Sushi!

By serving some of the region’s freshest, most inventive sushi, Jackie Kim’s Ohashi Japanese Sushi Restaurant in North Olmsted is a top destination for passionate sushi lovers all over Northeast Ohio—as well as those who don’t eat “raw fish.”

By: Ken McEntee
Date: 10/08/2008
Admittedly, I wasn’t the world’s greatest sushi connoisseur when I showed up at Ohashi Japanese Sushi Restaurant in North Olmsted. But an entire Crunch Munch Roll, more than half of a Jackie Roll, a bit of a Pretty Woman Roll and a bowl of Miso Soup later, I was about ready to move to Yokohama.

My experience wasn’t unlike that of a local physician who is now an Ohashi regular, says owner Jackie Kim. The doctor brought his sushi-loving daughters into the restaurant but wouldn’t eat sushi himself. It was the Raku-Raku Roll that changed his dining habits.

“After that, he loved sushi and they keep coming back,” says Jackie, who opened her popular restaurant four years ago.

The sushi rolls, sashimi and other entrees at Ohashi are the creations of Jackie and Chef Mike Jeong. When you dine at Ohashi, you can sit at a table or, if your timing is right, you might get a seat right at the sushi bar, where you can watch Mike work his magic creating some of Ohashi’s special recipes.
The Crunch Munch Roll—one of the house specials at $10—features spicy crab topped with shrimp, hot wasabi sauce and a crunch batter. If you come in with a head cold, you’ll probably breathe easier after enjoying one of these.

A favorite among Ohashi regulars, Jackie says, is the roll her customers renamed in her honor—the Jackie Roll.
The Jackie Roll is a Cali roll topped with flamed roast salmon crunch, cream cheese and Ohashi’s top secret spicy sauce for $11.50.

“Other restaurants try to copy the Crunch Munch Roll, but they’ll never figure out the secret sauce in the Jackie Roll,” Jackie says. “I’ll reveal the secret when I retire.”
Ohashi, she explains, means “chopsticks” in Japanese, and represents the two sticks that must work together.

“We and our customers always work together,” she says. “A lot of our customers are trying sushi for the first time, so we like to give them advice on what to enjoy. We find out what flavors and what food they like and suggest some of the things they might want to try.”

Like the Super Dreamy Roll, which is another top seller. One family regularly drives all the way from Willoughby for this concoction of cream cheese, crab, top-flamed roast salmon with the same special spicy sauce that is used in the Jackie Roll. It’s offered at $11.50.

“Most of our sushi is medium cooked—not raw,” Jackie explains. “That’s good for people who are afraid to try raw fish.”

Jackie explains that what many novices don’t realize is that “sushi” refers to rice with seafood ingredients on top. “Sashimi” refers to raw seafood. In fact, many key sushi ingredients like shrimp, crab, smoked salmon, octopus, eel, etc. are not raw.

But for those who are reluctant to try sushi at all, Ohashi offers a dinner menu with such entrées as Chicken or Broiled Salmon Teriyaki, for $13.95 or $17.95, or house special barbecue beef ribs for $21.95.
Ohashi also features a variety of exotic and more traditional soups and salads. If you aren’t adventurous enough for the octopus salad or the seaweed salad, you might go with the house salad—your usual iceberg lettuce and red cabbage served with Ohashi’s homemade Ginger dressing.

“People tell me that our ginger dressing is the best in Cleveland,” Jackie insists. “I am very proud of my ginger dressing.”

Ohashi offers a friendly, casual dining experience. But if you prefer to eat at home or work, everything on Ohashi’s menu is available for carryout. Ohashi is also available for parties of up to 30 people.

Ohashi is open for lunch, Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and dinner, Monday through Thursday 5:00 to 10:00 p.m., Friday from 5:00 to 10:30 p.m. They are open Saturday from noon to 10:00 p.m. They are located at 24539 Lorain Road, in North Olmsted. You can call 440-716-0988 for more information.

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