By Jae-Ha Kim
Chicago Sun-Times
October 30, 1994
Grrrrrrrumble!!!!
The noise you hear is the collective hunger pangs of wannabe patrons waiting for a table at Shiroi Hana. The line outside the Japanese restaurant is long and winding. There is no band playing. And as far as I can tell, there are no celebrities inside to bother, either.
So why are all these folks lined up waiting to get in?
Because inside, a $6.95 sushi deluxe dinner is awaiting them.
That’s right – no digits are missing – $6.95.
Before I go on, let me tell you what you get for $6.95: nine pieces of sushi, a mini California roll (three pieces) and a cucumber roll (also three pieces). You also get the regular amenities (a hot white towel to wash your hands before your meal and a bowl of miso soup to start things off).
“It’s a good price, right?” kitchen manager Albert Kudo asked rhetorically. “We’ve been having this special for the past three or four years, and people seem to really like it. It’s a good deal.”
The understatement of the decade.
Japanese food in general and sushi in particular have reputations for being expensive, so I consider Shiroi Hana to be quite the coup. Judging by the lines that can form on weekend nights, so do a lot of other people.
“The thing is that the sushi here is really tasty and not just cheap,” said Hannah Hurwitz, who comes here every week with her roommate, Brad Miller. “I really like coming here to get a really good meal for the price of a hamburger and fries dinner. I also love feeling really clean after eating sushi, not all greasy like I do with fast food.”
Shiroi Hana accepts no reservations, but the turnaround is relatively quick at the 47-seat restaurant. Once inside the spotless, brightly lit eatery, diners are promptly served. The sushi deluxe is a popular order, and the chefs expertly whip up platters of them. (If cooked food is more to your liking, Shiroi Hana also serves up delicious teriyaki, noodles, etc.)
“You can get quite the scene here, especially on weekends,” said Mark McKenna, dipping some sweet ginger into soy sauce and wasabi (horseradish). “You get some of the club kids getting some nourishment before they head over to the Smart Bar. And you also get families out for a nice dinner. They look different, but they also all fit in. We all have the same stomach and the same desire for a good bargain.”
The question, of course, remains as to how Shiroi Hana can afford to offer such a cheap meal.
“When you get a lot of customers, you make a profit,” Kudo said. “We get a lot of customers.”
