Review Rating: 8/10

I never thought that the northern suburbs of Chicago would have good sushi. Sure, I have been to a few places that have decent sushi, but for great sushi, I would want to be on the west coast where the fish is fresh and I have a view of some water that isn’t Lake Michigan.

Located in Lake Forest, Illinois, Kuro Bistro is a warm welcome in the harsh midwest winter. When you first enter, you notice that the lights are dim enough to create a quiet atmosphere, but the tables are placed far enough apart that you cannot hear the conversations of other diners.

The servers are dressed in all black which gives the idea that this restaurant is high end fancy but the atmosphere of the restaurant is very laid back and you do not need to dress up unless you want to. Our server was attentive but they sometimes felt like they were rushing us to order. They did unfortunately get one of our orders of salmon belly nigiri wrong and served us tuna belly nigiri, however, the staff was quick to fix the mistake and deliver the correct order.

We started the dinner off with a Japanese Paloma which was made of Kikori whiskey, yuzuri liqueur, lime juice, tres agave nectar, and squirt soda. It was delicious, fruity, and not too boozy. Personally, I would have preferred an additional shot of the Kikori whiskey, but that’s just the midwest coming out of me.

For the appetizers, which disappeared before I could snag a picture, we have their Golden Shrimp and the Drunken Shrimp. The Golden Shrimp was one of their gluten free appetizers that was served with a steamed egg yolk and ginger sauce. I have to say, they were so good. The steamed egg yolk added a wonderfully sweet and light addition to the shrimp which had a fresh and slightly salty taste. They went perfectly together with the ginger soy sauce that was included. The (glutenous) Drunken Shrimp was reported to be better than the Golden Shrimp because of the perfect level of spice and depth of flavor. The shrimp was wrapped in jalapeño infused bacon, guacamole, tequila lime, chili oil, and a chipotle mayo sauce. This dish was spicier than what some people would prefer but if you like spice, this is an appetizer with which you should definitely start.

Next were the entrees. I got the salmon selection platter which had 4 pieces of salmon nigiri, 4 pieces of salmon sashimi, and a spicy salmon roll. My husband got the tuna version of what I ordered while my parents ordered a variety of different pieces of nigiri, sashimi, and a ceviche roll.

While you might not expect it in the Midwest, somehow the only thing fresher than the fish itself was the presentation. Beautifully plated salmon and tuna selections made their respective fish the stars of the show. Extremely clean and thick cuts for the sashimi and nigiri, with spicy salmon and tuna rolls that really lived up to their names, with a depth of spice that actually comes through in the end, unlike a lot of spicy rolls we’ve had in the past. These two dishes really exemplified how it’s best to keep it simple when it comes to sushi; you don’t need to reinvent the wheel when it already works perfectly on it’s own, and Kuro Bistro understood the assignment.

The only real disappointment of the night was the ceviche roll. What it made up for in creativity, it lacked in texture and flavor. With assorted fish and guacamole wrapped in rice paper, it suffered from a severe lack of structure, and it melted in your mouth in the worst way possible. The guacamole overpowered any other flavor that might have been present, and for a moment I had to remind myself that we were sitting in a Japanese restaurant and not one south of the border. I couldn’t tell if adding soy sauce made it better or worse, but the only thing I was sure of was that I didn’t want any more of it after two attempts. The presentation was also lacking compared to the spectacle of the tuna and salmon selection platters.

Our final conclusion was pretty unanimous; stick to the basics and you can’t go wrong. They might have tried to fly a little too close to the sun with their liberal use of gaucamole in a roll that doesn’t need it, but overall Kuro knows its way around sashimi, with a presentation to match. I would definitely recommend this Bistro for any midwesterner that’s craving a fresh sushi experience, which can certainly be hard to come by nowadays.

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