Saki in East Naples scores with fresh, generous Japanese cuisine in an urbane setting

To write about Saki Japanese restaurant is to make yourself hungry. Residents of Lely Grand Resort and Verona Walk who have been relegated to supermarket sushi now have classy salvation in the new dining spot at Stock Plaza.

It sits squarely in the center of the fairly young shopping center off Grand Lely Drive and Collier Boulevard, an invitation to get out of the pizza-coffee-shop-Mexican milieu and into sushi, crispy tempura and hibachi-grilled meats. Alas, we didn't even get to try the hibachi meals the day we were there because we had overdone, happily, the sushi and appetizers. 

That was a mistake. The grilled goodies range from veggies or chicken ($13.99) to salmon, shrimp and/or scallops and the ultimate: filet mignon ($21.99). There are teriyakis, too, from $13.99 (tofu or chicken) to $17.99 (steak).

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We opted to try the Aged Tofu as an appetizer. It came out fresh and piping hot — so hot we had to forbear for a few minutes after that first blazing bite. Saki uses a soft tofu and coats it with well-crumbled panko before it's dropped into the oil; the result nearly melts in your mouth once you've bitten through the crispy coating. 

We would recommend this as a starter for kids because it has a crunch second to none but is mild in flavor. They'll love dipping the little cubes in the soy sauce. But ask the server to hold it in the kitchen for five minutes so it cools down.

In fact, Saki is an excellent starter spot in which to introduce kids to Japanese food: There's an ear-friendly ’70s and ’80s music background and plentiful glass windows to give them a wide view of comings and goings in the plaza. The day we were there, a rabbit hopped around its wrought-iron outdoor tables, stopping to munch on a lone plant. The restaurants also offers kid hibachi entrees ($5.99 and $6.99). 

I was looking forward to a sashimi bento box lunch ($9.99) and was a little disappointed that it came in a neatly portioned dish rather than in the traditional box. It's what inside that counts, of course, and the little trio of sauce-showered gyoza (filled dumplings) blew the box observation right out of my head. These were loosely well-filled with pork (the restaurant offers vegetable fillings, and can likely substitute those if you choose). 

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Sashimi here is a thick cut, with plump layers of salmon, white fish and tuna that are fresh, fresh, fresh. And In my case, gone, gone, gone. The California roll was standard but had much more filling than rice. That makes it good eating, yet a bit harder to maneuver with the chopsticks. The rice cools quickly, if you're a connoisseur, and the restaurant does offer fried rice (99 cents extra) for those who are. But would you have the room to eat it? 

For those who don't care for fish, the restaurant offers bento box lunches in tempura or teriyaki chicken, steak or vegetables ($7.99 to $9.99). 

My dining partner had much more trouble choosing, partly because nearly everything on the menu sounds good, partly because the rolls require some definition unless you're a sushi authority. She had to keep flipping from the roll prices to their definitions in the back of the menu, and she suggested a separate laminated card with definitions of them would make the process easier.

A two-roll lunch for $15 is a decent price, and the choices are encyclopedic. (A warning: There are probably 14 rolls eligible for that, and if you choose one outside the list, you'll be charged fully for both. That was a whopping 50 cents in our case.)

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Sushi lovers may want to willingly indulge in the full-price lunch. Besides the classic sushi or sashimi (22 varieties, from $4 to $6.25 for the sweet shrimp), 20 cooked classic rolls and 12 raw classic rolls, the restaurant offers 26 of its own custom rolls. Ready to order now?

Some of the specials actually are variations on familiar themes, such as a crunch California roll ($7.99), with those finely crunched panko crumbs atop it. The Ashley Special —  $13.99, a scallop and spicy crab topped with spicy tuna and shredded crab and served with a house spicy mayo —  takes that one to new, fiery heights. 

The sushi chef has a flair for presentation, and the restaurant's gleaming white china, occasionally bearing a bamboo-brush painting, shows it off beautifully. We were so taken with the Mango Tango special roll ($14.99) we had to stop and ask the diners about it. The combination blends mango, salmon and spicy crab, rolled with fresh seaweed, topped with tuna, flying fish eggs and mango sauce. 

My friend finally settled on the Terry and spider rolls, and the chef obliged her request to skip the eel sauce on the Saki version of it. She couldn't finish the spicy salmon-avocado Terry roll ($8), but the spider roll, a crunchy-tender, showy piece with its soft-shell crab ($7.50) was gone in no time. 

There's no dessert here, but there's also no room for it. You might substitute a Rumue strawberry soda, a Japanese soft drink ($3), for the kids. Nearby La Michoacana, at  11520 U.S. 41 E., has a good selection of ice cream for the sweets lover of any age, however. For now, you just have to box up the sushi you couldn't finish and dream of what a great dinner you're going to have.

Saki Japanese Restaurant

Where: 7711 Collier Blvd., Unit 108, East Naples 

When: Daily 11 a.m.-9 p.m., until 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays

Prices: Soups and salads, $2.99 to $10.50 (soft-shell crab salad); lunch specials $9.99 and $15; sushi and sashimi entrees from $13.99 to $21.99 for a five-piece sushi, nine-piece sashimi and California roll boat. Or get your friends together and try the $40 "chef's best" sashimi mix. Sushi and sashimi range from the salmon roe at $4 to Holy Moly — eel,cream cheese and avocado, rolled with soy paper, tempura fried and topped with scallop

Contact: sakinaples.com or 239-331-3721

Forks: 4½

Something else: Wine and beer only; the restaurant offers carryout