First of all, this review is still in the making; I plan to visit once more and make a more thorough review. \r
I found the interior of the restaurant to be overdone, though this seems to be the standard for many Japanese restaurants outside of Japan.\r
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I was not very pleased with the Sake selection and am certainly not a fan of Sake cocktails. However, this restaurant should suffice for beginners to Japanese liquor. I believe the cause of this problem lies more with the major distributors than with Osaka, as distributors will only stock profitable areas. So unless you are able to purchase Sake on-line or have a ""hook up,"" your thirst shall remain unquenched.\r
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With regards to the food, my only complaint is the karaage, though I am not very pleased with the selection. For cost reduction purposes, so I was told, a 50/50 mixture of white flour and katakuriko, a starch harvested from the corn of the Katakuri or Erythronium japonicum (en wikipedia org/wiki/Erythronium_japonicum) is used in frying the chicken. This dramatically reduces the flavor and texture of the dish. For that reason, the karaage should either be taken off the menu or the price should be increased so that 100% katakuriko can be utilized.\r
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The sushi and sashimi selection is great and some dishes are seasonal. Osaka is perhaps one of the better restaurants offering vinegared rice and raw fish. I would only advise that pregnant women and young children the elderly do not eat the raw fish as there has been an increase in mercury found in larger species like Tuna.\r
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EPA Advisory (epa gov/hg/advisories.htm)\r
NY Times (nytimes com/2008/01/23/dining/23sushi html?_r=1&oref=slogin)\r
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The staff at Osaka are top rate and kind.\r
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Although I would prefer a greater emphasis on Japanese cuisine as opposed to American style Japanese cuisine, Osaka has great potential for improvement if they want to please the more critical eaters. If you are a beginner to Japanese cuisine, Kanpai and Happy Eating!
Pros: Parking, Service, Ambience
Cons: Food and Sake Selection, Karaage
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