Kobe Beef and Sushi

A few years back a surprisingly decent sushi restaurant opened up in Plymouth.  My family has gone there for dinner on occasion and my sister and I may have satiated some of our spontaneous sushi cravings at the same establishment.  While living with my parents during the summer, Mike and I visited Kobe a few times and always left happy. 

We returned last week for a relaxing dinner after a hectic couple of weeks of school concerts and tight work schedules.  Hot tea and miso soup were incredibly satisfying, especially after coming in from the cold.  Wanting to try something unique, we settled on an appetizer called "Kobe Beef Hot Rock with Citrus Ponzu".  We didn't know what to expect and were even more curious when our waiter told us it would be a slight wait for the rock to get hot. 

He returned later with a plate holding a medium sized stone on a bed of salt and a platter of beef and butter.  He demonstrated how to cook our appetizer on the hot stone -- heated up so that it would cook the thin slices of meat in sizzling butter.

The meat was absolutely delicious and fun to cook.  The cooking technique reminded us of our raclette grill -- Japanese style!  We decided we liked it better without the ponzu.  Why cover up the taste and quality of Kobe beef?

Afterward, we ordered two of their special rolls for our meal. 

One had spicy tuna (a favorite of mine)... 

...and the other had shrimp tempura.  Both were very good.  

We went back to Eden Prairie very pleased.  While Kobe's more simple and classic sushi may not be stellar, their specialty rolls are quite delicious -- as is their Kobe beef appetizer.  Mike and I have also enjoyed their late night happy hour, though we have been warned not to go to their lunch buffet.  So it is.  The last time we had the combination of Kobe beef and sushi for dinner, we were in Cologne at a high end (and price) restaurant.  This was just as delicious and closer to home.