Nestled along the strip of bars, across the street from Spot Coffee and New World Music, sits Kuni's Sushi Bar, located at 752 Elmwood Ave. Kuni's is a hidden treasure in Buffalo, giving many diners a place to taste, as their menu says, "a little bit of everything."
Kuni's follows the traditional Japanese method of serving a wide variety of entrees in small portions. This allows each customer to test different tastes, making each meal unique. Kuni's also prides itself on its ability to accommodate each person's culinary preferences, whether they enjoy vegetarian dishes, meat dishes or if they dislike raw fish.
Considering the small size of Kuni's, a heavy stream of customers steadily piled in, creating an hour-long wait on a Wednesday evening.
The long waiting list on a usually not-so-busy night could be due in part to Kuni's small size. The restaurant fits five small tables, seating two or three people each, and a wraparound bar where customers can see the sushi being prepared by the chef.
Paper lamps light the room and painted branches move their way across the cream-colored walls. Small Japanese teacups serve as decorations, lined in a shelf to the right of the bar.
The place settings at my table were adorned with traditional Japanese plates, teacups and chopsticks - and a fork for those who lack dexterity.
To start things off, my guests and I ordered the miso soup of the day. Miso soup is a traditional Japanese soup with varying ingredients. The soup we tried included chunks of soy and seaweed. The soup was very salty and received mixed reviews; it may have been a little too exotic for some of our tastes.
The soup was followed by assorted tempura, which is an assortment of vegetables and seafood, deep-fried with a light batter, and served with a sweet soy dipping sauce. This particular tempura mix included carrots, broccoli, shrimp, squid, fish and scallops. The tempura was well received by all, as each of my guests dipped and enjoyed eating the varied delicacies.
Finally, the most-anticipated portion of the meal arrived: the sushi. My guests and I ordered the California rolls, made of light white rice, fresh seaweed, avocado, cucumbers and crab.
A bit of wasabi and ginger was placed on the upper and lower left-hand sides of the plate to garnish the sushi. The wasabi was used for spice, and the ginger was mixed in to cleanse the taste palate between bites.
The California rolls proved to be a delicious end to a scrumptious and out-of-the-ordinary meal.
Each of the entrees was surprisingly inexpensive. The miso soup cost $1.75 per bowl, the tempura was $7 and the California rolls were $3.75 each.
Wine by the bottle ranged from $15 to $27, and wine by the glass ranged from $3.75 to $4.
The best part of dining at Kuni's Sushi Bar was the intrigue surrounding each of the foreign entr?(c)es. The hesitance to try something completely different created common points of conversation with my guests.
Kuni's Sushi Bar is open Tuesday through Saturday, from 5 to 11 p.m.
Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki
