Miso On Meramec   

The shusi is fantastic along with the pad thai noodles!

The food was great, however, we had the misfortune of sitting downstairs after 10pm, when Miso's is more a nightclub than a restaurant. The smoking was atrocious and kept us from enjoying our food. However, the very nice waitress told us to come before nine pm and consider sitting upstairs as the noise and the smoking kicks in full force after 9pm. The restaurant is almost trying too hard to be hip and cool and unfortunately may have scared off a lot of people who love sushi, but had heard(like my husband and myself) that the place was pretentious. I am glad I finally tried the restaurant. The food definitely was fabulous and in the future, we'll show up before 9pm. (Everyone should try the calamari-it's some of the best I've had ever.) This restaurant should be more of a restaurant and less of a nightclub. If any indication of the crowd last night(or lack of), the people that populate nightspots tend to be fickle and will move on to the next big thing. However, people who love food, esp. in this town, will keep you in business for a lifetime.

One lunch visit, for sushi only. Excellent rice and high quality fish, with a few hard to find (in St. Louis anyway) items. Miso's is now up with Nobu and Sekisui as my favorites in St. Louis. I was, quite frankly, expecting more attention to atmosphere than food, but was very pleasantly surprised. (BTW, soba noodles *are* made from buckwheat, although wheat is usually added. Udon are wheat noodles. I apprenticed to a Japanese chef for 1 1/2 years, and was in the restaurant business for many years...)

The food is terrific as is the atmosphere. The sushi is not the only good dish there. Try any one of the menu items. The couches provide a nice touch for more a more intimate dining experience. Great all-around choice.