Thursday, December 7, 2006

Restaurant Review: Stone Horse

By Chad DuPriest

Massage that kobe.

Stone Horse sushi restaurant opened its doors in mid-November, making its mark as one of Richardson’s most unique and stylish sushi joints. This place stands out with its club-like atmosphere that attracts a wide range of customers – from families to partiers to business people. The strategic lighting highlights the most attractive parts of the restaurant (like the sushi bar and the drink bar) while the eating areas are dimly lit to enhance intimacy with your party. The music is certainly not the same as your typical sushi restaurant, playing bands like Coldplay, Moby, and Third Eye Blind. The common sound is one best described as a combination of alternative rock and new-age music (a friend of mine described it as “underwater music.”) The restaurant makes a V-shape with separate eating areas at each end, the sushi bar at the right end, flat-screen TVs on every corner, and the drink bar at the pivot. A full range of liquors are supplied at the roomy bar with Kirin Ichiban beer on draft. Their house sake is sweeter than your typical sake, complementing any sushi dish.

On to the food! The first decision you should make when looking at your menu is which appetizer to have. You can decide to have a little taste of everything with their appetizer sampler ($15) so you can have a better idea of what to get the next time you come back (and you will come back.) Their dumplings, unlike most Asian food restaurants, actually have meat in them - cooked medium to give a nice, tender texture. If you want to splurge and go for their most luxurious appetizer at $10/ounce, you should go for their delicious Kobe beef – cooked right at your table on a hot rock. The only appetizer I would not recommend is the serving of beef slices - tough beef attached to the bone that requires a fair amount of manual labor to eat.

When it comes to sushi, there are three major questions you must ask: 1) Is it fresh? 2) Is the rice sticky, but not too sticky? 3) Are the portions appropriate? Stone Horse easily passes the test on all three with fresh, adhesive, and appropriate portions (6-8 pieces). You shouldn’t feel limited to ordering sushi here; the atmosphere alone suggests an array of tastes. Whether you’re in the mood for seafood, beef or chicken, this place delivers. If you’re like me and can’t get enough crab, you’ll want to order the “crabmeat dynamite.” Imagine a whole plate of sushi rolls smothered in crab meat and sauces. The portion is very generous to the point where your crab cravings will be satisfied for a month.

For me, Stone Horse has worked its way into my exclusive, restaurant rotation. It’s casual but classy, fair priced and satisfies any appetite. For sushi lovers and dining enthusiasts alike, this place is a good bet.

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