The art of the Japanese boxed lunch, or bento, is just as much an aesthetic pleasure as it is a culinary delight. The way in which the different parts of the meal are so carefully separated — meat, rice, vegetable, sushi — helps infuse the meal with a kind of haiku-like elegance. Indeed, the best bento possesses a certain visual poetry that soothes an anguished soul the moment the box is placed on the table. The orderliness has a psychological effect, allowing the diner a moment of clarity before digging in.
The history of bento in Japan goes back to the 12th Century with the advent of cooked and dried rice. But bento’s golden age was the 19th Century, when cookbooks devoted to the fashioning of bento boxes were published. The boxed lunch never disappeared, of course, but it’s said to come back recently with the microwave habits of the 1980s. Still, if you’ve ever enjoyed bento, whether in an aluminum tray or a lacquered wooden box or a plastic plate, then you know there’s a timeless grace to the whole affair that the average American grinder, hot dog or slice of pizza usually lacks.
Not surprisingly, there are plenty of Japanese restaurants and lunch counters that offer bento. However, one of the best places for the squarest of meals is at Café Mitz Sushi & Bento near UNLV. The first thing you’ll notice when setting foot inside is that the place is astonishingly clean and well-lighted. Sure, it’s goofy to begin a food review by discussing the restrooms, we know, but the ones here are so clean we almost wanted to eat our meals inside them! The employees are so smiling, ecstatic and efficient, they may cause you to wonder what’s wrong with you.
Perhaps they’re beaming because the bento is so beautiful: chicken teriyaki ($5), chicken katsu (fried, $6.50), pork katsu ($6.50), beef sukiyaki (pot roast, $6.50), fried salmon ($6.50), fried white fish ($6.50) and mixed seafood ($8). At Café Mitz, an artfully arranged lacquered box contains your preferred meat, white rice, salad with house dressing, four California rolls, potato salad and edamame (green soybeans) — each in its own cute little compartment.
Except for the meat, this is basically a cold meal that’s light, refreshing and perfect for the summer, when gorging on heavier items makes one uncomfortable. The bento box will fill you without that greasy or overstuffed feeling.
Other meals worth sampling at Café Mitz include the shrimp tempura bowl ($5.50), with three Ultraman-sized shrimp so large they completely cover the rice. The chicken and beef curries ($6) are notable and offer a different spin on curry that may surprise you. Of course, if you’re just in the mood for seafood egg rolls (2 for $2.50), they’re crisped just right, as are the deep-fried sushi nuggets (four pieces for $3). And if you’ve never tried korokke — a fried concoction of meat, seafood and vegetables coated in breadcrumbs — we suggest you try it here first. For drinks, we recommend the Mango Coconut Smoothie, which, priced at $2.50, is a bargain.
Café Mitz is so superlative that it’ll likely convert you into a bento-box fanatic. Talk about square meals!
Café Mitz is located at 4550 S. Maryland Pkwy., Unit 9. For more information, call 702-895-9796 or go to
www.cafemitz.com.
