BLUE SUSHI SAKE GRILL
Hoppen Hierarchy:★★★⭑
District: Downtown Omaha; Legacy; Northwest Omaha
Sushi Bar
Perfect For: Lunch; Casual Dining; Date Night; Drinks; Happy Hour
Standout Dishes: Godzilla Roll; Tuna Tower; Beef Hot Rock; Cherry Bomb
Blue Sushi Sake Grill has come a long way since its humble beginnings. What started as a passion project by four young friends in 2002 birthed a restaurant empire: Flagship Restaurant Group. There are now 50 concepts under that umbrella, including 17 locations of Blue (including 3 in Omaha).
But it all started with that first location, and Blue’s dedication to serving high-quality fish and constant innovation allowed it to explode into a nationwide brand.
It’s not easy to serve fresh seafood in the middle of the country, but Blue is committed to offering the best of the best. It partners with Seafood Watch, an organization with a comprehensive rating system, to ensure that it’s not only serving a high-quality product, but that it’s doing so in a sustainable way that will protect the oceans for generations to come.
And you can taste the effort in every bite of sushi, all of which is rolled in front of you at the sushi counter. The fish is supple, tender, and tastes like it could’ve been swimming yesterday.
The menu boasts over 50 unique rolls, ranging from cooked and vegan rolls to raw. There are classic, expected rolls like Cali and Philadelphia, to wildly creative concoctions with whimsical additions to fish and rice.
It’s not all just sushi at Blue, however. You also have a vast number of nigiri and sashimi options, as well as soups, salads, and shareable plates.
If you want to taste what makes Blue special all in one dish, check out the Tuna Tower, a mighty monument that’s essentially a stacked poke bowl. The crown of the tower consists of hunks of meaty, rich tuna that’s been marinated with ponzu for a sweet/sour kick.
The fish is stacked upon creamy avocado, spicy crab mix, and sticky sushi rice, giving the dish a balance of sweet, savory, salty and umami. At the base are honey wasabi, mango, and eel sauces, which add just the right components to bring the dish together.
This plate may be listed as “shareable”, but once you get your chopsticks into it, the last thing you’ll want to do is let your neighbor steal a bite.
The fun continues are you break into the rolls. The rice is sticky, well-packed, and slightly sweet, providing a compact delivery device for the ingredients within. While the simpler rolls show off the freshness of the fish, it’s more fun to explore the “Specialty Maki” section of Blue’s menu, which showcases the chef’s talents and creativity.
Here are but a few examples:
- Godzilla Bomb: With serrano and a sriracha dollop, it has good heat to it, but that’s balanced by mild sweetness of yellowtail, fatty bigeye tuna, and tempura tofu that adds a pleasant crunch.
- San Marcos Maki: The bigeye tuna has a mild, meaty flavor and a tender but firm texture that’s balanced beautifully by the salty tempura shrimp. Avocado adds a good fatty consistency, but it’s the bright, spicy serrano ponzu sauce that brings this roll to life.
- The Beach: The seared albacore adds a fatty component with pockets of char to the bigeye tuna and spicy crab mix. It’s a bit milder in flavor, those the serrano chip adds a pop of heat.
But the Cherry Bomb might do the best job of summing up Blue in one bite. It combines a beautiful slice of the bigeye tuna, with it’s mild, semi-sweet flesh, with a pocket of tempura rice, which adds a brilliant crispiness and touch of salt. Serrano and srirachi bring a little hit, while ponzu sauce adds that citrus, sour sensation. It’s a brilliant bite.
Ironically enough, one of Blue’s most beloved dishes actually has no seafood. The Beef Hot Rock presents you with a plate of raw beef tenderloin and a scalding hot plate, allowing you to cook your meal right at your table. The beef is delicious when eaten raw, as the lean tenderloin has a mild sweetness. Placing it on the hot rock allows it to built a pleasant caramelized crust and add some smokiness.
The interior is spacious and open, with bright decoration balancing the dim lighting. It creates a vibe that’s just fun, whether you’re gathering for happy hour with friends for a drink or enjoying date night with your significant other.
On my trips, the service has been downright excellent, as the servers are friendly as they are attentive. The plates can get expensive depending on when and what you order, but it comes through in the quality.
Blue was the first engine to help launch the Flagship empire, and it’s not hard to see why. This restaurant’s commitment to quality, continual search for creativity, and care for hospitality make it one of Omaha’s finest sushi restaurants.