Somehow on the way back to the car, however, we discovered Nan's Sushi. I now believe it was fate that steered us away from Sushi Para and into the doors of Nan's (although, I DO plan on taking a visit to Sushi Para II in the near future).
Nan's has been around for about 3 years, according to the sushi chef I had the pleasure of sitting in front of. The decor is simple, and the atmosphere is cozy. Right next door, they have Nan's EXPRESS! A quick to-go pick up joint where you can order in advance and enjoy your sushi elsewhere. But to be honest, I couldn't see why you wouldn't want to be in there!
My friend and I sat at the bar and immediately were greeted by the sushi chefs. The chef who made our first order highly recommended other rolls that he personally enjoyed. We were later told it was his first week.. as if it were an apology. But despite the lack of experience he may have had, our chef presented a true definition of food art:
The white dragon above was the weekly special and amazingly less than $10! After that, we just HAD to order more special rolls to see just how beautiful the rest of their rolls were. Because we weren't very hungry, we only ordered an additional two special maki: the black dragon and the crunch salmon roll (both pictured below). After feeling fully satisfied, we thanked the sushi chefs for such a great meal. Then we talked up a storm with them about the neighborhood eats. It's nice to be able to carry a conversation with the chefs because they get to know their customers.
This is one of the first experiences I had that did not have any major problems. I guess the only setback was that the crunch salmon roll was so big that i couldn't eat it in a quick bite.. but too amazing to take in more than one!
Completely satisfied, I do intend to return with more people. There was a table just behind us celebrating a birthday, and I believe they chose a perfect location. Intimate, personal, simply put, a true "wow".
To check them out, visit their website or call them at 312|944.5944.
Nan's Sushi is located at 2360 N. Lincoln Avenue in Lincoln Park.
