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LA-style sushi comes to La Grange
Dragon roll at Woow Japanese Restaurant in La Grange. | Rob Hart~Sun-Times Media
On the menu
Name: Woow Japanese Restaurant
Address: 35 S. La Grange Road
Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; 11:30 a.m. to10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday
Specials: 2:30 to 7 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 50 percent off regular sushi rolls and appetizers. On Friday and Saturday 50 percent off bottles of wine, $5 martinis, $5 tropical drinks, $5 large (20 ounce) Japanese beers and $3 small (12 ounce) Japanese beers.
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Updated: February 5, 2013 1:00PM
LA GRANGE —Michael Wu and Kristy Tran moved to the suburbs from southern California eight years ago and quickly made their mark as business owners, launching two nail spas and three popular sushi restaurants located throughout the area. Wu and Tran, who own VIP Nails and Spa in Orland Park, opened their first Woow Japanese Restaurant location in the same city in 2010 before opening their second in Frankfurt the following year. The couple opened another location in La Grange earlier last year.
Q: How is Woow different from other Japanese/Sushi restaurants?
A: We’ve brought an LA-style sushi that is unlike other sushi places in Chicago. In LA, the sushi is more modern than the traditional types found here. We also have fresh, higher-quality food with a more up-to-date feel.
Q: Do you have any specialties?
A: Our Chef’s Special rolls are all amazing. A favorite among customers is the Angel Hair Roll, which is shrimp tempura with sliced apple inside, topped with crab meat, fish eggs, and scallion, tempura crunchy, served with mango sauce, eel sauce, and spicy mayo. Another popular roll is the Godzilla Roll, which is eel, shrimp, crab meat, white fish, cream cheese and avocado, deep fried with spicy sauce and eel sauce.
Q: Who is your sushi chef?
A: Peter Yao is our main sushi chef. He has 25 years of experience making sushi and studied the art of sushi in Japan for several years.
Q: What’s the story behind your decision to open these restaurants?
A: I worked for a Japanese/sushi restaurant while living in San Diego. My wife and I moved to the Chicago area in 2005 to be closer to her family and we recognized a great opportunity to open a restaurant here.
Q: Any plans to open more locations?
A: Our goal is to open one more restaurant each year, as we’ve done since 2010. Right now we’re looking at possible locations for the next one.
Q: Explain the interior of the restaurant.
A: People say it’s fancy and very beautiful. We keep it nice and clean.
Q: For people who haven’t tried your sushi yet, what do you want them to know about Woow Japanese Restaurant?
A: We have a beautiful restaurant with wonderful food.
