Don

Fact File

336-370-9677

Type: Japanese/Noodle House

Location: 423 Tate Street, Greensboro, N.C.

Price Range: All menu items under $10

Hours: ???

Payment accepted: Cash, credit card

Overview: Yet another player in the Tate Street dining scene, Don serves Japanese appetizers, rice and noodle dishes. Several kinds of tea and a limited selection of alcoholic beverages are available.

Review by Zac Goldstein

With the popularization of sushi in recent years, Japanese restaurants that don’t serve it are easy to overlook. However, Don convincingly makes the case that there’s more to savor than sashimi and specialty rolls.

Food at Don comes in a few different categories. In addition to the familiar ramen, there’s ishiyaki (sizzling rice bowls), yakisoba (thin fried noodles) and udon (thicker noodles in a stir fry or soup), each with different combinations of toppings. I’ve had the best luck with the ishiyaki, my favorites being shrimp, red snapper and katsu pork. Each is served sizzling hot, meaning you’ll have to do some stirring if you don’t want anything to burn. A selection of optional sauces allows you to season each dish to your liking and the complimentary miso is flavorful and not too salty.

Other dishes are hit-and-miss. Steamed gyoza are decent, but you can get better down the street. The chicken yakisoba is satisfactorily crunchy and has a good balance of flavors, though the serving size is small. Shoyu (soy) ramen was salty but otherwise bland.

Don’s interior is comfortable, modern and clean. Colorful paper lamps and decorative Japanese wall accent an otherwise dark space. There’s bar seating, though you shouldn’t have any problem getting a table here. Don is rarely ever crowded and service doesn’t lag.

Prices at Don are very reasonable. All entrees run under $10 and appetizers are generally in the $3 to $6 range. You can easily get a filling meal here without breaking the bank.

Don is no Sushi Republic – neither the caliber of cuisine nor the expense are comparable – but it’s a great option for diners who don’t need an expansive menu to enjoy a satisfying meal.

7.75/10

Sushi Republic

Fact File

336-274-6684

Type: Japanese/Sushi

Location: 329 Tate Street, Greensboro, N.C.

Price Range: Entrees $16 and under, sushi rolls $4 and up

Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday-Friday, dinner only on Saturdays

Payment accepted: Cash, credit card

Overview: A staple of the Tate Street dining scene, Sushi Republic offers appetizers, Japanese entrees, and, of course, sushi. Wine,beer and saki are available, as are bento box lunches and outdoor seating during warmer weather.

Review by Zac Goldstein

Sushi is by its very nature an acquired taste. Nobody thinks they will like raw fish until they actually do. For that reason, it’s encouraging when a sushi restaurant continues to challenge our notions of what is and is not delectable.

In that regard, Sushi Republic rises magnificently to the occasion. You can get familiar sushi and sashimi here (tuna, salmon, shrimp and the like), but the real stars are the specialty rolls. Not content to experiment with mere avocado and cream cheese, Sushi Republic utilizes such ingredients as mango, mozzarella, BBQ eel and asparagus. My personal favorite, the Tate Street Roll, is a katsu-coated cornucopia of salmon, red snapper, crab, avocado, asparagus and cucumber, all topped with eel sauce. If that combination can’t tantalize your taste buds, nothing will.

For the sushi-skeptical, the menu offers no shortage of alternatives. Appetizers are grouped into Garden (edamame, vegetable gyoza), Farm (pork gyoza, chicken yakitori) and Sea (crab tempura, shrimp shumai). Any of the dumplings are safe bets. Entrees include teriyaki chicken, ribeye steak, seared tuna and panko breaded tilapia. Asparagus is a favorite here and accompanies many of the dishes.

Pricing at the Republic is reasonable for the quality of the food, meaning you’ll spend a lot to fill up, but you’ll feel that it’s worth it. Appetizers are mostly in the $4 to $9 range, entrees run from $13 to $16 and sushi varies considerably depending on the ingredients and quantity. Many of the specialty rolls can be had for under $10.

Seating isn’t a problem if you come for lunch or show up when the courtyard is open. Dinner during the winter months, on the other hand, is a gamble. It’s a small establishment and it fills quickly. Service when crowded can be sluggish, though servers are knowledgeable and polite, and a pencil and paper ordering system greatly cuts down on confusion. Don’t tempt fate by trying to bring a large group and don’t plan on eating a quick meal.

Both the expense and the scarcity of space prevent Sushi Republic from becoming a regular option, but for special occasions with time to spare, it will deliver new ways to please your palate.

8/10