Bites Nearby: Koban

Sushi is one of the hottest trends in dining.

Picky eaters and even some otherwise risqué seafood fanatics shy away from the seemingly slimy concoctions at first. However, quite frequently, upon that very first bite, these skeptics fall in love with a food that is abundantly rich in flavor, unique in form and nothing less than superior in content.

Koban Japanese Restaurant and Sushi Bar more than exemplifies these important and scrumptious qualities in each dish that the chef’s prepare.

Let’s head right to the heart of any sushi menu – the raw fish delights that diners love to dowse in soy sauce, roll up in slices of ginger and daintily dip into the tip of a ball of wasabi. Try a little bit of crisp and crunch with a spicy crunchy snow crab roll. Add your two favorite types of Japanese food together with either the chicken tempura or shrimp tempura roll.

Aside from your standard yellow tail scallion and fresh salmon rolls, specials are prevalent on the menu as well. The Nama Futomaki roll is comprised of tuna, fresh salmon, eel, ikura, shitake mushroom cucumber, spinach and yamagobo, while the Fireman Roll presents the flavors of cucumber and jalapeno pepper, black peppered tuna, wasabi mayo and spicy tuna.

Consider ordering one of the themed rolls, as the menu features the Summer Christmas Roll, Summer Halloween Roll and the Crazy KOBAN, which is the house specialty. Clearly, all tastes are met for both the daring and the not-so-daring sushi lover.

Complete meals allow a little bit of ease in the selection process, and the entrees also come with miso soup. Order the sushi for two on your next date, which features the appetizer of the day along with a variety of sushi pieces and rolls.

Perhaps you just happened upon Koban with a group of friends, but sushi is not really your style. There are hot dishes abound on the menu, with selections such as vegetable and tofu teriyaki, organic chicken with Japanese angel hair pasta, lobster tail tempura and filet mignon.

Another option is to give the roll part of sushi a try, without having to eat the raw fish. A section of vegetarian rolls presents raw fish foes with the cucumber roll, plum pasted mint leaf roll, pickled radish roll, vegetable tempura roll and other options friendly for this crowd.