C-J's Rosen Sprinkles 3.5 Stars on Sapporo

Marty Rosen showered 3.5 stars out of 4 ("excellent") on Sapporo Japanese Grill and Sushi's Highlands spot for the Louisville Courier-Journal.

Sashimi is to sushi as Mozart is to classical music — the clearest expression of the chef's art; an order of yellow tail sashimi ($12.95) was displayed to express the finely sculpted grain of the fish.

More elaborate preparations were well considered and carefully executed. A plate of tuna tataki ($13.95) made a glorious dinner salad — a generous clutch of red and green lettuces, shredded daikon radish and slivered scallions, and squares of luscious, faintly seared tuna.

On recent visits, even on extremely busy nights, service was quick and adept, whether at a table or at the sushi bar (groups are well advised to make reservations).

And even on extremely busy nights, Sapporo's chefs never flag in their preparation of even the most elaborate sushi rolls. [Louisville Courier-Journal

Robin Garr allocated six paragraphs to show off his knowledge of pizza before dashing off a few quick sentences describing Coals Artisan Pizza, which the Voice-Tribune ostensibly paid him to review. Bonus for Eater readers though: fair use rules allow us to excerpt his thoughts on Coals in their entirety. Like a thick Italian crust though, if that's still too much Garr for you to chew through, executive summary: save a "minor nit," Garr like.

We...were thoroughly satisfied with a "St. Matthews" pizza, a classic "Margherita" with the Italian-flag color toppings of red sauce, white cheese and green fresh basil. Coals names all its pizzas after Louisville neighborhoods, which come in one size only and range in price from $12 to $15, the priciest pie being a meat-lovers special called, go figure, the Indian Hills.

An order of coal oven wings ($8.50) were very good, too, seven juicy and flavorful wings roasted, not fried, infused with garlic, rosemary and lemon flavors with piquillo peppers, topped with melted cheese. A cup of black bean chili ($3.75) boasted excellent flavor and tender beans, but it swam in a light broth. I'd prefer my chili chick, but that was a minor nit in a fine meal, which came to $28.36, plus a 20 percent tip. [Voice-Tribune]

·All Week in Reviews [~ELOU~]

[Photo: Courtesy Sapporo Japanese Grill and Sushi]