1 spider roll, 1 wolfpack roll, 1 shrimp tempura roll. Total: $36

Red Bowl Asian Bistro Review

eat2winraleigh — Fri, 01 May 2009 05:21:41 +0000

Raleigh Restaurant Review
Red Bowl Asian Bistro 2020 Boulderstone Way, Raleigh
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Red Bowl Asian Bistro is located on the corner of High House road and Davis drive in Cary.

The New Yorker – The Hibachi at Red Bowl is OK–MUCH better than the sushi. Red bowl is a breakeven situation if you go for Chinese/Japanese entrees, lose less if you go for sushi. Below average sushi compared to NY.

The Raleigh-ite – The service was great in that the manager was willing to accommodate a special menu request. However, our waiter was confused by our request due to his rough English.

Red Bowl is an OK place to go to for an Asian meal, but I prefer Sono for sushi, Champa for Thai and Five Star for Chinese.

Do over? It takes us about 15 minutes to get to Red Bowl in Cary so we probably won’t be back unless we are in the area because nothing really “wow”-ed us. And to be honest-we’d rather spend our money on a better meal.

5/1/2009- We ordered: 1 soft drink, 1 salad, 1 Snow Mountain Roll, 1 Ichiban Roll, 1 Asahi Roll, 2 pieces of Salmon. Total Bill : $56