Akanomi in Guilderland

Akanomi is a relatively new Japanese restaurant in Guilderland. We had our first experience last week and were pleased. Key highlights - free delivery, decent food, and reasonable prices.

I have to confess a bias for Japanese restaurants run by Japanese people. For the best authentic Japanese food around here, you're limited to Miyako, Yoshi Sushi, and Mari's.

Akanomi does not appear to be run by Japanese. I called and asked a question - the conversation I heard in the background was definitely not in Japanese. Also, the name sounds good to someone who doesn't know better, but I don't think it's really a Japanese word. It doesn't show up in any of my dictionaries, though it could be a person's name. Including Pad Thai on the menu is also very non-Japanese.

But on to what really matters: the food was not only good, but interesting. I ordered the Kitsune Udon. The soup was gently sweet. They did a really good job on the flavor. We had a few other items. The shumai (shrimp dumplings) were nothing special, and the sauce was not what I'd expect. The gyoza (pork dumplings) were good, but a little heavy on the black pepper. Same with the noodles -- so much black pepper our kids wouldn't eat them (but I liked them).

The Alaska roll was good and I ordered a special roll, Crazy Tuna. Certainly not a traditional item, but an interesting combination including "Pepper Tuna" and it worked. They also have a "Amazing Tuna," which I might try soon.

We did not have a menu when we ordered. They don't have it online - hopefully they'll correct that soon. We now have a couple. One interesting set of choices - they have Japanese curry dishes. You don't see that a lot around here so I'll have to try that next time.

Overall the prices seem the same or a little lower than some of the other Japanese places in the area. Hibachi Filet is $19, for example.