Hana Japanese Eatery

Hana Japanese Eatery
5524 N 7th Ave
Phoenix, AZ 85013
Hana Japanese Eatery 
602-973-1238
Tuesday - Thursday 11 am - 2:30 pm / 5 pm - 9 pm
Friday 11 am - 2:30 pm / 5 pm - 10 pm
Saturday 5 pm - 10 pm Sunday 5 pm - 9 pm

 This gem is located North of Missouri on 7th Ave in Phoenix on the Northwest corner.  

The restaurant opens promptly at 5 pm for dinner and I was greeted by some of the most friendly wait staff that I have encountered in a while. 


I met with owner Lori Hashimoto, a Tempe native who opened the restaurant with friend Lynn Becker on April 24th 2007.  The restaurant is operated by Lori's family; Her brother Rick is the head sushi chef, her stepfather, Kazuto Kishino, is the executive chef.  New dishes are designed and created by her mother, Kay Kishino. 


Lori and I spoke for quite a while during my visit and I have to say, it was extremely pleasant.  I felt immediately accepted and welcome, which is very rare these days.  

Lori and her family are extremely passionate about food which is great because I am too!  Not only did she grow up on a vegetable farm in Phoenix, her family has a huge food/restaurant background.  I asked Lori what her favorite thing about owning a restaurant was and she said, "Seeing people experiencing new things and seeing the sense of satisfaction on their face."  She got both of those from me during my visit.  

Maintaining my rules, I asked Lori what her favorite dish is.  She responded with, "Blue Fin Tuna Toro sashimi."  Unfortunately, they were out of that.  So, I got the next best thing: Gyu Don Nabe.  
Gyu Don Nabe is utterly delicious.  It features New York strip steak sliced super thin, Small Shittake mushrooms, tofu, greens, and Sake/Soy sauce broth.  It's all steamed and cooked together in black ceramic pot and IS the best thing since sliced bread.

Gyu Don Nabe

 The next item I was pretty much forced to try (not really) was the Abalone.  Ok, here's the deal with abalone, if you're not familiar (I wasn't).  Abalone is a shell fish that is somewhat rare.  Back in the 80s and 90s abalone was pretty much wiped out by consumption and various diseases.  Nowadays, they are primarily farmed raised but take FOREVER to grow, hence the rarity.  Lori told me that someone came into Hana and said they hadn't seen abalone on a menu since the 80s.  Well.  I got to try one.  BOOM in ya face!  The way Kazuto prepares the abalone for delicious consumption is like this:  Shuck the top shell, wrap said shell in the thick leafy part of seaweed, coat wrapped shell in 600,000 layers of salt and cook in the oven.  The end result is a mixture of Heaven, unicorns, shellfish, awesomeness, lightning, and glory.  The taste is that of scallops but better.  The texture is firm yet tender.  I can't believe I actually got to eat this.

The abalone shell hidden under salt.

The waitress removing the protective layer of seaweed.

The Goods

A plum/ponzu/secret ingredient sauce.  To die for.

I also ordered their Caterpillar roll.  It's my favorite roll and it definitely did not disappoint.  It was hand crafted by Lori and it topped everything off!

 

Now, the icing on the cake was something I never expected.  I got to eat real, honest to God, actual wasabi.  Not the green, wannabe, avacado, horseradish with food coloring crap.  I'm talking expensive, rare, slap you in the face, REAL wasabi.  It was AMAZING and I was honored to get some.  Very tasty!

REAL Wasabi.  Haters gon' hate.

Sticking with the philosophy that "food is universal," Lori and her family have created a restaurant that is very relaxed, warm, and welcoming to any and every one.  The music is on a nice satellite radio mix and the decor is very stylish!  The food wins awards like it's no one's business:


2007- Phoenix Magazine Best New Restaurant
2008, 2009, 2010 - AZ Republic Critics' Choice Best Sushi
2008 - Phoenix New Times Best Photo Op
2009 - Phoenix Magazine Destination Restaurant Central Phoenix
2010 - Phoenix New Times Best of Phoenix Best Sushi


They are also in the media about every 3 months for reviews and awards.
Lori and her family recently put on an event to benefit the relief efforts in Japan called Rolling for Japan.  They raised $7000 in 3 hours for the American Red Cross and served 11 courses of food to 300 people!


I was pleasantly surprised with this whole experience.  I definitely thought I was going to be trying a bunch of different sushi rolls that were not-on-the-menu specials or some crazy seafood dishes that I've never heard of but it was the exact opposite.  The whole visit was one I will never forget and I want to thank Lori for taking the time to talk with me.  I will absolutely be back.  I've found my new favorite sushi place!  

Still Here!

Hey all!!


Don't worry, I am still here!  I am planning on doing an interview this Thursday and should have a new blog post by Friday.  I am not saying where I will be conducting the interview but I will say it is my favorite type of food: Japanese! 

Stay tuned!!

Holidays

I just wanted to take the time and say that I still haven't given up!!  I decided that during the holidays I am going to take a break with setting up meetings and whatnot.  So with that being said: I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! 

I am still taking recommendations on restaurants, however.  So if you know of any, let me know!

FEZ

FEZ
3815 N Central Ave
Phoenix, AZ 85019
602.287.8700
fezoncentral.com

A "Moroccan with a twist" themed restaurant located right on Central Avenue in the heart of Downtown Phoenix.  The home to a mix of art, music, amazing food, people of all walks of life, and the legendary FEZ Burger.

I met with co-owner Mark Howard; a very friendly, enthusiastic and well spoken Arizona native.  Mark, along with two friends Tom Jetland and Mark Dillon, opened FEZ in October 2005.  When asked what inspired him to open a restaurant after being a teacher and while being an ad agency executive, his response, "I wanted a new challenge!"  He wanted to provide customers with a relaxing, fun, and inexpensive place to eat and let me tell you, he has.  The atmosphere is artsy and modern but not overwhelming to the point where it feels snooty or out of place.   The staff are all very friendly and welcoming and are very knowledgeable.  According to Mark, 5 out of the 20 employees at FEZ have been there since its conception!

The food?  TO DIE FOR


Following the theme of Moroccan with a twist, Chef John Cook has added a Moroccan flair to well known dishes.  Everything on the menu sounds absolutely amazing but I had to stick to my rules:  The owners favorite dish, the best selling dish, and signature drink.

Mark's favorite thing on the menu:  The Balsamic Blu Cheese Burger

A burger with a balsamic glaze, blu cheese crumbles, and some sort of amazing sauce.  The side salad has a dressing on it that is unlike anything I've ever had.  I'm not sure what it is but holy smokes it's good!  The ciabatta bread is perfectly toasted and seasoned as well.

 The best selling dish:  The FEZ Kisra* 

a flat bread pizza with BBQ sauce instead of tomato sauce, pears and cheese.  It sounds funky but it is wonderfully delicious.

Signature Drink:  Pomegranate Margarita**

FEZ is known for making STRONG drinks.  You definitely get your money's worth here.

*The Kisra is probably the second best selling dish but because Tay was with me and she doesn't eat meat, she went with that one.  It does normally come with chicken we just got it without.

**The Pom Margarita is one of the signature drinks.  The actual signature drink is the G-Spot which is basically a grapefruit martini with a ton of grapefruit.  I can't drink grapefruit juice so I went with this one.

We also had the hummus and flat bread for an appetizer. 

If you go, you MUST get this.  I have never had anything better in my life.  Honestly. 

Coincidentally, my younger sister and her friend showed up just as Tay and I were finishing our meal!  Amy got another kisra that had pesto for sauce, tomatoes and this amazing cheese:

Amy's friend Meranda got the legendary FEZ Burger!  It's got onion rings and another amazing sauce 

I talked to Mark for quite a while in our interview.  He is very friendly and really cares about the community.  He told me that FEZ participates in the Annual Dining Out For Life charity which benefits HIV/AIDS research and awareness.  On that day, FEZ donates 100% of their earnings to benefit local HIV/AIDS research.  According to Mark, they contribute the most out of any restaurant on that day.  They are also very big on doing fund raisers for other organizations.

Being that vegetarian, vegan, organic and local options are huge right now I had to ask Mark about how FEZ accommodates those needs.  FEZ is big on being able to make whatever the customer needs, within reason.  They have many items that are already vegetarian and other dishes that can be made vegetarian and even vegan.  On the issue of being local, he said that they try to be as local as possible.  There are alot of factors to take into consideration when buying local as opposed to out of state, most importantly: cost.  I completely understand these concerns and respect the decision to buy local as much as they can.

Mark is also big on not drastically changing the items that are on the menu.  He said "If you're known for that dish or people really like something you offer, why take it away?"  I really appreciate that about this place.  I have been here a few times in the past and it's good to know that I can come back anytime and still get their amazing hummus and awesome burgers.  Mark said that they still have monthly specials so that there is some "new-ness" available but don't expect the specials to last long.  Apparently after one week of a special being on the menu, it's already sold out.

I want to thank Mark Howard for taking the time out of his busy day to sit and talk with Tay and I for a while.  Mark also owns Bliss/Rebar which are a restaurant and bar, respectively.  Be on the lookout for a review of those as well.

Working

Don't worry I haven't given up yet LOL

I am working on two interviews with two different restaurants.  Hopefully they will happen sometime next week.  

I'm not going to tell what two restaurants just yet....you'll have to wait and see.

In the meantime, I am still looking for more recommendations so please let me know!  The more "unheard of" the better.  I want places that nobody else knows about!

Let's Get Started

Here's the deal:

I love food.  I'll say it until the day I die.  

But more than food, I love people.  I like talking to people, listening to stories, hearing opinions, learning about them, etc. 

So the plan is this:  I want to learn about the people that own/run locally owned restaurants.  I want to hear their stories, hear their opinions, follow their recommendations, and support their business.

I plan to setup interviews with the owners as I try out their top two best selling menu items and any specialty drinks they offer and then write about my experience.  I want to be as positive as possible even if the experience wasn't that positive.

I hope to promote these locally owned companies and just learn more about the people in my community.  And eat some amazing food.

If you have any suggestions of restaurants for me to try, let me know!  I am open to any kind of food and am willing to travel anywhere in Arizona to try it out.