Sushi House

Sushi House, a small group of Japanese restaurants started 15 years ago in Westmont, is the first of two regional restaurant names that opened last year in Oak Park.

Owner Bob Johnson, who grew up visiting his grandmother here and who then himself lived here after college, appreciates the comeback of Lake Street and takes pride in running a business in a revitalized downtown. “Oak Park has a lot going on,” says Bob, a fan of the Lake Theatre and of events year-round at Scoville Park.

At the grand opening of Sushi House at 1107 Lake last spring, Bob and his brother-in-law, Chef Simon Wang, introduced the Oak Park roll — a custom menu addition that every server details for diners as thoroughly as the menu staples. Bob and his wife, Dianna, who opened and runs Sushi House Westmont, insist on experience and additional training in their business.

“Attention to detail is everything,” Bob says, noting that the garnish for every sushi roll is also its sauce. “Good sushi has a lot to do with the sauce.” The sauce for the Oak Park roll is a unagi-sake glaze with wasabi mayonnaise.

Keeper of the sauces for Sushi House Oak Park is Chef Simon, Dianna’s brother, who manages this location. A family member runs each of the six locations, including Sushi House Leawood — in Kansas, which is managed by Bob’s brother Tom Johnson, a Fenwick grad and Lettuce Entertain You veteran.

“Because of our multiple locations, we can negotiate the best cuts of fish. We have their attention,” Bob says of his suppliers. He also knows how to get diners’ attention.

Just at his Oak Park location, Bob offers free valet parking every Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Yes, he makes it so there’s neither a worry about where to park nor a care about how to pay for that hard-to-find spot.

Sushi House Oak Park also is the only one in the group with a full bar, offering infused sakes and themed martinis, mostly Asian-inspired. On a vodka martini, there’s a lychee fruit twist, echoed in garnish. And, in a nod to old-school Oak Park, there’s a crème de menthe martini served with chocolate mint stirrers. Bob misses Marshall Field’s.

On your birthday:

The candleholder is mochi ice cream, a Japanese treat made from sticky rice.