S@kura

Personality at this sushi restaurant comes not from the ambience (which has only a wall of faux sakura blossoms to its name) but from the friendly chef-partner Alfredo Cruz, who after four years at Wakamono has already gained loyal fans of his maki rolling in his Logan Square digs. Though we admire the menu’s ambition, we’re not yet ready to join those ranks: “Spice Koong” salad yielded primarily unseasoned shrimp and tired cilantro, the fusion-y Mexicana Roll overwhelmed yellowtail with jalapeño’s heat, and nigiri were bulky, inelegant cuts of fish. Even a flawed meal here can end on a high note, though, thanks to housemade plum-wine ice cream dotted with chewy bits of dried plum and submerged in an effervescent glass of plum wine.