Wa Kubota

In Dallas, Teiichi Sakurai and his friends serve an abundance of superb Japanese food in a variety of styles. Tei-An sources impeccable sushi and serves beautiful noodles; Tei Tei Robata and Teppo focus more on grilling and tavern food. Up in Plano, they don’t have the Sakurai dynasty of restaurants. But they do have Wa Kubota, an all-around star that is criminally underrated by Dallas sushi lovers. Look through the list of sashimi specials, featuring items like toro and giant clams, then kick things off with a bowl of miso soup with a half-dozen clams nestled in the bottom of the broth.

Top pick: Start with a brilliant bowl of takowasa, raw octopus mixed with ultra-fresh wasabi that perks up the palate and clears out the nose. Then take a look at sushi like the toro lover’s roll, which lives up to its name.

The downside: The only thing we’ve had at Wa Kubota that we didn’t love was a yellowtail collar which, in terms of fresh flavor and charcoal-grilled goodness, fell far short of Tei Tei Robata’s example.

Fun fact: Founder Kaoru Kubota is a former American football player who, early in his career, dedicated himself to coaching Japanese newbies in the fine art of scoring touchdowns.