Guest Blogger: The Parisian Princess

Ladies, Gentlemen, and The Pope. This is our last entree in the 2009 BOGBTCPIBTTBESC. Peter has been furiously taking the La. Bar Exam this week, and except for an "episode" wherein he misplaced his lucky skinny jeans, he is surviving and likely will return to sanity soon. For our final entree, The Parisian Princess reviews a Fat City Gem.

Kanno

For over two years, I have heard my friend, who I will call ESPNola, rant and rave about the best sushi in New Orleans. Naturally, my thoughts were this place must be Uptown or in Midcity. But alas, I was mistaken. Not only was this “best sushi restaurant” located in Metairie, but it was also close to a series of convenience stores, dry cleaners, and strip clubs. It wasn’t exactly your ideal location for a good meal.

Nevertheless I was intrigued and decided to take my friend up on his invitation for dinner. The restaurant was small with a few guests scattered around two tables and the bar. Right off the bat, I noticed the chef, affectionately known as Elvis, who was chatting with customers and immediately asked ESPNola where his Mother was for the evening. One thing was clear: this place was for locals.

So, I sat down and looked at the specials. Names like the South Beach Roll and Elvis Roll peaked my interest. But in the end I decided to play it safe and order a special Lobster Roll and an old faithful, the Dragon Roll. The Lobster Roll came out first and immediately I was hooked. It was brimming with huge chunk of lobster resting on a roll of snowcrab and avocado. To top it off, it was drenched in eel sauce and a succulent cream sauce also known as “fantasy sauce”. I woofed down each grain of rice and speckle of sauce on the plate wishing the “fantasy” would never end.
My next order, the Dragon roll was good but pretty standard. Everything was “on point”: the eel sauce was sweet, the avocado was creamy, and the crab was firm.
However, it paled in comparison to ESPNola’s Godzilla Roll, pieces of tempura shrimp, snowcrab, and spicy tuna wrapped in rice paper with a heavy dose of fantasy sauce and a sprinkling of rice flakes. After only one bite, I knew that I would have to thank myself for my morning run and order another half order of Godzilla rolls.
To round out the evening, the waiter came by with pieces of chocolate that were sweet and creamy. It was the perfect ending to a great meal.
So the question remains, Is Kanno really the best sushi in New Orleans? The debate is still up in my book. But I wouldn’t mind crossing by signs for g-string divas and cheap beers again to eat some more of that fantasy sauce.