Sushi at Wasabi Express, Owensboro
Before Wasabi Express, I had never even considered ordering sushi. I’m not sure why but I never thought I’d like it. Fast forward to today… I could, honestly, eat sushi every single day of my life – IF it came from Wasabi Express.
There are actually two Wasabi Express restaurants in Owensboro now. The one I always go to is on Southtown (636 Southtown Blvd, right off of Frederica, near Wal-Mart). The new one is on Highway 54. I haven’t been to the new one, yet, but I hear that it’s just as excellent as the original.
This restaurant review was written BEFORE I had to start eating gluten-free. Unfortunately, I am no longer able to eat at Wasabi Express because I have no idea what (if anything) on the menu would be gluten-free. If you have to eat gluten-free, I would not recommend this restaurant. Many dishes include soy sauce which is not gluten-free – Tamari is a gluten-free soy sauce, but few restaurants use it.
I’m not sure how we got lucky enough to have two wonderful sushi restaurants in Owensboro, but I’m not going to question it, I’m just going to enjoy it. Often.
Wasabi Express also has great rice, and both their chicken soup and house salad are absolute legends. The menu also includes hibachi, appetizers, edamame, LOTS of sushi, and more.
It’s just a perfect, serene, and delicious place for lunch or dinner.
More Wasabi Express on Genuine Kentucky:
Latisha holt says
September 24, 2016 at 2:01 amYour reviews confuse me….are you doing gluten free reviews.. Or a little of everything? You speak of eating gf, but when bread arrives in your plate at Old Hickory, it’s not a big deal. That.. Would put 2/3 of my family in the hospital. Also, your pictures show sandwiches.. Are they gf? If they are I want one. Also, you review Wasabi…is it gf? I really miss Asian food. I’m not upset at your reviews, have read them for awhile, but very confused.
Joi Sigers says
September 26, 2016 at 4:33 pmHi, Latisha. Fair questions! I’ll try to answer them and clarify.
1. I take pictures of both my plate as well as the plates of those I am dining with – not everyone has to eat gluten free, so they should also get an idea of what is available at the restaurant. I have to eat gluten free, as does my oldest daughter – but my husband, sons-in-law, and 2 younger daughters do not.
2. My health issue didn’t exist when I first began this blog – well, actually they did, but Celiac Disease was the furthest thing from my mind. I blamed symptoms on anything and everything else – from my Thyroid Disease to my hiatal hernia… I just didn’t know. To be fair, neither did my doctors! Because of this, there are some restaurant reviews which do not have a “gluten free” focus while others do. I trust my readers to do a little research on their own to determine what is and what is not gluten free. Most chain restaurant’s websites have gluten free menus. As for the questionable ones (Wasabi, Authentic Mexican restaurants, and most BBQ restaurants), I ask questions and when the staff doesn’t know, I simply leave the food alone! At Wasabi, for example, I’ve had to give up the soup, salad, rice, most sushi rolls and just about everything else. I can eat the edamame and one particular sushi roll (a “Japanese Pickle” roll that’s actually delicious!)
3. While I assume that individuals will do diligent research on their own (especially those who would land in a hospital if they get glutened), I will begin saying so in future reviews and will go back and mention it in others. I’ve just never run into anyone confused by the reviews before – this is a first, but I’ll do what I can to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
4. I honestly can’t remember what I said in the bread on the plate review at Old Hickory – if I said it was “no big deal,” I surely meant that I was able to remove the bread and “cut away” all food that may have come into contact with it. Just one crumb, alone, gives me flu-like symptoms and pain for two weeks. My oldest daughter has intense, scary reactions – her throat swells shut and she breaks out immediately. Because her reactions are more life/death than mine, she wouldn’t even touch a plate if it arrived with bread on it.
I tend to try to be as polite and understanding as possible when a restaurant drops the ball, so to speak. Many in the gluten free community are so quick to fight that many restaurants have their guard up. I think most of us are still searching for ways to be firm, yet not cause restaurants to be anti-gluten free individuals. It’s murky waters right now, for sure and, quite frankly, has limited the number of times we eat out. Thankfully I love to cook!
No, Old Hickory does not have gluten free bread, unfortunately. They (as well as Wasabi and Authentic Mexican Restaurants, which I’m obsessed with!) do not have gluten free menus and, for the most part, probably don’t even know what gluten is! This is why, the more intense an individual’s reactions are, the less likely they should eat out anywhere that does not have a gluten free menu.
I’d love to see it become a regulation that ALL restaurants had to provide food allergy information but, until then, I’d say one should always be better safe than sorry.
Thanks for contacting me, Latisha, and for giving me a chance to try to clear up my reviews!
Joi (“Joy”)