BALTIMORE CITY PAPER ONLINE (Sept 5-11, 2001)
Minato

This Japanese restaurant in the heart of Mount Vernon has its ups and downs, but the right menu choices will yield a fine meal. On the sushi side, the nigiri is nigglingly small, but the long rolls are plump and packed with fresh fish. The teriyaki is tasty, the tempura just fair but generously portioned. The best bets are the noodle soups—the udon, soba, and ramen dishes are huge and hugely satisfying.
 
 

BALTIMORE MAGAZINE Feb. 2001

We can’t resist the bento box, its laquered compartments filled with treasures like crisp, greaseless tonkatsu and tender salmon teriyaki. Ah, but there’s the rub. If we order the bento, we might not satisfy our craving for the restaurant’s strong suit—perfect, super-fresh sashimi and sushi, possibly the best in town. Even on Thursday (supposedly no-no night for fresh fish), the raw offerings are pristine. Owner and sushi maven Alex Tran makes the sushi bar the best place from which to take in the action; he’s always got something tasty on tap for customers to sample. Otherwise, a table in this exposed-brick cellar dining room may not be very Japanese-feeling, but it’s cozy and the service is quite good.
 
 

BALTIMORE MAGAZINE Feb. 2000

This basement Asian in Mt. Vernon offers a split Japanese/Vietnamese personality, with two separate menus. But, frankly, it’s the sushi that keeps this place popular with a regular cadre of fish aficionados. On a good night, Minato’s sushi chefs may be the most accomplished in a city suddenly brimming with them. Whether it’s a morsel of monkfish liver or an artful slice of salmon cheek, the ingredients are peerlessly fresh, the preparation inventive.
 
 

VRG's Maryland Vegetarian Dining Guide
Minato Japanese Restaurant/Café Viet

Japanese/Vietnamese.This restaurant offers miso soup, vegetable garden rolls, vegetarian teriyaki, sushi, and tempura as well as dinner entrees.
Lunch Mon-Fri 11:30-2:30, Dinner Sun-Thurs 5-10, Fri-Sat 5-11 $$-$$$.
 
 

BALTIMORE CITY PAPER ONLINE Sept. 1999
Best Noodles
Minato

We know the thought of ramen makes most folks think, Four for a dollar at the Safeway. Not necessarily so. Minato is a little hard to find--it's located downstairs from the Mount Vernon Donna's--but it's worth tracking down. We know and love noodles, and Minato's are tasty and filling. Our favorite is the nabeyaki udon, which is served in a bowl so big you could dunk your face into it. A steaming broth contains all manner of toothsome delights: gigantic tempura shrimp, mushrooms, fried tofu skins, and some sort of fish cake or sausage or veggie product (don't ask us, we're gaijin), along with a heaping helping of luscious udon noodles. We've had the ramen too. Calling it by the same name as that dried stuff from our college days is like saying Liza Minnelli sings as well as her mom. T'aint so, Louise. Minato will change the way you think about the lowly ramen noodle.
 
 
 
 
 

BALTIMORE CITY PAPER ONLINE (Sept 15-22, 1999)
Best Sushi Lunch Deal
Minato Japanese Restaurant

Yes, there are places in town offering all-you-can-eat sushi. But let us remind you that sushi includes raw fish. If ever there were a foodstuff where quality should count over quantity, well, this is it. The all-you-can-pack-into-your maw mentality is best left to Shoney's and the Horn and Horn. Minato offers a rotating series of lunch specials, each providing a decent spread of sushi for under $6. If the special doesn't catch your eye, the always-available Minato Sushi Lunch, at $7.50, offers six pieces of nigiri sushi along with half a California roll and half a tuna roll--and includes a salad bar (love that soy-based ponzu dressing) and a bowl of palate-warming miso soup. If you're not in a sushi mood, we recommend the $6.50 nabeyaki udon ($5.50 on Wednesdays when it's the special): two plump tempura shrimp in a briny bowl of buckwheat noodles, veggies, and other exotic delicacies. (And for all the desk-bound workaholics: You can order everything to go as well.) Why settle for a tuna-salad sandwich when you can have fresh tuna and other finned delights at such tempting prices?