Haiku for Sushi/Asian food in Des Moines!

If I was really clever, I’d write this post as a haiku – but bit much to ask on a Sunday  morning. I don’t know why it never occurred to us to try Haiku – a sushi/Asian restaurant in a strip mall near us at the western edge of Drake University. (Maybe because it’s in a strip mall near us at the western edge of Drake University). And when our friend Art suggested it – he’d had a good lunch there, I believe – I remained skeptical. But it was really good. We had several very inventive dishes – a sushi appetizer (my favorite was Leo’s Treat  Tempura- crabmeat, shrimp, avocado, asparagus & cheese),  a very interesting Haiku Salad with spring greens, seaweed, chopped squid, crabmeat, crispy Tempura bits in a sweet-tangy dressing.  Our  entrees were refreshingly lightly seasoned and sauced stir fries. The heavy use of panels of blue light in a darkened dining room with black furniture was a bit jarring at first but our table – at least – ultimately decided it created a soothing atmosphere. We arrived at 6 p.m. on a Saturday and the place was almost empty but was full when we left 1 1/2 hours later (to catch a movie.)