Aubrey Cade

Aubrey Cade

Japanese restaurant celebrates tradition

I n March 2011 the Park family decided to bring a genuine Japanese experience to Frisco that includes a menu for the sushi lover as well as individuals wary of the raw fish cuisine.

Edoko Sushi & Robata is one of four Japanese restaurants owned and run by the Park family, with Edoko in Frisco being the newest project, said Eugene Park, son of owner Karen Park and an overseer of the restaurant. Eugene said the other two restaurants, in Fort Worth and Grapevine, are geared to be mom-and-pop stores with sushi to go. In preparing for the new store, Eugene said his mother decided to remodel the business and opted for a modern and upscale restaurant.

Store Manager Jonathan Ludlow said it can be hard to be a fine-dining Japanese restaurant since customers primarily use their hands to eat, but with plush seating, modern chandeliers and mood lighting, he said Edoko Sushi & Robata shoots for the upper-end clientele.

Edoko also appeals to the family crowd, Eugene said. The restaurant prioritizes customer service and offers conversation-friendly booths, and he said it continues to serve regulars who came on day one and revisit the restaurant.

"We love to know our customers by name," Park said.

The restaurant exudes authenticity from the first word in its name, which is Japanese for "child of Tokyo," Ludlow said. In addition to sushi, he also said the restaurant offers seafood, vegetables, meat skewers and robata, which is a Japanese custom of cooking food over charcoal.

While Ludlow said Edoko is not a hibachi grill, customers can dine at either the robata or sushi bar to watch as chefs prepare the food in front of them.

"One thing that most sushi restaurants have is a close connection with the chefs," he said. "Relationships are built there, so we have a real solid base of familiar faces that come here."

Eugene said he likes to define the restaurant as Japanese but with Western and other Asian influences. The lunch and dinner menus range from offerings of a fresh seaweed salad to steamed salmon to an array of colorful sushi rolls. Edoko also provides a bar with various drinks, including wines, cocktails and 14 different choices of sake.

The head chef, Chikao Kikuchi, hails from Tokyo, where Eugene said Kikuchi has been in the sushi business for 20 years.

There are several other chefs and staff at the restaurant who influence the Edoko menu. Some are native to South Korea while another is Thai and another is Mongolian, Ludlow said.

Ludlow said reservations are recommended, especially on the weekend, but that customers can always get a table. He said the chefs cook quickly and there is never more than a 30-minute wait.

Eugene said the family business is doing well, and he is excited for the future.

"We keep seeing each month that we get busier and busier," he said. "We see a lot of new businesses coming up [in the area], like Nebraska Furniture [Mart]and Toyota, so the future looks good."