We’ve all had a time in our lives when we remember trying something new for the first time. Some of it was good and some of it was bad. In this case, the first time I had sushi, like, legitimately tried sushi in Des Moines was at Sakari sushi lounge. Three of my closest buddies knew it was a cool, unique and healthy food item so we gave it a shot. I had ordered the Philly roll and got three pieces down and thought it was pretty awesome, then by the 4th and 5th piece I had thought too much about what I was eating.
I couldn’t do it.
Since then, I’ve gotten past the “fear” of eating sushi and have eaten a variety sushi styles throughout Des Moines’ sushi restaurants. I was eager to head back to the place where I had my first sushi.
It was my first time back since, I’d say, 2010.
Sakari Dinner
I walked into Sakari for a late meal. When I say late, I mean an 8:30pm dinner and this place was hoping like people had gotten off of work – heck maybe some of them had been there since after work.
The place was alive.
People were laughing, chatting, and just having a great night.
The bar area, which, since the last time I was there, had been renovated into a much larger one. It was full of sushi fans sipping on drinks and taking bites of sushi. It got me excited to sit down and eat some rolls and have a couple of drinks.
After grazing through the menu and the sheet you order the rolls from, I settled on two options. I ordered the Philly roll ($6) that I first had when I ventured into the sushi world. The second roll I ordered was called the Iowa Surf N Turf ($15).
You won’t believe this roll.
The Iowa Surf N Turf features jalapeno cream cheese, bacon wrapped shrimp tempura, avocado topped with seared ribeye, spicy mayo, unagi, scallion, and bacon crumble. Now that you finished the sentence, you’ve probably drooled all over the magazine. Ribeye on sushi? You gotta be kidding me, right? This piece of meat was sliced so thinly that it was just the right amount to catch a wonderful steak flavor with a full bite. It was even cooked medium rare. There was crunch, spice, tenderness and a heavenly flavor all packed into a beautiful 8 piece roll.
For a drink, I ordered a Crème Brule Martini. You’re right, that’s kind of goofy to go with sushi but you’ll forget about that when you drink this creamy goodness. Sakari’s Crème Brule Martini($7) has Smirnoff kissed caramel, Smirnoff Cinna-sugar and Smirnoff Vanilla vodkas. Throw in some Rumchata and a splash of pineapple juice and you’ve got a great cocktail. What’s a night out for sushi without a sake bomb?
I had one of those as well. It was quite refreshing.
Sakari had a great bomb they made up with Angry Orchard and Plum sake which, by the way, makes it a gluten-free sake bomb.
Sakari Overall
Sakari is a great place for happy hour sushi (5-7pm Monday – Friday) and to explore a wide variety of sushi options. If you haven’t tried sushi, give it a shot here. There are plenty of options to choose from and the staff will help you out. Keep trying it, piece by piece and soon you’ll be like me – a sushi loving Des Moines Foodster.
Visit Sakari:
2605 Ingersoll Avenue
Des Moines, Iowa 50312
515.288.3381
Lunch Hours
11-2pm Monday-Friday
Dinner Hours
5pm-10pm Monday-Saturday
Happy Hour Specials
Monday-Thursday
5-7 pm
$4.50 House Rolls
$2.50 Sake Bombs, Kirin Drafts, & Domestic Bottles
*Dine-In Only*
Header photo: source
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