SAVORY & SWEET SISTERS | January 2016

ALL THINGS FRESH IN THE NEW YEAR

Shakou 312 W. Main Street, St. Charles Shakousushi.com (630)444-0850 Owners: Ed Hartigan, Adam Garvanian, Aleks & Chrissy Dupor

Are you ready to start your New Year off right? Eat better and truly enjoy what you’re eating? You’ll want to try everything at Shakou in St. Charles! It’s a fresh new year so try fresh fish, sticky rice and seaweed to elevate your meal and your mood. Owners, Ed Hartigan, Adam Garvanian, Aleks and Chrissy Dupor have created a city caliber venue for modern Asian cuisine. From the refined venue, scintillating service to the creative cuisine at Shakou it’s all about the details. Their presentation is spectacular. Shakou is Japanese for social life which fits this eatery situated along St. Charles bustling Main Street. Whether you decided to sit at a table for two, booth full of friends or on a velvet settee you will enjoy the Shakou experience.

We jumped right in with the refreshing tuna Tataki salad. The perfectly seared tuna sat among a bed of lettuce, baby arugula, cucumbers, tomato, avocado with sesame oil and ponzu citrus sauce. The traditional Wakame seaweed salad is always a must for me and this one did not disappoint. With so many choices on the menu we decided to ask our server, Lindsey, for recommendations. She had an extensive knowledge about everything on the menu. This makes Shakou an ideal location to try out anything new to your palette!

Lindsey also informed us that you can always substitute soy paper or black rice for a different or healthier approach. Who knew that black rice has more antioxidants than a blueberry?! Black rice is also lower in carbs, calories and has more fiber than white or brown rice. We tried the black rice in the Black Widow roll. Lightly battered fresh water eel and avocado is wrapped in black rice and topped with a sautéed scallop, tobiko and unagi sauce. Each roll was a new mouthwatering experience. Then the sashimi came out. From the escolar, hamachi, hirame, toro and hon maguro the freshest exquisite fish lay before us. We savored each piece. Especially the hon maguro dusted with the gold flakes.

Then came the entrees and we continued to be impressed. Melt in your mouth Sea Bass in a garlic soy sauce sautéed with vegetables and topped with baby arugula and yuzu wasabi. Another great option is the Yaki Udon with shrimp and scallops, sautéed vegetables on top of thick noodles in a light soy sauce. The Braised Short Ribs are marinated for a day and a half in ginger soy and truly are delectable. Whatever you venture to try at Shakou will definitely tantalize your taste buds. Your New Year resolution of eating healthier in 2016 just got a whole lot easier!

ABOUT THE CRITICS Stephanie & Tiffany Schmoker are west suburban sisters who have always shared a love for dining out and they also enjoy cooking together. They came from a family of 7 and grew up on farm with fresh fruits, veggies and more. Watch for their review of a different west suburban restaurant in each issue of Glancer Magazine.