Dining Pick of the Week: Osaka Japanese Bistro

PICK OF THE WEEK:

OSAKA JAPANESE BISTRO

7511 W. Lake Mead Blvd. at North Buffalo Drive, 869-9494

In 1969, Sam and Aiko Nakanishi opened the first Japanese restaurant in Las Vegas and named it after their hometown. Today, daughter Joy continues the family tradition. Among the famous hibachi dinners are teriyaki steak, tiger shrimp, chicken, seabass, calamari, lobster, filet mignon, salmon and Surf & Turf. The dinners are served with miso soup, salad and steamed white rice. Popular salads are chuka (marinated seaweed), poke (tuna marinated with soy, sesame oil and spices), salmon skin and rock shrimp. Featured sushi rolls are Citrus Lemon Salmon, Japan Scallops, Nevada Maki, Voluptuous Veggie, Caterpillar, Ultimate Garlic Tuna, tempura kosher and Japanese Lasagna. There is also nigiri sushi (octopus, snow crab, squid, smelt roe, sea urchin and freshwater eel) and sashimi. Several desserts are banana cheesecake, warm chocolate cake a la mode and the signature tempura ice cream (vanilla ice cream wrapped in pound cake, lightly battered, fried and served with blueberry sauce). Lunch specials are $9.95 from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Daily happy hour is from 4 to 6 p.m. Rolls begin at $4.95 and hibachi dinners at $15. Osaka is open from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to midnight Friday and 4 p.m. to midnight Saturday and Sunday. - Jack Bulavsky