If you’re thinking that Kemuri, Hillcrest’s new-ish Japanese restaurant, just serves great sushi in Little Rock and nothing else, think again. While it’s almost impossible not to order a sushi roll, especially Chef Alex’s Crazy Lover, continuously skipping over the “entrees” section of Kemuri’s menu would be a huge mistake.
And no item is as tasty as the beef tenderloin.
What arrives at the table is a beautifully sliced steak (ask for it medium rare) topped with a mild, yet sweet ponzu barbecue sauce, served atop purple potatoes, bok choy and tempura-battered onion rings.
The $32 price tag is not cheap, but you’ll find the large portion size makes this an ideal entrée to share with a tablemate, and thus allowing you to indulge in that sushi roll, too! And while the steak itself is the real show-stopper, the totality of the plate is what makes it so unbelievably delicious. Do your very best to get a little steak, onion ring and bok choy with each bite, as the combination of the sweet, salty, and slightly bitter (from the bok choy) flavors truly delight.
Truth be told, this happens to be my wife’s favorite dish, and without her prodding, I almost assuredly would have never ordered it myself. But that’s the great thing about food. If you keep an open mind, crazy things happen, like stumbling upon one of the better steaks in town at a Japanese restaurant.
Kemuri
2601 Kavanaugh Blvd (501-660-4100)
Hours: Monday-Thursday 11 a.m-2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m.; Friday 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.-11 p.m.; Saturday 11 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sunday 4:30 p.m.-9:00 p.m.