Tags
#3, Ahi Tuna Tower, Asian food, celebration dinner, cucumbers, Dallas, date night, girls' night, Japanese, Kristin, Louisiana roll, multiple courses, Naan Sushi, restaurant review, saki, salmon, Uptown
Food lovers can’t help but love Groupon and Groupon-like coupons. It’s like getting paid to try new restaurants. Well, not exactly, but you certainly get a good discount. When Kristin offered her Groupon up one night, we jumped at it. She just got a great new job (apparently she’s quite exceptional at being a media producer…who knew 😉 and we were going out to celebrate…so it was totally appropriate that she paid. Just kidding, well almost, it was her Groupon and we split the rest, so it’s like she paid. She’s successful, so I don’t feel bad at all. Kristin, here’s your thank you (I’m not including the unappealing photo from the restaurant…I picked this one instead! 🙂
Naan Sushi is frequently on the DFW Groupon list. It’s located in Uptown in a trendy apartment area. Parking is limited and we parked a distance away at a meter; however, they do also have valet. Naan is no stranger to the Groupon, in fact, the server asked us if we had any coupons before we even placed our first drink order. Happy Hour (drinks and food) was coming to a close, but we still had time to order. We ordered the Ruby Crush, White Chocolate, and Tex Mex martinis.
Kristin and I ended up switching drinks because while she preferred the sweetness of the margarita-like martini, I enjoyed the Ruby Crush as it distinctly tasted more martini-like with a subtle sweetness. No one wanted the White Chocolate Martini. When Danny ordered it trying to be sweet and make sure I was able to taste all of the martinis on the happy hour menu, I couldn’t help but think to myself, “Don’t do it!”. Cool runny milkshake martinis are not something I enjoy. A frozen mudslide on the other hand in lieu of dessert….perhaps.
Kristin took the lead in ordering. We split it up into several courses and enjoyed food being brought our way for the duration of the evening. First, we had the Veggie Dumplings and Kristin mentioned that this was the first time she had them sautéed rather than steamed and that they tasted much better this way. I just smiled because of course they taste better sautéed …there are more calories 🙂
One of the best items of the evening was the Ahi Tuna Tower. It is a layered in a cylinder shape and includes rice, avocado paste, crab, spicy tuna, Japanese mayo, sriracha, and wasabi. The initial presentation is quite lovely but then they mix it all together in front of you.
Messy looking but SUPER SPICY GOOD! Not even a single piece of rice was left on the plate. I will be ordering this dish on every visit. Next, we were up to try a couple of sushi rolls and this was no easy task because there was an extensive list. Danny picked the Louisiana Roll and Kristin and I settled on the Baylor Bear Roll.
It was an obvious choice being that Baylor is both of our alma maters, not necessarily because we thought it would taste better than the Texas Tech Roll or the Texas A&M Roll. I think it would have been better had it not been swimming in sauce. Danny won this round; the spicy sauce on top of the deep fried crawfish roll won us all over.
A little saki and it was on to our main courses.
The Salmon Teriyaki was light and fresh and loaded with vegetables.
The Charbroiled Eel reminded me of sesame chicken, if chicken had a wiggly consistency. I don’t mind eating eel, I just wish it would not seem like I was devouring a squishy, worm-like creature. If the texture was more firm, like chicken….? No, I decided, I do not really want to eat eel if given a choice. There are just too many other things out there that I like better.
After the $60 Groupon was applied, we ended up splitting a bill of about $60 (for 3 of us). Happy Hour items and alcohol did not count towards the Groupon (just FYI for all of you out there holding one of these coupons). Any time you can play with chop sticks and enjoy a multiple course meal, I’d say it’s a night well spent. Naan Sushi is a great place to go on a date or just hang out with friends; it’s not too loud and good for conversation. The decor adds an upscale touch and if you’re looking to surprise someone special, this place will do the trick.
Congratulations on the new job, Kristin! I know we’ll have many more celebratory dinners in your future!
What to Order:
1. Ahi Tuna Tower
2. Louisiana Roll