Sake Cafe uptown

"Fried octopus fritters, crispy calamari, and sake-marinated barbecue ribs are a few of the creative dishes at Sake Cafe in Uptown, founded by chef Tony Zheng. Lemongrass goat cheese gyoza and baked salmon with snow crab also tempt. For mains, jumbo shrimp stuffed with snow crab in a peanut wasabi sauce is a modern riff to sample — or selection one of the varieties of pan-roasted or fried fish." - Beth D'Addono

"Sake Cafe Uptown is swanky sushi at its best. The place, in a former K & B drug store, is pretty in a 1990s sort of way with design wows like bright, multi-colored, Chihuly-esque blown glass chandeliers and bi-level white tablecloth dining. The sushi menu melds traditional Japanese dishes and New Orleans ingredients (see jazz roll, Uptown roll, and New Orleans roll on the menu) along with bento box lunch specials and a full bar including an extensive sake list and specialty cocktails. The happy hour is a steal, with tons of eats and drinks under $5." - Beth D'Addono, Clair Lorell

"Sake Cafe Uptown is swanky sushi at its best. The place, in a former K & B drug store, is pretty in a 1990s sort of way with design wows like bright, multi-colored, Chihuly-esque blown glass chandeliers and bi-level white tablecloth dining. The sushi menu melds traditional Japanese dishes and New Orleans ingredients (see jazz roll, Uptown roll, and New Orleans roll on the menu) along with bento box lunch specials and a full bar including an extensive sake list and specialty cocktails. The happy hour is a steal, with tons of eats and drinks under $5." - Beth D'Addono, Clair Lorell

"For those who like flavored martinis, Sake Café on Magazine Street has a colorful martini menu that includes favorites like the lycheetini, French martini, and lemon drop. Added bonus: all drinks are half off during their daily happy hour between 3 and 6 p.m. This menu is not for the purists, so those who argue that flavored vodka poured in a martini glass does not meet the requirements of an adequate martini have been warned to look away." - Adriana Lopez

"The Uptown Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cafe has closed after an owner’s dispute with the landlord, reports Gambit. Jamal Ismail opened Shahrazad Cafe on Magazine Street two years ago, expanding with a stall in the Place St. Charles food court last year (Baba Ganuj, still open). Ismail tells Gambit he hopes to reopen the cafe in another location Uptown; a deli will move into its current address (4739 Magazine St.)." - Clair Lorell