There’s More to the Suburbs than Olive Garden

I have a confession to make.

I live in the suburbs…and I like it.

Gasp!  I know, I know!  Can you imagine?  Oh, the horror of it all!  To live in the suburbs with all those mini vans, soccer moms, and Olive Gardens!

Well, now that we’ve gotten that out of our system, I would like to take on the daunting task of showing you that there is more to eat in the suburbs than Olive Garden!  Though, I would like to point out that almost all of my city friends ask to go to Olive Garden when they venture out this way.  I’m just sayin’…

Since the suburbs are copious and widespread, and there are more delicious restaurants than can feasibly fit into one post, this will only be a smattering of what we suburbanites have to offer in terms of tasty cuisine.  For this post, I had intended on focusing on Asian restaurants, but even that got a little out of hand.  So, for now, we’ll just chat about my favorite Japanese restaurants in the area.

Japanese food is far and away my favorite Asian cuisine.  Lucky for me, I have some of my all-time favorite Japanese restaurants just minutes from my house…

Sushi Cafe:

Located in South Elgin, Sushi Cafe easily became my absolute favorite place to go for sushi.  Now, it should be pointed out that I’m a fan of “fake” sushi.  I love California Rolls, Shrimp Tempura rolls, and…well that’s about it.  My husband, however, likes all the other stuff, so we’ve tasted our fair share of goodness at Sushi Cafe.  If you are a fan of California Rolls, I cannot say enough good things about the Spicy California Crunch Roll.  To die for.  My husband is a big unagi fan, and he loves the Chicago roll.  Overall, it’s a charming little sushi restaurant with big flavors and reasonable prices.

Swordfish & Wildfish:

Swordfish is located in Batavia, and it’s the only location that I’ve personally been to.  Wildfish has locations in Deerfield and Arlington Heights.  Swordfish is our favorite place to go for a special occasion dinner.  We’ve celebrated several of our anniversaries there.  It’s a hip, contemporary setting that features delicious sushi, as well as tasty main courses.  Generally, we stick to the sushi, but the tempura is lovely as well.  Swordfish also has an extensive wine menu.

JuRin:

JuRin has locations in Geneva and South Elgin, and both are excellent!  JuRin offers sushi, tempura, and tasty noodle dishes, but the real reason to go there is for the teppan-yaki grill.  While eating at the grill can get pricy, the food is delicious and the cooking is extremely entertaining.  This very friendly restaurant is our favorite place to go for family birthdays.  If you have a large group, I recommend getting a reservation, especially on the weekends.

So, there you have it!  There really is real food out here in the suburbs.  I hope that some of you city-folks will get your brave on, hop on the train, and journey out here to try some of these fabulous places.  I’ll even pick you up at the Metra station!

Original photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/98214568@N00/1848397061

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