Naperville's Shinto spotlights specialty sushi
It's in a strip mall, and it feels like it. But touches like a meandering fountain - complete with see-through floor panel - cloudlike ceiling installations and high-energy tunes aim to transport diners at Shinto Japanese Steakhouse & Sushi Bar in Naperville.
Divided into three parts - an elevated dining area to the right, a circular, central bar fronting a proper sushi bar in back and a large hibachi section to the left - Shinto has a warehouse feel. Fortunately, friendly service helps soften the edges.
When we dined, it made sense to go the hibachi route (the full menu can be ordered on that side). Needless to say, all the tricks of the trade play out: the egg in the hat, the clanging knives - even a pretend bottle of soy sauce that squirts for "laughs." In short, this is the kind of place kids (and easily amused adults) will love.
The menu is huge, almost dauntingly so, with usual suspects like shumai and shrimp, scallop, calamari or vegetable tempura as well as yakitori and gyoza. We took to the avocado tempura wedges. Topped with spicy tuna, battered and flash-fried and drizzled with eel sauce, they were a bit different and surprisingly light (if you ignore the whole calorie thing).
There are salads - from seaweed to sweet, tangy sunomono - and that requisite iceberg doused in ginger dressing. Looking for beef broth soup with mushrooms and crispy onions? You'll find it here.
Sushi purists won't be left wanting since all standards are represented. But the emphasis, really, is on specialty maki. We went with the lobster roll (it's tempura-fried and rolled with cucumber and daikon in soy paper with lemon sauce) as well as the lots-going-on Mexican with shrimp tempura, crab, cream cheese, green onions, avocado and cucumber topped with barbecued eel and tempura crumbs. For these six- to-eight-piece numbers, you'll pay up to $18, but that's really the going rate. The seafood is fresh, and the flavors are just wacky enough to work.
When it comes to the tabletop-cooked hibachi dinners, it can be hard to narrow your order down. Know you can get your standard shrimp and scallops, chicken teriyaki and strip steak-type selections as well as lemon-teriyaki swordfish, teriyaki-glazed sushi-grade white tuna and Kobe beef. We kept it simple and ordered the mushroom-smothered filet and sesame seed-topped chicken combo. Here, the accompanying veggies are topped with herb butter, and the shrimp appetizer is flambéed.
For the most part, everything was fine, if not quite fabulous. We'd recommend steering clear of the udon noodles, however, as they were overcooked and zapped with a cloying sauce.
If you save room for dessert (it's safe to assume few people do), order the pound cake-wrapped, tempura-fried vanilla ice cream or the tempura-fried banana with chocolate, vanilla or green tea ice cream. And, yes, there's mochi, too.
Not to be outdone by competitors, the bar component is taken seriously, making this a logical place to come after work. There are plenty of wines and sakes, while specialty martinis hover near two dozen. Cocktails, in turn, take a semi-seasonal approach. Fortunately, there's an affordable after-hours bar menu so boozing doesn't get the best of you.
Shinto Japanese Steakhouse & Sushi Bar
Info: 1778 N. Aurora Road, Suite 108, Naperville, (630) 637-8899, www.shintoexperience.com
Cuisine: Hibachi, sushi and Japanese
Setting: High-energy with a lounge-y feel
Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, noon to 11 p.m. Saturday and 2 to 9 p.m. Sunday
Price Range: Appetizers $4 to $26; nigiri and sashimi $4 to $7; maki $4 to $18; hibachi dinners $17 to $46; desserts $3.50 to $6
Credit Cards: Major credit cards