Dancing Wasabi creates dazzling dish displays
Lauren Kaminsky
Contributing Writer
Newswire photo by Danielle Meiners
Dancing Wasabi brings exotic cusine to locals in Mount Lookout.
Located in the heart of Mt. Lookout Square, Dancing Wasabi has become well-known for its youthful atmosphere and sushi specials.
The restaurant slashes the prices on all sushi items in half after 10 p.m. each night and all day Wednesday and Thursday, bringing in hoards of customers.
A sucker for a good bargain and a huge fan of sushi, I couldn’t resist giving this place a try. I assembled a group of friends and headed out to take advantage of the Thursday night specials.
When we arrived just after 7 p.m., there were several people gathered on the sidewalk outside. Dancing Wasabi doesn’t take reservations, and the wait had already stretched to 45 minutes. No one seemed too concerned though, and many people sipped beer and wine as they waited for tables to vacate.
When our name was called we were ushered into a small, dimly lit dining room. Inside, tables lined the walls of the narrow space, leaving only a small aisle for waiters to maneuver. Our waiter made his way through the crowd to bring us large, brightly colored water glasses.
As soon as I opened the menu, I knew I would have a tough time deciding what to order. In addition to all the traditional sushi rolls, the restaurant offers a long list of chef’s special rolls bearing names like Crunch Munch and Fire Cracker. After much debate, I settled on a tuna roll and a caterpillar roll (eel and cucumber topped with avocado and eel sauce).
The half-price special only applies to the sushi on the menu, but if raw fish isn’t your thing, there are also several Korean and Japanese style entrees and appetizers to choose from. This part of the menu includes such items as Bul Go Gi (thinly sliced beef marinated with barbecue sauce) and Chilean Sea Bass.
We all decided to stick with sushi, filling in our choices on a large sheet of paper. With our order placed, we then had to wait.
And wait we did. Though we were assured several times that our food was almost ready, these promises proved false. After a while, we found ourselves craning our necks toward the sushi bar, hoping to see our waiter emerge.
When our meal finally did arrive, the beautiful arrangement of sushi rolls somewhat explained the wait and our long anticipation only made the food taste that much better.
There wasn’t a word of complaint as we all dug in, greedily plucking assorted pieces of sushi from the large blue platter. It seemed like only a matter of minutes before the entire platter was gone.
After sitting silently for a moment, my friend Shannon and I both blurted out in unison, “that was so good!”
When the bill came, my two rolls and bowl of Miso soup totaled just under $15. Not bad, considering what I’ve paid for comparable meals at other local sushi bars.
The combination of the low prices, eclectic music and casual atmosphere make this restaurant a great place for sushi-loving college students and young professionals alike. In addition to being a fun place for dinner, the restaurant is also extremely popular during the late hours of the night and early into the morning.
Don’t go here if you’re in a hurry, as fast service is certainly not a major concern, but if you’re in the mood to relax and enjoy a good meal with friends, give Dancing Wasabi a try.
Hours: Sunday–Thursday 5 p.m.–2 a.m., Friday and Saturday 5 p.m.–4 a.m.
Location: 1018 Delta Avenue, Mt. Lookout
Phone: (513)533-9218
Steve Boller’s band triumphs in battle
Newswire photo by Jessica Thimmons
Steve Boller and the Three Wise Men won the Student Activity Council’s Battle of the Bands last Thursday.
Emerald City Shakedown (pictured above), Avoka and Founding Fathers also competed.
Steve Boller and the Three Wise Men band members Steve Boller, Mike Todd, Joel Valentino and Alejandro Ruiz won an eight hour recording session with Ultrasuede studios as their prize.
Second place winner, Founding Fathers, won a $200 gift certificate to Guitar Center and third place winner Avoka won a $100 gift certificate.
Steve Boller and the Three Wise Men will be playing at Mad Frog on Saturday, May 2 at 11 p.m. to commensurate their victory.
Players announce ‘Year of the Woman’
Catherine Stahl
Arts & Entertainment Editor
The Theater Arts 2009-2010 season was announced Friday, April 24 at the Xavier Players’ end of the year banquet.
Director for Theater Arts, Cathy Springfield, said the upcoming season “celebrates 40 years of women on Xavier’s campus with two of contemporary theater’s smartest and hippest women.”
The first show of the year, Stephen Schwarz’s musical “Children of Eden,” will play on the Gallagher Student Center’s main stage during family weekend next October.
The musical, written by the same author/composer as the popular production “Wicked,” tells the story of Genesis in a way that makes “audiences immediately experience that the relationships between Father (God), Adam and Eve have more to do with earthly families, their immediate challenges and their generational legacies,” said Springfield.
Springfield, who recently spoke with Schwartz in New York City, said “he wishes Xavier the very best with his ‘favorite stepchild’ musical.”
After the musical, Players will “delve deeper into fall with an academic study of Shakespeare’s women,” said Springfield.
“Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet)” by Ann-Marie MacDonald, is an original play that re-imagines characters from Shakespeare’s “Othello” and “Romeo and Juliet.”
The show “is no dreary abstract but chock full of Shakespeare’s liveliest scenes featuring his multi-faceted women who eventually unveil their mysteries to our heroine,” said Springfeild.
“Cross dressing and multiple personalities abound in this rousing, riotous romp,” she said. It will play in the GSC Studio Theatre next November.
“Spiked Heels” by Theresa Rebeck will follow “Goodnight Desdemona” in the Studio Theatre next February as another play that celebrates women.
“Spiked Heels” is “a twist on the Shaw classic ‘Pygmalion.’ This modern, smart comedy gives us two extraordinary women in ordinary circumstances who burst bubbles in their respective relationships,” said Springfield.
In April, the Xavier Players’ season will wind down with “Communication Cord,” an Irish comedy by Brian Friel on the main stage.
The show was described by Springfield as a “highly choreographed country farce” and a “a big, beautiful spring bouquet.”
The show “consists of eight characters and every character’s part is equal,” said Nate Fischer, the newly elected secretary for Players, adding “the show has never been done in the United States.”
