Kobe's Sushi Bar

Kobe's Sushi Bar is a good sized place that sits right on a corner of the strip. It has a small glass vestibule before the black painted inner door opens to a tiny waiting area. The waiting area has a bronze wall mounted waterfall as its focal point as well as many plants of all shapes and sizes. The small host podium is near the entrance to the tiny restaurant side which offers elegant dining on traditional Japanese cuisine. The other side of the small rectangular room opens to the large bar area.

Immediately you walk into a sea of high tables with comfortable high backed stools on meticulously maintained pale wood flooring. The small tables give way to a long bar that can comfortably support five bartenders along it. The far end of the room houses a sushi bar with five chef's preparing in the open kitchen atmosphere. They put on a show occasionally but mainly it is simply skill that these fine chefs display when preparing any sushi item imaginable. The scent of fish is indestinguishable due to the quality and freshness procured by these experts. But they are not above having a variety of fresh lemons cut and clustered around the outer edges of their glass faced work area.

Patrons sit in the high stools, hook their feet in the modern chrome rungs, and lean back against the black faux leather seats while their drinks sweat onto the dark red tabletops. The tables are square and can support two comfortably but four if everyone is friendly and sharing or only drinking. Plants hang down from the ceiling and climb up the walls but never get close enough to interfere with the guests food or conversations. Small chrome sconces grace the walls and provide lighting to keep the bar not brilliantly lit but not dim. The overhead lights are hidden almost completely by traditional room screens made with pale wood and handmade creamy colored paper. Those are only turned on in case of emergency since the bar is open all night as per Nachton custom.

The traditional mirrored bar background was foregone for another large bronze water feature on each end. These bronze works of art ripple as if water themselves with a patina of brilliant golden, pale blue and tinges of green. The water slips down the metal smoothly to collect in the small rectangular tray only to be recyled and sent upwards once more in a never ending cycle.

The bar boasts over three hundred wines and a hundred beers from around the world as well as educated servers to prepare mixed drinks of all tastes. Since the main stock in trade is alcohol in this area the aroma of various wines permeate the entire bar. The napkins are small but thick and printed with the bar's name in black and red. Each table and along the bar there are glass upright soy sauce vessels shaped like tiny pitchers and small square bowls of wassabi peas. Chopsticks are normally handed out when an order is placed in front of a patron, one must ask for a fork if needed.

Finding the restrooms are easy, they seperate the bar from the tiny restaurant portion even further but are large and plush to accommodate many people. There are also small waiting alcoves along the hall to the lavatory that provide private waiting areas should the lines be overly long. All in all it was the perfect cozy but busy place for a vampires early evening snacking to begin.