Kabuki a great place for student sushi lovers

Any University of Nebraska-Lincoln student claiming to be a sushi enthusiast should make sure to eat at Kabuki Sushi, 5571 S. 48th St., during their time at the university.

Every aspect of the dining experience was outstanding. The service was helpful and attentive, the ambiance was pleasing and the food was exceptional.

Kabuki Sushi Where: 5571 S. 48th St. How Much: $16-$20 Bottom Line: Outstanding sushi.

When you walk into Kabuki, you are greeted by a server wearing a kimono and seated at one of several small tables. The artwork on the walls - some of it original art by the restaurant's owner - and the open sushi bar give diners at Kabuki a very inviting feeling.

The waitress promptly brought us water and (upon request) hot tea and gave us time to peruse the rather large menu.

Kabuki offers several different raw sashimi and sushi options, ranging from single pieces to maki, or sushi rolls, and also other cooked Japanese foods, such as teriyakis, tempuras and more.

The menu also offers several different combination platters for those who either can't make a decision or came with a serious appetite (the largest platter has more than 80 pieces of sushi and sashimi).

When I dined at Kabuki recently with a friend of mine, all the food was incredibly good. Our dinners were served with miso soup and a salad with a creamy ginger dressing, both of which were very good.

For dinner, we ordered the sushi deluxe platter and two of Kabuki's "specialty maki," or special house sushi rolls.

The sushi deluxe came with 10 pieces of nigiri sushi, which are thin slices of fresh raw fish over balls of sushi rice, and two sushi rolls, California maki (crab, avocado and cucumber) and a spicy tuna maki.

The two specialty rolls we ordered were the spider maki (fried soft-shell crab, avocado, cucumber and several other fresh vegetables) and a special California maki with raw tuna over the top.

The two keys to good sushi are fresh fish and great sushi rice, and Kabuki gets high marks on both counts.

The sushi rice had a perfect texture, substantial and slightly sticky, and all of the fish was outstanding. All of our sushi was very, very good, but the raw tuna, raw salmon and the spider roll stole the show.

Both the tuna and the salmon had an extraordinarily soft, smooth texture and nearly melted in my mouth. The tuna had an incredibly clean, fresh flavor, while the salmon was slightly sweet and slightly smoky.

The spider maki was a showcase of how to effectively use contrast between different textures and flavors and was an excellent sushi roll.

The high quality of the sushi truly made the meal and ensured that I will be eating at Kabuki again, hopefully soon.