Wild Ginger - You might come for the sushi but you'll stay for the spicy squid

A quick Google Map search for "sushi" along Bardstown Rd. in the Highlands reveals a line of red markers dotting what seems like every block from E Broadway to Trevillian. Who would have guessed that another sushi joint was needed?

I guess you can never have too many sushi joints because when Nick and I walked into the (somewhat) recently opened Wild Ginger a few weeks back, it was packed.

The interior was warm and inviting mixed with some modern touches especially around the bar and sushi bar.

The menu runs the Asian gamut from Japanese to Thai...from Korean to Chinese...there's A LOT to choose from.

When trying to order off a menu of that magnitude we decided to stick to the basics...sashimi, tempura, a "special" roll or two and something off the pan part of the pan Asian menu.

We ordered a literal boatload of sashimi and it arrived in a quirky and cute presentation. All of the usual players were accounted for in the mix and the fish was cut well. The problem we ran into was the temperature. The sashimi was partially frozen when it arrived. All of it, in fact, suffered from being too cold. I'm not sure if it was pre-frozen and not thawed properly or if they simply chilled it too much, but the tiny ice granules that dotted the fish were unfortunate.

Another sushi "special" that we had(uggg...I should have written it down because I forget what it was) was fine, and didn't suffer from the temperature issue. It wasn't all that noteworthy but it was tasty.

After the too cold sashimi we decided to order something deep fried. The tempura was of the shrimp and vegetable variety and was executed well. No problems there.

We decided on one more dish to share...something hearty to help soak up the Sapporos and Kirins we were knocking back. We decided to venture away from Japan and head over to Korea for some Korean Spicy Squid.

This dish was awesome. It was spicy, but not so much that it overpowered the squid. It was cooked well, packed with flavor and best of all, boasted a wonderful mix of textures. It made me wish we had ordered all our dishes that evening off the "Asian Entrees" section of the menu.

As for the rest of it.........service was friendly and plentiful. Empty dishes practically flew off our table the second they were completed. I really enjoyed the atmosphere as well. It was bustling enough to feel inviting but not so much that people were bumping into you all night.

In the end I guess my opinion would be that Bardstown Rd doesn't really need another sushi joint...or perhaps one isn't needed when it serves semi-frozen fish. What might be needed and welcome, however, is a joint that serves up Pan Asian food like that Korean Spicy Squid. If the rest of the hot dishes are as good as that squid, Wild Ginger will be a welcome addition to the Bardstown Rd Asian restaurant scene.

P.S. They seem to have some decent weekly specials that might be worth checking out.