Sake Tumi is Milwaukee’s newest restaurant, having opened on Feb. 21. They bill themselves as “a contemporary Japanese and Korean restaurant specializing in New School Sushi, Korean BBQ and Asian Fusion.”
I don’t know what all that means (and I am particularly curious as to what denotes sushi from a new school, as opposed to old school), but I do know that Sake Tumi does sushi well.
The reconstruction of Sake Tumi took so long people began to question whether the restaurant would open. For well over a year, the opening was delayed due to the heavy construction of the building, which was completely gutted and redesigned to match the contemporary Asian menu.
ATMOSPHERE
Located on the fashionable Milwaukee Street, Sake Tumi offers a smooth and comfortable atmosphere, with dim, indirect lighting. The building was originally constructed of Cream City Brick, and when Sake Tumi remodeled, they left the original brick in place, but cut holes in the wall as showcases for traditional Japanese and Korean items, including a beautiful red kimono.
The second floor in the Sake Tumi is the Kai Buddha Lounge. There is a second bar, and lots of comfy couches with sequined pillows. On weekend nights (Thursday-Saturday), there is a house DJ, and the dress code is trendy. I haven’t had a chance to experience the Kai Buddha Lounge on a weekend night (I’ve only strolled through it a couple of times after dinner), but it is an intimate space and could prove to be a great locale to socialize provided the music isn’t too loud.
GRUB
Sake Tumi has several specialties on their menu including the Godzilla Maki Roll, which is tempura shrimp, avocado, cucumbers, scallions, cream cheese, and a lot of other good stuff served with a wasabi mayonnaise. It is enough food to feed two sushi lovers, and it is quite impressive on a plate as well (a.k.a., it looks awesome). But outside of the sushi and edamame, I haven’t had a chance to delve any further into the menu – I am looking forward to my next trip, though!
I enjoyed my dinner completely, as did my friend Lisa. The experience was casual, and sitting at the sushi bar, comfortable. One of my favorite, more subtle touches to the bar is located down by your feet: the panel of the bar is illuminated, with thin strips of bamboo embedded in the panel. (I had to touch it to find out if it was on the inside or outside because it is so clear.)
All in all, I think Sake Tumi is a great addition to Milwaukee Street: no longer will sushi-thirsty downtown Milwaukeeans have to trek to Prospect or Farwell to get their fix. Sake Tumi would be a great way to start a Friday night tour of Milwaukee Street.
Sake Tumi
714 North Milwaukee St.
Milwaukee, WI 53202
(414) 224-7253
www.sake-milwaukee.com
Lunch hours:
Monday – Friday 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Saturday 11 a.m. – close
Dinner Hours:
Monday through Wednesday 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Thursday through Saturday 5 p.m. to midnight
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