Shogun Restaurant in Metairie has managed to reserve a spot in my life as the root of my love affair with Japanese cuisine, and specifically, sushi. I first came to this restaurant 13 years ago, when I was 5, and yes, I remember the entire experience. While I wasn't munching on raw fish at such a young age, I distinctly remember enjoying the fatty texture of a crunchy roll, a delicious combination of deep fried tempura batter wrapped in the traditional sushi nori and rice. Since then, I have probably visited this restaurant over one hundred times and I have never had a bad experience. Unlike many "oriental" restaurants, Shogun does not try to capture your attention with ridiculous lighting or other gimmicks. In fact, aside from the traditional asian lightbulbs on the porch, the restaurant does not appear to be any different from most standard American restaurants. However, the restaurant pulls you in by the hospitality of the elderly Asian lady who greets every customer, and the extremely friendly and interactive staff that operates the sushi bar. The restaurant is located right behind a large neighborhood and has a very popular following among locals. Its not uncommon for the waiters at Shogun to greet their customers by name, or to know what they want to order. I ordered a bean sprout salad, a spicy tuna roll, a salmon skin roll, and a natto roll. As an appetizer we ordered the panfried gyoza dumplings, as pictured below. As per usual, the dumplings were cooked to perfection and were not at all gummy which I find to be common in Japanese restaurants. They had a buttery flavor that was offset perfectly by the umami flavor of the dipping sauce.
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