If you’ve always felt that Japanese restaurants are a bit too intimidating and pricey for casual dining, Miyoshi will change your mind: it offers excellent food, reasonably priced, in a polished but relaxed atmosphere. Domo arigato gozaimasu!
Miyoshi is tucked behind Macaroni Grill near the intersection of Houston Road and Rt. 18 in Florence. An unexpected location, perhaps, but since Toyota opened in the 1980s Boone County’s population has become quite diverse. On the busy Saturday night of our visit, there was an even split of English and Japanese conversation around the room.
The décor is modern and streamlined, with appropriate Japanese accents. We were seated at a blond oak table with comfortable matte metal chairs. Our meal started with chilled Karatanba sake ($6.75).
My husband, who has visited Japan many times on business, started his meal with agedashi tofu ($5). This is a simple dish of tofu cubes, coated with cornstarch and lightly fried, then served in a thin, savory broth — tentsuyu — similar to, but not as strong as, tempura dipping sauce.
We kept the bowl with the remaining broth until later in the meal when we had a little rice to soak up the last delicious drops.
I had a beautiful dish of enoki mushrooms sautéed in butter and sesame, kinoko itame ($5.50). Most of the nearby diners were sharing edemame, fresh soybeans cooked in their shells.
We shared a crab and avocado salad ($9) served atop field greens with a light and spicy creamy dressing. Genuine crab and ripe, delicious avocado made this a treat, but we actually liked the complimentary salad that arrived unexpectedly just as well — iceberg lettuce garnished with very fine carrots and radish, dressed with a tasty peanut and ginger vinaigrette.
Miso soup is also included with entrées. The small portion of soup is served in a lacquered bowl with a lid, and it is appropriate to drink it directly from the bowl or use the ceramic spoon for the broth and eat the tiny cubes of tofu and finely chopped spinach with your chopsticks.
We couldn’t resist two special rolls from the sushi menu. The shrimp tempura roll ($5) was fabulous! A large tempura-fried prawn, rolled in wasabi mayonnaise and sticky rice, is cut into four generous slices. The spider roll ($8) is another treat, named for the crisp, fried soft-shelled crab at its center. If you’re hesitant about raw fish, these two cooked delicacies can make you a sushi fanatic.
During the few minutes when our server was busy with the crowd, I had a wonderful time observing the toddler at the table next to us. About 18 months old, this little fellow in his OshKosh overalls was making short work of salmon roe with a pair of chopsticks in his fist. He was delighted with each bright red fish egg he managed to gobble down, and he pointed to the tuna on his mom’s plate with glee. There were quite a few families with young children at Miyoshi, in part, I imagine, because of its non-smoking policy.
Tempura ($12) is a great way to make odd vegetables palatable to the picky. My dear husband, who would never touch leafy greens under ordinary circumstances, popped crisp fried kale leaves down with delight. Cucumber, yam and eggplant — they all disappeared without a trace.
But that’s nothing compared to my main course: Eel, which I would not even look at in the zoo, let alone consider eating! But it was so exquisitely prepared! Una ju ($18) is barbecued freshwater eel served over a bed of rice in a special lacquered box. The eel is lovely filleted, completely unrecognizable from its live state, thank you very much. And the richness and flavor are superb.
My first husband’s brother was married to a beautiful Japanese sumi painter, Mitsuko Sakata. Her artfully simple but wonderful food was my introduction to Japanese cooking. The sticky rice balls wrapped in seaweed she made for family outings were so ubiquitous that my father-in-law called them “lunch balls.”
I was pleased to learn that Miyoshi was named for another Mitsuko, the owner’s mother. May its success honor both their memories. ©
Miyoshi
Go: 8660 Bankers St., Florence
Call: 859-525-6564
Hours: Lunch: 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday; dinner: 5:30-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 5:30-10:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday
Prices: Reasonable
Credit cards: Visa, MasterCard and American Express
Red Meat Alternatives: Many
Accessible: Yes
Grade: A
This article appears in May 24-30, 2006.