***** Enkai Sushi Bar, winner of our Best of St. Thomas Award 2009: http://www.stthomasblog.com/?p=2593 *****
***** Check them out on Facebook ***** 
After finally visiting Thirteen (and loving it) we decided it was also time to finally make it to Enkai and stuff ourselves silly with the sushi we’ve been missing. We went there last night to pay Katie and Jason a visit and see how this two week old restaurant was doing. It was just as we expected – full and busy!
Enkai is located in Frenchtown, and no, it’s not in the area where Epernay and Craig and Sally’s hold court…it’s a couple of blocks away and sits right on the water, in a spot they have carved out all to themselves. Is it a little tricky to find? Eh, maybe…but make sure to keep a look out for the signs – like this one on the side of the restaurant…

…the signs on the roads beforehand have the same blue coloring with yellow(ish) lettering.
Okay. Enough navigating, but I will say this – Enkai is literally RIGHT on the water, there were a couple of boats tied up so close they practically had ropes looped around the restaurant chairs
As you walk around the corner you find the bar in front of you with ample stools, and drinks being served by this guy:

Everyone say ‘Hi Chris’! And no, he normally doesn’t pour with such a grim look on his face. If you’re wondering why he looks familiar then he’s served you at one of his previous bartending gigs which include Indigo and Sibs on da Moutain…but he definitely seems happy at Enkai!
The entrance to the dining area is right next to the bar. I took this picture standing next to the bar looking inside the restaurant:

The restaurant is open air with ceiling fans twirling above you. Here’s a shot of the room we ate in, there are tables sprinkled both inside and outside on the covered deck-like area…

Behind that large table in the above picture is the rolling station with a few stools where you can sit, eat and watch the crazy rolling going on by this talented twosome!

That’s Katie and Jason doing their thing and if they look serious it’s because they are. No time to smile for pictures, we’ve got people to serve – and let me tell you, they were serving it up fast last night! With some help from these lovely ladies (thank you Cherie for modeling the cool shirts – which can be yours for $25):

We had a commenter on last week who mentioned that while the sushi was great the wait was a little long. We were prepared to wait last night but there was no need – the food came out with perfect timing (under 30 minutes).
So yes, it’s about the food, and we’re pleased to say it’s just as good as we were hoping it would be! Here’s a quick glimpse at the menu, click to enlarge (and the prices aren’t covered on purpose…oops!):

We ordered too much, as usual. Here’s a glimpse at the fabulousness that we chopsticked-up:


Speaking of chopsticks – I ain’t good with them. Scott and I requested forks, but they only had one in the kitchen which I graciously gave to my husband. So what did I do? I used started-sticks in the shape of a rhino! Cool!

The rhino and I proved to have great coordination, I’m going to have to buy a pair to have on hand for future sushi-ing…
Scott’s parents are in visiting -

- and while Steve has really never eaten Sushi he quickly became a huge fan; he enjoyed trying the different rolls (with his own set of lamb-shaped starter-sticks) and left with a full stomach – as we all did.
Enkai offers desserts but we were having none of it – I ate sushi until I was uncomfortable as did the rest of us…and we will do it all over again with the help of these leftover boxes that are sitting in our fridge waiting to be consumed…

If you pay Enkai a visit (and you will) you’ll want to do two things: make a reservation 340-774-MAKI, and let the staff know that the St. Thomas Blog sent you!
Thank you Katie and Jason for a fantastically tasty night – we’ll be back a million more times!