Hana Japanese Eatery
I recently dropped by one of my favorite local, family owned and operated restaurants to warm my belly with delicious hot food. Why do I emphasize the word hot here? Well, This particular restaurant happens to be Hana Japanese eatery, my favorite place for sushi in Arizona. On this particular night, the mercury had dipped into the forties and I was in the mood for for something to counter the chill. I tweeted @HanaJapanese asking what was recommended and commented that i’d happily put my stomach into their hands. What followed was simply perfect.
Miso Ramen
A large, piping hot bowl of Miso Ramen soup was first brought to the table. Steam from the delicate, flavorful broth wafted into my nose causing my mouth to water. Generous amounts of ramen noodles paired with scallion, subtle spices and pork absolutely hit the spot. I thoroughly enjoyed the flavor, texture and warmth this lovely bowl of soup delivered and have since found myself craving more.
While doing damage to the aformentioned ramen, my server brought over a propane fired hibachi grill along with a tray of assorted vegetables and strips of raw steak. The grill was lighted and I was instructed to add the vegetables (asparagus, pumpkin, okra, long beans and portobello mushrooms) and then grill the meat to my desired temperature. Forget going to kitchy chains like Benihana or Sapporo where the show is more important than the food, grilling it yourself using quality ingredients and truly becoming a part of the experience is where it’s at! (not to mention, everyone seemed to be ooh-ing and ahh-ing at what was going on at my table adding to the over-all cool factor).
Hana Hibachi Steak
Hana Sauteed Lobster
While the miso ramen was warming and hit the spot and the Hana Hibachi steak couldn’t possibly have been better, it was the Hana Lobster sauté that really made my night. Tender chunks of well seasoned, perfectly sautéed lobster served with pieces of chopped asparagus lay before me begging to be snapped up by my eager chopsticks. I just ate and smiled, you have to order this dish and enjoy it to understand how good it really is.
I simply must mention the dessert here, green tea mochi in this case. I am at a rare lack of words to describe the texture of this little gem. Green tea ice cream encased in a flour and sweet rice dough that was firm, slippery, sweet and refreshing all at the same time. I hate using word like “delicious” to describe food because it doesnt really tell you anything about the experience but I will here because this mochi is a little weird, fanciful and yes, DELICIOUS!
Stop by Hana Japanese Eatery in Central Phoenix for simple, quality ingredients prepared lovingly and skillfully by a knowledgeable staff and remember something else important, while they will tempt your palate with a plethora of flavors and gladly fill your belly, the restaurant is strictly BYOB so if you like beer, sake or wine with your meal you’d better bring your own.
Green Tea Mochi
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4 Responses to “Hana Japanese Eatery”
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Looooooove. Hana!! Always go there for our date nights!!
We are coming tomorrow!!
Would love to hear what you have and what you think about it.
I have a hard time detouring from Hana’s sushi. My g/f LOVES their NY strip steak. She’s not a huge sushi fan and she was gushing over the steak when she had it. I’ve never tried the table-top hibachi. I enjoyed their ramen when I had it, but I usually hit Sushi Ken when I’m in a ramen mood. I like their greater variety of ramen flavors. When I want great sushi, though, Hana is really my only destination.
I’ve heard Sushi Ken several times,ight haveta investigate sometime in the near future, I’m a big fan of good Ramen. If your GF likes the Strip at Hana you should definitely do the Hibachi as it’s a great experience over-all. Also, there’s a ribeye tempura roll that ROCKS and is fish free… http://t.co/C95kzzux