Last week, in the first installation of Lunch with Liz, I detailed my venture to the new neighborhood joint in College Hill, with the fitting name College Hill Deli & Catering.

That week, as I was flipping through the Go! section of Friday’s Wichita Eagle, I became inspired. Yes folks, food inspires me; I’m aware it’s ridiculous. Wichita’s own famous foodie and chef, Tanya Tandoc, listed her personal favorite places to eat in town. After oooing and ahhhing at what I was reading, I decided to take a sort of “Julie & Julia” approach to to Tanya’s best Wichita’s restaurants. I plan to now eat my way through Tanya’s list and report back on the eating adventures I embark on. And if you’re not sure what I mean by taking a “Julie & Julia” approach to my eating, go to your local Redbox or Blockbuster and rent it, then continue reading about delicious sushi.

In my mind, sushi is one of the main food groups, right next to dairy and vegetables. One of my favorite places to eat in the ICT is Hana Cafe (325 N Mead St.), located in Old Town Square.

Hana Cafe is known for its extensive sushi menu, along with other Japanese dishes. I’ve frequented Hana enough times to warrant having its number in my cell phone. I can honestly say I’ve never had a bad experience there, and the service has always been friendly and prompt.

If you are a first-timer to sushi, I would suggest taking a veteran sushi eater to help you through the process. The thought of raw fish can be intimidating, but there are alternatives to the raw, like the Shrimp Tempura Roll. One of my favorite rolls, and one of the least scary, the shrimp tempura is a fully cooked sushi roll. The shrimp are flash fried surrounded by rice and topped with eel sauce.

If you are a tad more daring and up for a little spice, I would suggest the Spicy Tuna Roll. When trying out new sushi places, I tend to judge a place by its spicy tuna roll, and Hana definitely surpasses the test.

My all-time favorite sushi roll is the Palm Springs Roll. I was introduced to it at Hana and haven’t seen it anywhere other than there. It’s your standard California Roll topped with tomato and spicy tuna mix. Your mouth may be on fire at the end of eating it, but your taste buds will be dancing with delight. They might even be doing the cha-cha.

I try to venture into something new at Hana each time I go. Last time, it was the Miso Soup. In the description, out of all the ingredients, all I saw was tofu. I’ve only had bad experiences with tofu and was not very enthused about the thought of tofu in soup. But after tasting it, I wanted another bowl.

Commentary from my other half who usually is involved in my eating excursions: “The servers are all cute. Well, maybe I shouldn’t tell you that, because then you’d make us get it to go from now on.”

Apparently, we’ll be getting our sushi to go from now on.

All joking aside, Hana Cafe has great sushi, apparently cute servers, and good service. I will keep coming back to fuel my love for sushi.

Where do you go to get great sushi in ICT? Let us know in the comments.

Related posts:

1. [eat] Kanai
2. [eat] Lunch with Liz: Watermark Books & Cafe
3. [eat] Lunch With Liz: Saigon
4. [eat] Lunch with Liz: DK Kitchen
5. [do] Where to Go on a Mom-Date