Sada's Japanese Cuisine and Sushi Bar
250 SW Bay Blvd
Newport OR 97365
541-574-8890
Disclaimer: All reviews and original content Copyright © Mike Blackwell [remove "nospam." or it won't work] of Oregon Sushi -- All Rights Reserved.
Sada's is located in Mariner Square, on ground level facing Bay Boulevard. The best parking is above, and you walk down a series of mildly confusing stairways. Once inside, there's a fish tank (for display, not for dining) on the left, and (like every other place on the Oregon Coast) some shelves of collectibles. Caps, t-shirts, sake bottles, ceramics, etc. There's also a shelf with a number of books and magazines, which appear to be for perusal while dining, rather than for sale.
I sat at the sushi bar and admired the decor. A large painting of a tuna (bluefin?) graces the wall above the bar; the area immediately in front of the diners is filled with various knicknacks, including a signed photo of golfer Gary Watson and a photo of Sada-san standing beside Iron Chef Morimoto. The sushi bar itself is a little unusual; instead of a single slab of formica or wood, it's composed of grouted white ceramic tiles, like a kitchen or bathroom counter. One plus side to this is that there's a raised lip at the front, which no doubt helps keep chopsticks from rolling into your lap. And, in a nod to Western tastes and chopstick-challenged tourists, each place setting comes with a fork.
I ordered the $18.95 Sushi Boat dinner, which includes a green salad with ginger dressing and miso soup with mushrooms. The "deck" of the sushi boat contains the chef's choice of nigiri and maki (tonight: California roll, ebi, hamachi, maguro, unagi). Below, in the "cargo hold," is the sashimi (tonight: tako, maguro, sake, hamachi), garnished with slivered daikon radish and a shiso leaf. Beside the sashimi was a small ceramic dish of baked mussels. The fish was very fresh: the maguro, sake, and hamachi had that melt-in-your-mouth texture I look for, and the sauce for the mussels was very nice. Portion sizes were about average.
(By the way, I'm glad I was paying attention to Sada-san's preparation of the sushi boat, otherwise I might not have realized the "deck" was removable. I wonder how many other diners have ended their meal without discovering the hidden "cargo" of sashimi beneath.)
A la carte nigiri prices are reasonable, from $2.50 for tamago to $4.00 for uni. Likewise the rolls, which range from $3.00 for kappa to $8.50 for spider. The rest of the menu offers the traditional udon, tempura, nabe, donburi, bento, etc., plus some general seafood dishes. A kids menu is available for the sushi-wary, and a variety of beers, sakes, and wines are on hand for the grown-ups.
All in all, a pleasant experience. Very good sushi, reasonably priced, and a nice atmosphere. I recommend it.
Oh, one last thing. When I left the restaurant, I noticed a hand-lettered sign advertising Sada's 4th Annual Anniversary Buffet on July 1st from 5 to 8 pm, for $25 per person (kids $12.50, if I recall correctly). Sushi, tempura, teriyaki, etc.; all you can eat. As I write this, I'm tempted to go. I'll let you know if I do.
Tuesday, July 1, 2003
Well, I went back to the buffet, and I'm glad I did: it was a 95-minute drive from McMinnville, where I work, and an 80-minute return trip home to Willamina, but it was by far a better buffet than Todai.
While Todai has a wider selection than Sada, and Sada's buffet is only one day each year, the quality of the food at Sada's is noticeably superior. That's especially true of the sashimi (maguro, sake, hamachi and tako), which was tucked away in the sushi case, almost hidden from view. Seek it out: it's worth it.
The buffet began at 5:00 p.m., and I arrived at about 6:30. I don't know if there were more types of nigiri earlier in the evening, but all I found at 6:30 were ebi (shrimp). Granted, they were very good.
There were several kinds of rolls, including the usual California, tekka, spider, and futomaki, but also some specialty rolls, like the Newport roll, and a California roll topped with unagi. All were good.
In addition to sushi, there were several other appetizers: edamame, sunomono, miso soup, yakisoba, pork gyoza, deep fried ika rings, bacon-wrapped oysters, and many more.
I left full and very satisfied. If you're planning a trip to the Oregon Coast around July 1st, I highly recommend dropping by Sada's for the buffet. Call ahead, though, just in case the date is variable.