We had always talked about trying Nobu, the expensive Japanese restaurant, on a special occasion. When Jamie’s birthday rolled around, we quickly made reservations for two.

Nobu may not be the place to dine at on a regular basis, but for an occasional treat, or when trying to impress a date, it is an excellent place to consider. This upscale sushi restaurant is tucked away inside the Hotel Crescent Court in Dallas’ uptown arts district. Nobuyuki Matsuhisa, Nobu for short, is the world-renowned chef proprietor of the sushi restaurant. Nobu currently has 17 restaurants in 13 different cities around the world.

For an intimate evening, you have the choice of sitting at lower tables situated around couches, the sushi bar or at a table in the main dining area. The dining room is accented with black river rocks covering the entire back wall, adding an earthy touch to the scorched-ash bar. The tables are made from birch trees and have a real natural feel to them.

We started with a few drinks (the Pina Martini and the MacMurry Ranch Pinot Noir) and some edamame. Everything on the menu sounded so delicious that we had to take a minute to decide.

At the time, a few of the restaurants in Dallas, Nobu included, were featuring a menu for the 2007 Restaurant Week. The menu contained predetermined courses at a set price. If desired, a wine pairing could also be added. We were provided a choice of a salad, assorted sushi, main course and a dessert. We decided that this would give us a chance to try a wide variety of items from Nobu’s diverse menu.

We both started with the mixed-greens salad, complete with a homemade dressing that tasted like a mixture of wasabi and soy. We were then delighted with a variety of sushi rolls. We had originally decided to dine at Nobu solely for the sushi, and were eager to see how it compared with other sushi restaurants around town.

The sushi platter included Nobu’s house roll, spicy tuna, a vegetable roll, an eel roll, and a salmon and avocado roll. The sushi was unimaginably good. The fish tasted so fresh and, when combined with the roll, brought out an amazing combination of flavor. Nobu’s sushi puts other local sushi restaurants to shame.

Our main dishes, which arrived right as we finished the sushi, were pan-seared shrimp in a spicy garlic sauce, and a tenderloin of beef with a choice of teriyaki or wasabi pepper sauce. Even though we had originally planned on eating only sushi, we were pleased to have the opportunity to taste these two phenomenal dishes. After experiencing the main course, we can highly recommend any of Nobu’s hot or cold dishes.

We were then served our dessert: one slice of a green-tea cake and one slice of the chocolate royal cake complete with white and dark chocolate mousse. We tried both but only finished the latter.

As we wrapped up our dinner, we couldn’t help but notice the couple next to us who had sliced raw meat, vegetables and a small flame where they could cook their own food. We decided to save that for next time because we were contently full.

Overall, the experience was nothing short of amazing. We were very pleased with the food, the atmosphere and the entire evening. The service was not the greatest in the world, but it will not deter us from returning to Nobu. For a truly great escape from high stress and the fast-paced Dallas scene, spend an evening in this relaxing and delicious restaurant.