(To the tune of “Home on the Range”)
Oh, give me a home, where spider rolls roam
Where temaki and tempura reign,
Where special lunch dishes, include all sorts of fishes
And waiters explain sushi names.

OK, Little Sushi on the Prairie has a catchy name. But the restaurant also boasts a great selection of sushi offered in a low-key suburban setting.
Brightly-colored aquatic murals cover walls in the dining room, where friends gather to sip wine, beer or sake and enjoy Japanese fare. Meanwhile, people pony-up to the sushi bar and watch as their orders are expertly prepared before them.

While they’re serious about sushi, servers are novice-friendly to people new to the cuisine or who have tried Westernized rolls, like the California roll ($6), and want to branch out.

Owner Tom Thoj of St. Paul said Little Sushi’s sole location has introduced Japanese cuisine to Eden Prairie residents and others since May 2002.
Thoj took over as owner in July 2004, but says that head chef Lor Yang and the rest of the crew remain the same. “This is kind of a family-owned place,” Thoj explained.

He has seen an increase in the interest in Japanese dining since the business opened.

“It’s catching on definitely. It’s becoming more mainstream. The sushi business in the Twin Cities has definitely grown in the last four years,” he said. “I think that’s one of the things we take a lot of pride in, is introducing the cuisine to people.”

While dining at the restaurant, a very patient server walked our table through the menu, echoing Thoj’s comment.

He took time to explain that sashimi is served as a piece of thinly sliced, raw seafood. Some popular types are tuna ($4.95), mackerel ($4.25), and squid ($4.50), each with two pieces per order.

Nigiri, the waiter explained, is sashimi served on top of a small ball of sushi rice. He pointed us toward a chart located on our table with photos of the different menu options.

But for beginners, he suggested first trying cooked sushi, which isn’t an oxymoron.

Sushi is the term for vinegar rice served with the fish, not the raw fish itself.
Thoj said the rice and vinegar used at the restaurant is one thing that sets its sushi apart.

“One of the biggest things for sushi is rice and the quality of vinegar used for the rice. All of our ingredients we import from Japan,” he said. “We try to be very authentic with our ingredients, even though all of our rolls are Westernized. You can definitely taste the difference.”

Cooked sushi rolls (or maki) include California rolls with cooked crab meat and crunchy rolls ($12) with shrimp tempura.

The restaurant’s signature dish, the Little Sushi roll, includes seven pieces of nigiri and a California roll platter ($15).

The menu also contains a number of appetizers from gyoza, steam-fried Japanese dumplings ($5.50), to asparagus sautéed with onions in ginger sauce ($5).

If the Midwesterner in your group just can’t get used to the idea of sushi, entrees are the way to go.

Tempura items are battered and served with rice and soup or salad ($12-18) and teriyaki entrees, like salmon, chicken and steak teriyaki ($13-15), offer a counterpoint.

Ginger, green tea, mango, and red bean ice cream--yes, red bean--($3.50) is available to cap off a meal. Or, spring for the Tempura fried ice cream ($5).

Joanna Miller is a staff writer at the Prior Lake American. She can be reached at jmiller@swpub.com.

Little Sushi on the Prairie
http://www.littlesushiontheprairie.com
8353 Crystal View Rd., Eden Prairie
(952) 944 – 0962