Koko’s Sushi Bar & Lounge

Koko Sushi Bar & Lounge
Rating:**1/2

(so, so close, but no cigar...yet)

I’ve neglected my readers for far too long! My four closest girlfriends, my mother, my brother and my grandmother are growing impatient! Hmm, I’ve not done much to let the masses know about this blog, but considering how often I neglect it…perhaps it’s all for the best.

Does this mean that I’ve stopped dining out and shopping? Unfortunately not. I’m sure many of the good business owners in our area will vouch for my addictions. My newest culinary drug of choice is the Toyko Skirt Steak at Kokos Sushi. It’s incredible. My husband and I have eaten at Koko’s no less than once a week for the past four months. Why then, with my addiction to “tender ribeye steak marinated in a delicious yet not overwhelming soy, ginger, mirin and basil sauce” am I only giving Koko’s two and a half stars?

It’s hard to say, but I’ll do my best. The décor is great even if the atmosphere is rather cool…and I don’t mean hip. I mean cool as in “cold shoulder/aloof.” The two exceptions would be the male servers who work weekday lunches. One is especially nice. He's warm, friendly and if the kitchen makes an error, he always apologizes. You never feel like a royal pain in the ass for pointing out that the steak you requested well-done was served positively dripping with blood. He has a good memory and always remembers our usual order. Unfortunately, he often works the noon hour in a moderately full restaurant…alone. If you go in the evening you can expect the service to be average. Unless they’re busy and then you can expect it to be poor.

I won’t make any more mention of the service except to point out that the waitresses seem bored and really can’t understand why they should have to refill your coke when it’s more fun to chat in the kitchen. But, please read on...there is some hope.

The food is creative and tasty if not consistently good. The specialty maki rolls take the cake for ingenuity and even non-sushi eating people will become addicted. The blending of Asian and America flavors is truly remarkable. The Big Bang with its scallop nestled in a Japanese pepper sauce, tuna tartar, green onion and lemon zest is a sure win. And what proud Wisconsin native wouldn’t just have to try the Packer Backer out of loyalty? With grilled salmon, mango, avocado, cucumber, sesame and miso ginger sauce, it could make a die-hard Bear Fan reconsider. The miso soup was an especially pleasant surprise since I’m not usually a miso fan. It has a mild smoky flavor and is not overwhelming at all. The Spicy Thai Shrimp soup is out of this world. Had a bad day and can’t wait to get home and curl up on the couch? Swing by and get a bowl to go. It’s nouveau comfort food! My husband loves the Green Bay Seared Ahi appetizer (Yellow fin tuna seared in a spicy pepper mixture, served thinly sliced with daikon radish) and believes the portion to be very generous for $9.00.

The lounge and dining areas are separated and this makes for completely different experiences depending on which room you’re in. Those who love a good martini will appreciate the inspired drink menu. Who could pass up something that tastes so deceptively non-alcoholic as the Punchtini? With Absolut Mandrin, Stoli Raspberry, cranberry juice, pineapple juice and orange juice...it’s the very grown up version of what we threw together at my eighth grade graduation party (yes, I did say eighth grade…I had some issues.) Seriously, I seldom do, but this is place to let loose if you feel like imbibing. Quality and creativity make for a nice cocktail.

The eclectic music floating out of speakers in both areas adds to the whole experience. Unless you're seated directly under one as my good friend Nancy and I were...but our server (the great lunchtime guy) was happy to turn it down a tad. Koko’s has received some good press on their Virgin Sushi nights and are doing their best to make trying sushi for the first time a fun and not at all intimidating experience. They do a good job trying to get people to see it’s so much more than “raw fish”.

In short, Koko’s is a fun new place and when the food is on…it’s on! However, the service is inconsistent and this is a real negative. The odds of having a fantastic meal are about 7 in 10 which keeps us coming back. However, when the kitchen makes a mistake and the servers are gently told (very nicely and gently told), they (except our one lunchtime guy) never ever apologize and usually get a little defensive. This makes it difficult to give Koko Sushi Bar & Lounge the rave review they deserve on a good night.

With a little work on the service and consistency among the chefs, this could be one of the best places for a reasonably priced meal in the area.

If you visit the nicely done website you’ll no doubt be impressed by the menus. The variety ensures that everyone in your party will find something. http://www.kokosushi.com/

Note: They used to bring complimentary Seroogy’s chocolate dipped strawberries (one for reach member of your party) after your meal, but we found out last night that they no longer do it. However, they did a smart thing and added the strawberries to the ample dessert menu for only $1.00 apiece. For a Seroogy’s chocolate dipped berry plated on white with a little fruit puree…it’s a fair deal.

I'm with you Koko's, but please get with the Customer Service program!

Koko Sushi Bar & Lounge 2066 Central Drive Bellevue, WI 54311Tel: (920) 884-9332http://www.kokosushi.com/
Hours: Mon - Wed 11:00am - 10:00pmThur - Sat 11:00am - 11:00pm