Ekimae proves Bloomington has decent sushi

In the first restaurant review I did for the IDS, I wrote about Japanese food at one of the few local restaurants that serves that particular cuisine. This week, I revisited Japanese food at the Ekimae Japanese Restaurant.\nHaving had mixed feeling about the last Japanese restaurant in town, I tried to prepare myself for a similar experience.\nTo my knowledge, it is difficult to get the necessary ingredients to prepare quality sushi in Bloomington, so the selection and quality is limited. In comparison to the other two restaurants I know (Mikado and Domo), I would recommend Ekimae.\nThe atmosphere of Ekimae is intimate and comfortable. The art and trinkets on the walls, while seemingly commonplace, evoked a feeling of a family-run business.\nBesides tables and chairs, there was a traditional Japanese tea room where one would have to sit on the floor and remove his or her shoes during the meal. Having that option was nice.\nI chose to sample the assorted Sashimi appetizer. Having grown up with long-established Indianapolis businesses, I have short patience when it comes to the quality of sushi.\nBriefly, sushi actually refers to the rice preparation. Sushi is a unique and time consuming method of preparing rice in such a way and at such a temperature that it is sticky and easy to work with. The fish is only part of the puzzle.\nFish must be at sushi grade in order for it to be edible raw. There is usually a fine line between proper sushi fish and border line sushi grade fish.\nEkimae and its sashimi platter (slices of assorted raw fish) surprised me. The tuna was tasty and easy to eat. The white fish and salmon had one piece that was questionable, and the octopus was a little too chewy. Nevertheless, for the price ($6.95), it was worth it.\nAs far as the dinners, Ekimae offers a wide variety from sushi to hot dinners, noodles to a whole list of vegetarian menu choices. Prices range from $7.95 to $13.95, but provide a lot of meal for the money. \nMy companion chose the Beef Teriyaki ($10.95) and I chose that night's special ($11.95). Both dinners came with a bowl of rice, miso soup and a salad. My dinner had a chicken teriyaki breast and 4 pieces of nigiri sushi ' a ball of rice with a piece of fish atop. \nIt also included a mixed platter of shrimp and vegetable tempura -- Japanese deep fried vegetables and shrimp -- and a four-piece California roll made of avocado, cucumber and crab rolled in rice and seaweed. The beef teriyaki was a 10-ounce New York strip steak thinly sliced and marinated in teriyaki sauce.\nThe beef was very tender and tasty (and was indeed prepared medium as my companion ordered it), but it was fatty as well, and much of the steak was cut away. My companion enjoyed her rice, miso soup and pineapple juice, but we both agreed that the salad needed some work. The dressing was nothing special, and the lettuce used was not carefully chosen as I have seen in many other local restaurants.\nIn my meal, the chicken teriyaki was wonderful and tender. The tempura was nicely assorted and came with a hearty dipping sauce. It did not seem to be fresh out of the fryer, but it was crispy. The sushi continued where the sashimi left off. The tuna and salmon were the best, and the white fish remained neutral.\nAt the end of the meal, little remained, but we were both stuffed. We decided to sample the two different ice creams they offered -- green tea and mandarin orange. Halfway through, we decided we liked each other's choice more and switched. I love green tea ice cream. And Ekimae's was nice with its one scoop served in a traditional ice cream cup with a cherry on top. The mandarin orange ice cream was served with pieces of mandarin orange and made a nice finish to a quaint, worthwhile meal.\nOur server was very nice and was willing to explain what different menu items were. Once again, more than Domo and Mikado, Ekimae delivered a palate-pleasing aesthetic experience that I might actually go back to, if I can't get to Indianapolis.