Totto Sushi & Grill is expanding its menu this spring to include new specialty sushi rolls and Japanese sashimi inspired by the restaurant's experienced sushi chefs.
"We have a new sushi chef, Yoshi Maeda, and he's from Okinawa, Japan," says Carlos Kal, who manages and owns the popular North Shore restaurant with his wife, Eunice. "He has been a sushi chef for 34 years. In a few weeks we'll introduce 10 new specialty rolls and he is working on some fresh sashimi items as well."
The restaurant is now bringing in fresh tuna, yellow tail, Aji and Madai from Japan, which will be available only for the new entrée-size sashimi plates. The plates will cost anywhere from $30 to $120 and include the highest quality of never-frozen fish imported directly to Chattanooga from Japan.
"We're talking high-quality fish," Kal notes. "It's great to be able to serve customers who like sashimi. It's surprising how many people like sashimi in Chattanooga and have requested it."
New specialty rolls will also soon be available on the specialty sushi menu. Many of the rolls are already customer-approved; Kal has used the restaurant's daily lunch sushi buffet to see what guests think about new flavors and combinations.
The popular all-you-can-eat sushi buffet continues to draw guests from all over Chattanooga to Frazier Avenue for a deliciously affordable lunch option. During the restaurant's lunch hours, Totto presents guests with a choice of 10 sushi options, including a few basic rolls like the California and spicy tuna, along with several types of nigiri sushi.
TOTTO SUSHI & GRILLLOCATION:330 Frazier Avenue, Suite 124PHONE:508-8898HOURS:Lunch served Monday - Friday 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and Saturday noon to 3 p.m.Dinner served Monday - Thursday 5-10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 5-11 p.m. and Sunday 5-9:30 p.m.NICE TO KNOW:Guests can enjoy half price wine and hot sake every Friday, Saturday and Sunday
There are a few specialty rolls on the buffet that change every day - Kal says his guests can come in to dine three or four times a week and won't have to eat the same sushi every time.
No matter when they come, guests can watch the restaurant's experienced sushi chefs prepare each roll at the open sushi prep counter.
Sushi isn't the only thing on the menu, which also includes traditional hibachi-style entrées along with udon soups and bento boxes.
The bento boxes are served with a choice of chicken, scallops, shrimp, bul-go-gi (essentially Korean-style barbecue), salmon, lobster, tofu or vegetables along with soup, salad, white rice, grilled vegetables, four pieces of a California roll, two fried dumplings and tempura vegetables and shrimp.
"I love the customers I have," Kal says. "Every day is busy, but the first focus is always quality. It doesn't matter how busy we are, the day we have low quality is the day we shut down."