By Kathy M. Newbern & J.S. Fletcher © 2010
We first met Chef Mike Lee of Raleigh's Sono Restaurant at the Labor Day Food and Wine Festival at Pinehurst. He and the winefest master of ceremonies teamed up to present a session on "The Secret Life of Sushi and Wine."
Recently we had the good fortune to explore that secret life at Chef Lee's stylish downtown restaurant located on Fayetteville Street alongside the WTVD news studio. Sono is a compact space that utilizes every inch effectively. Easily accommodating 50 people at tables and booths, there is also seating at the lounge bar and at the open sushi bar, where, “all the action is,” says Lee. (Top photo)
Overall, the décor is simple, dominated by red and black colors with beige accents that work together well and surprisingly create a relaxing, lounge-type atmosphere. Contrasts add to the mix: two TVs broadcast separate channels behind the sushi bar; contemporary music comes from overhead 
speakers; big cushy booths are along one wall; tables fill up the middle; the focal point perhaps is the huge wall mural of a lovely Asian woman in a fashionable silk dress, her hand outstretched to an orchid.
Table settings are simple: menus placed on the chairs; black, cloth napkins neatly folded into a triangle; and chopsticks sealed in white paper bearing the restaurant logo set on small, off-black dishes. (Fortunately for us, the chopsticks are what Fletcher calls “use-friendly” - you can leave the two sides 
attached at the bottom to use them like tweezers or break them apart to use the traditional way. Guess which one of us used them tweezers-style.)
At the first bite of each of six courses - artfully presented - we found ourselves wide-eyed and impressed. Who knew a sushi restaurant could deliver such amazing cuisine? Certainly not us.
For the record, Sono is much more than a sushi restaurant, though its popular sushi bar kept two chefs busy during our visit. Sono is, instead, best described as Japanese fusion cuisine, and Lee, for three years now, has been delivering new twists on traditional favorites much to the delight of his fans, ourselves now among them.
Lee explained that he had received a fresh fish shipment from Hawaii, adding that the menu changes based on availability, especially for the freshest fish. On this night, Lee was particularly happy with the Big-Eye tuna and the red albacore. One purveyor knows him as the client who returns the most product. If it's not up to par, it goes back.
Among Sono's dining choices are an Omakase, meaning “it’s your choice” - actually the chef's choice - where you receive a meal of several courses using the day’s 
finest ingredients to showcase the chef’s talent. Lee noted that this is a better value than ordering a la carte and a great way to get a complete meal - salad, appetizers, entrees, dessert - in one price. The omakase meals come in three price levels, which in larger cities would likely be double what Sono charges.
Wanting to sample many dishes as possible, we opted for the chef's choice. While Sono offers some wine-by-the-glass choices from its broad wine and sake menu (a few by the glass), for tasting purposes, we were delivered compatible wine or sake servings per course, though that's not yet a standard dining option.
When it comes to that "secret life of sushi and wine," Lee says, "I like to recommend champagne, or something very light. I don't recommend anything too fruity or too sweet," be it sake or wine, because it clashes with the sweetness of the fish. His favorite sake on the menu that seems to pair well with multiple dishes is Nanburyu. Also, he says, stay away from unfiltered sake with fish because "you won't taste any fish." (Chef Lee photo by J.S. Fletcher)
Another insider tip: Sit at the sushi bar if you can - the equivalent of a chef's table - as you can watch the chefs at work and you get your food faster as the items are literally made and served before your eyes.
(Chef Lee and another chef at the sushi bar; TV overhead. JS Fletcher photo)
We eyed the laminated, two-sided "special rolls" menu offering a whopping 32 choices, from Crunchy Monkey and Dancing Eel to the French Kiss and "G" Spot. Our dinner included one of the most popular items on the rolls menu - the Screaming "O." (More about that in a moment.)
Our server, John, started us out with a glass of Ponga New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, which paired perfectly with the chef's salad, a combination of a house salad and a seaweed salad. We both declared "yum."
(Salad & Sauvignon Blanc. K. Newbern photo)
As we ate the salad and other dishes to follow, we noticed by not only the tastes but also by the textures in the meals, which is part of what makes eating fun. We noticed that little things were popping in our mouths and bursting with flavor, and Lee shared with us that he loves caviar for several reasons, not only its taste sensation but it’s a great salt substitute.
Round two was served with an Independent unoaked Chardonnay. Nicely displayed slices of yellowtail - "the belly of the yellowtail," the chef confided - were served with a salsa of cucumber, jalapeno, mango and ponzu sauce on the side plus some delicious pickled ginger. The chef described the fish presentation as a cross between carpaccio and sashimi style. Again, delicious. Two for two.
(Yellowfin sashimi; photo by K. Newbern)
Third up was a two-stack, sort of canape featuring that Hawaiian red albacore prepared Japanese poke style (poke is also Hawaiian), similar to cerviche, served atop homemade "chips" of nori seaweed. The dish was lightly seasoned with soy. The two-stack was one atop the other for "two perfect bites" Chef promised, and we used our fingers as he suggested. The cracker-like chip was a crunchy surprise, perfect with the fish. Our favorite at that point if forced to pick one.
The fourth course, very traditional, contrasted the lean meat of tuna with the oil (fat) of an avocado puree. 
He seared the Big-Eye tuna from Hawaii, added a bit of cilantro and lemon juice, and served it with garlic chips for a nutty flavor. Chef warned he had peppered it before speaking with us and learning we generally steer clear of spicy foods, but he needn't have worried as the pepper was not overused. Sauces accompanied the dish and decorated the plate: a wasabi creme fraiche and an eel sauce with balsamic reduction. This dish had wonderful taste combinations especially with the sauces. We've always shied away from wasabi, but as a creme fraiche sauce, it was delightfully tasty as was the Karatamba sake served with it - 15 percent alcohol by the way. Four for four for the chef. (Photo: J.S. Fletcher)
Chef Lee chose for our fifth course one of Sono's best selling menu items: The Screaming "O" roll. That's spicy tuna and tempura shrimp inside a rice roll with seared tuna on top served with a creamy "O" sauce. With this course, he chose Zipang, a sparkling sake, which we loved - another discovery for us. The plate was beautifully adorned with a delicate butterfly. "Is that a carrot?" Fletcher asked our waiter, John, who quipped, "It used to be." (Photo of that dish, below, by JS Fletcher)
Our final main course was a seafood dumpling with creamy sauce, the equivalent of a Japanese ravioli, topped with flash-fried cilantro tempura and black fish-egg for that salt element.
For dessert, Lee presented a simple yet flavor-laden treat: two Mochi ice cream creations - mochi is a Japanese confection of pounded sticky rice dough filled with the ice cream. The ice creams were green tea plus sweet red bean. Each was halved but served in one bowl, presented with whipped cream and garnished with a fresh mint leaf and a chocolate-dipped pastry straw. The delight was paired with Hana Awaka, a sparkling sake described as light, bubbling with refreshing floral aroma. It lived up to that billing and closed the Omakase perfectly.
It would be great if Sono could offer an occasional "wine/sake dinner" with pairings - it would be both fun and educational. We were thrilled to sample so many different courses this way. (The beverage menu, incidentally, has 19 sakes including three unfiltered plus the two sparklings that we tried).
Admittedly, we had not previously been big sushi fans, perhaps because we had not been properly exposed. Sono, Lee and his team changed that, but it's more than sushi you'll find at this stylish downtown eatery; it's Japanese fusion cooking with the heart and soul of the chef thrown in.
Lee let us know that Sono can be translated in Japanese to mean “the.” How appropriate because in Raleigh, it certainly is “the” place to go for excellent Japanese fusion cuisine.
Details: Visit www.sonoraleigh.com for more info including menus. Sono is at 319 Fayetteville Street, #101, beside the TV station downtown. Call 919-521-5328. Lunch hours are Monday-Friday, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.; dinner is Sunday-Thursday, 5-10 and Friday-Saturday, 5-11.
Luxury Travel Examiner Kathy M. Newbern and husband, J.S. Fletcher, report on luxury destinations, spas and cruising around the globe. They are award-winning members of the Society of American Travel Writers and operate YourNovel.com, their personalized romance novel business.
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