Japanese restaurant Tallahassee
If you think it’s impossible to find a great Japanese restaurant in Tallahassee, please think again. From downtown Tallahassee, you can take E. Jefferson St. toward So. Monroe. Turn right at Monroe, then hang a right on E. Tennessee St. This will put you in the neighborhood of Japanica Restaurant at 3111 Mahan St. Here they serve all your Asian favorites, including sushi, hibachi and tempura.
Some dishes typically served at a Japanese restaurant
In Tallahassee, Japanese food is not as well known as, say, Mexican or Italian cuisine. Everybody knows about spaghetti, but not every Floridian is familiar with Asian dishes such as sushi, sashimi, and tempura. In the interest of expanding your culinary vision, Japanica Steakhouse is pleased to present an easy explanation of some typical menu items at a Japanese restaurant in Tallahassee.
Because these two terms are similar, many people conflate sashimi with sushi. While they may indeed share an ingredient or two, they are not the same.
Sushi refers to vinegared rice, and it can come in many forms. Hand-pressed Nigiri sushi is mounds of sticky vinegared rice that are typically seasoned with thin slices of ginger root, a dab of wasabi horseradish and soy sauce. Tuna (maguro), Shrimp (Ebi) and yellowtail (hamachi) are favorite nigiri toppings. Seaweed-wrapped sushi rice with other fillings is known as norimaki or just maki sushi. Kappamaki are cucumber-filled, seaweed-wrapped sushi rolls. Inari sushi is tofu pouches stuffed with vinegared rice before being deep-fried. Typically brown and triangular or oval-shaped, Inari may be dipped into soy sauce (shoyu). California roll with avocado, cucumber, and ersatz crab are yummy treats that even newcomers to Japanese cuisine enjoy.
Sashimi means raw meat and can refer to fish or beef. Very fresh, thinly sliced sashimi may be placed atop any sushi you might order at a Japanese restaurant in Tallahassee. Some of the most popular types of sashimi are:
- Salmon (Sake)
- Fatty tuna (Otoro)
- Mackerel (Saba)
- Octopus (Tako)
- Shark (Mako)
- Shrimp (Ebi)
- Sea urchin (Uni)
- Scallop (Hotate-Gai)
- Squid (Ika)
What in the world is tempura?
While perusing the menu at a Japanese restaurant in Tallahassee, you’re sure to come across at least one dish called tempura. Instead of defining the ingredients the way sushi means vinegared rice and sashimi means fresh raw sliced meat, the word tempura explains the preparation and cooking process. Any dish called tempura involves battering and frying in the manner of fritters. According to Trip Advisor, tempura dishes originated in 16th century Japan. Typical tempura includes fried sliced vegetables, chunks of beef or whole shrimp. At Japanica Steakhouse Japanese restaurant in Tallahassee, you can sample an excellent selection of tempura, including chicken tempura, tonkatsu style pork tempura and crispy chicken tempura, too.
You don’t need a reservation to dine at Japanica Steakhouse. Find our Japanese restaurant in Tallahassee at 3111 Mahan Drive. For dining hours and driving directions, please call (850) 656-9888.