Catering to sushi fans, two new Asian restaurants have opened on the city’s north side.
•Koto Japanese Steakhouse & Sushi is at 301 E. Washington Center Road in the former Bar-B-Cutie. The menu also features dishes such as shrimp and chicken tempura and salmon teriyaki. And it serves beer, wine and sake.
Lunch hours are 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Mondays to Saturdays. Dinner hours are 5 to 10 p.m. Mondays to Thursdays and 5 to 10:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Sunday hours are noon to 9:30 p.m. For reservations, call 482-4288.
•Sushiya-US is at 2882 E. Dupont Road, in the Dupont Plaza shopping center. The menu also includes Kobe beef, teriyaki chicken, noodle dishes, soups, salads and desserts.
Hours are 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 to 10:30 p.m. daily. For information, call 444-4263.
HGTV star to speak at Carriage House
HGTV’s Cari Cucksey, the host of “Cash and Cari,” will be the keynote speaker for a Carriage House fundraiser on Sept. 9 at Ceruti’s, 6601 Innovation Blvd.
“Dining Inspiration,” a two-day event formerly called “Les Arts de la Table,” features local businesses that design a dining experience.
The candlelight preview will be 6 to 9 p.m. Sept. 8. Tickets are $50.
Tickets for the luncheon with Cucksey, which will be 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 9, are $100.
The menu will feature Asian chicken salad, fresh fruit, breadstick and dessert.
To reserve a spot by Sept. 1, call 486-1060 or email cslyby@comcast.net.
Cucksey also buys and sells antiques and vintage clothing. Her estate-liquidation company is based in Michigan.
Friends restaurants expand menus
Friends and Friends Too have added some new menu items and made lamb a weekly feature that’s available every Friday and Saturday night.
The full rack of lamb, which is enough for two people to share, is $29.99, while a half-rack is $16.99. Both include Greek green beans or side salad, oven-roasted potatoes or rice pilaf, and pita.
The restaurants also added a beef Manhattan ($8.79) with roast sirloin and gravy over mashed potatoes and Texas toast, which is also served with coleslaw.
The new Spartan frittata (open-face omelet) and skillet dishes feature eggs, potatoes, gyro meat, spinach, tomatoes and feta cheese. They are $7.29 and $7.49.
Friends is at 1824-A Dupont Road. Friends Too is at 3720 W. Jefferson Blvd.
To see the full menu, go to www.friendsrestaurants.com.
T8STE Tizzzzz plans grand opening
A one-pound sandwich loaded with four kinds of meat can only be called one thing: “Soulicious.”
Try it – with beef, pulled pork, turkey and ham – at T8STE Tizzzzz, 2801 Lower Huntington Road.
The restaurant will have a grand opening celebration from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday.
You also can order the popular smoked brisket sandwich or homemade desserts, which usually include coconut pound cake and sweet potato pie, along with a variety of other featured dishes.
For information, call 747-8499.
Tidbits
•The fifth annual WingFest starts at 5 p.m. Sunday in Piere’s parking lot at the Marketplace of Canterbury. Admission is $7 for adults and $5 for kids 12 and younger. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Allen County SPCA.
•The Fresh Market in Covington Plaza will have a cooking demonstration from 3 to 6 p.m. Saturday, with Asian chicken salad and roasted tomato bisque.
