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Sushi and Service Are The Draws at This Upscale Lounge
• by Sean Hixson - Photo by Allyson Mace
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Awell-traveled, non-STL-native friend swears McGurk’s is the country’s best bar. Not the best bar in Soulard. Not the best bar in St. Louis. The best. Ever. Sure, McGurk’s has a cool beer garden and weekend hordes, but, in reality, it’s a formulaic Irish pub – Guinness pints and live Irish folk. Best ever? Huh? I never got my friend’s McGurk’s worship until I saw why it takes him so long to retrieve a round. He’s fraternizing with the waitresses, bartenders and manager. Real conversation, too – the personal touch that’s a key part of customer service.
All restaurants/bars say they stress customer service. Most don’t. All restaurants/bars want to be a “best.” Most fail. Coincidence? Upcomer Modai Sushi Lounge is the newest addition to the eastern edge of The Loop. On my second visit, Modai’s room-working manager remembered my name.
The look …
Squeezed eastward by Joe Edwards since the early ‘70s, The Loop has oozed down Delmar Boulevard like toothpaste and now officially ends at Rosedale Avenue, allowing The Loop MetroLink station to actually live up to its name.
Modai, cornering Rosedale and Delmar, tags its exterior with a hanging neon sign and candle lamps in large picture windows. Inside, the room is rectangular, a center bar splitting it in two, making the space seem round. The decor feels modern – shiny stone, brushed-steel supports on exposed ductwork; cushy, yet sleek, furniture; dark colors; and ever-dimming lighting.
On one side of the bar, watch bartender mix cocktails; on the other, watch chef carve sashimi. Ensconce on the velvet couches and chairs in Modai’s opposite corners. For more formal dining, grab a candlelit table along the windows or, along the walls, a plush booth or bench – more velvet here. Late night, glance at the DJ spinning in a bunker up top.
A black-lit elevator drops to the basement’s unisex bathrooms. The area’s loungy feel seems overdone (it’s just bathrooms), but with plans to double club space with a downstairs room, it makes sense to season the area with mood music, nice furniture and a tiny grotto.
The scene …
Two months into life, Modai is more restaurant than lounge, filling the STL’s need for more high-end, full-service sushi eateries. Sushi’s the main draw, unlike some places in town that serve sushi yet make their profits opening Bud Lights. Fitting of The Loop, dinner attracts all sorts – straight, gay and racially mixed couples/groups – but few are under 25 or over 45.
At 10 p.m., the DJ starts spinning and the crowd gets younger and more single. Depending on music, Modai can morph from restaurant into a trendy nightspot with pretty, dancing people, or into bliss for KSHE 95 listeners with crappy ‘80s rock songs. (.38 freaking Special?) Still, Thursday night’s “’80s G-Spot” is most crowded, possibly because of drunk girls’ affection for “Come On Eileen” and “The Promise.” Modai is open seven days a week. Weekend nights’ lounge crowds aren’t huge but are growing. Every weeknight has a food/drink special. Free sushi for Tuesday
happy hour.
In a rare twist for St. Louis, ownership considers Modai step No. 1 in a future multiple-city chain – Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta. With titles straight out of Scorsese’s “Casino,” director of operations Doug Nguyen and beverage manager Nhat Nguyen play Ace Rothsteins at Modai, attempting to perfect the concept before expansion. For that reason, they’re keenly interested in what makes a nightspot succeed. In my visits, the two-man team grilled me as to what it takes for a bar to succeed in St. Louis, like I knew or something.
As I mentioned, personal touch in customer service is key to winning over loyal patrons. In all my visits, both Nguyens were buzzing around, making sure patrons enjoyed their time. With such keen customer attention, Modai could explode.
The products …
Everybody loves sushi rolls. Modai offers more than 35 at fair prices – standards (California Roll, $5) to inventive (Godzilla Roll, $13). Don’t like sushi? Well, along with customary sashimi and nigiri, beef and chicken are well represented on the menu. Entrées (i.e., eel over rice, grilled salmon) are well under $18. Miso soup precedes everything.
Sake comes both infused and straight, $11 per carafe. Most house cocktails feature fresh fruit – i.e., “Kiwi” (muddled kiwis, melon vodka) and “Black Rain” (limes, raspberries, blackcurrant vodka). Modai’s frou frou is tasty. The wasabi-stuffed olives are tastier. The wine list is modest – 12 reds, 12 whites.
It’s a sushi joint, so drink the Japanese beers. The 22-ounce big-boy Sapporos ($7) are sweet. Kirin Ichiban runs ($4). Ashai Super Dry ($5) is good, not super.
The straight 411 …
For high-end sushi and nightly lounging, with management that aims to please, head to Modai.
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