Cafe Icon, Edmond OK

January has officially become “catch up on the blog” month. In mid-December I decided to make the switch from Blogger to WordPress. I should have done it months ago when April first recommended it to me, but of course I held off. And once I finally took the plunge it took a lot longer than I thought it would to move all the posts. And then I had to find a new theme, because the current one is bland and boring. And then I went to the bowl game. So with all of that happening, it’s no surprise I got way behind. I’m now working on new posts with a vengeance–in spurts between getting the theme up and running by Monday.

A few weeks ago I was in Edmond. I had donated platelets that morning, and then did some last-minute Christmas shopping. Platelets wears you down, because they literally take out all your blood, process it, and then put it back in. So after about 90 minutes of platelets and then 2 hours of shopping I was absolutely exhausted. But also starving, so I wanted to eat before heading back to Stillwater.

Several friends of mine had raved numerous times about Cafe Icon. I had planned to go on several occasions, but never made it there. I was craving sushi that day though, so this was a perfect opportunity to go and check it out.

The restaurant is in Edmond, across from UCO, in the back of a strip mall. If you’re driving down the main road, you’ll only know it’s there if you’ve been there before or if you see the sign from the road. It looks small from the outside, but it’s actually quite spacious. There’s a large bar that takes up about half the right wall just beyond the host stand and waiting area. The bar area includes regular seating as well. On the left side of the restaurant is a large semi-circle seating area partitioned off with a half wall and a mesh “screen” that I’m guessing can be moved. The furniture is white chairs, black tables, and there are large windows letting in lots of light. At the far end of the restaurant is another seating area, down a small ramp and separated by a partial wall and tall glass.

I arrived well after the lunch rush, and when I walked in I was the only guest in the place. As I ate, a few more guests came in. I was taking a few pictures, and the owner came over and introduced himself. He was really nice, and when I told him about my blog he gave me his business card. I really need to get on the ball and order business cards so I can present them in situations like that.

I really enjoyed visiting with the owner. He talked a lot about continuous training, and mentioned that this was the time of day that he worked on that. True to his word, just a few minutes later I heard him talking to the staff about how to ensure an outstanding guest experience, so that they will both come back and recommend the restaurant to their friends. Obviously he takes a lot of pride in his restaurant. It shows in how he interacts with the guests, how he engages and teaches his staff, and his attention to detail. They have their mission statement printed on the menu, and I’m not at all surprised.

The menu is large, and I don’t do well with big menus. Especially sushi, because you have to read all the ingredients and check out the pictures to make sure there are no surprises. I love sushi, but don’t do the fully raw. I just can’t. In the past 2 years I’ve become more adventurous, and will try rolls that have some raw in them. But that’s about it.

While I decided on what sushi rolls to get, I got the Wasabi shumai

Steamed pork dumplings wrapped with wasabi skin, gives you a little kick of wasabi with every bite. Served with Thai chili sauce

I loved the presentation in the very unique plate. They were not kidding about the kick. And it wasn’t little. Every time I took a bite it completely cleared out my sinuses. But it was also delicious, with loads of flavor packed into every piece. The Thai chili sauce was light, and both that and the shredded cabbage provided a good cooling contrast to the wasabi.

After a lot of back and forth on a few options and some suggestions from my server, I went with the Kaboom roll

Coconut shrimp, crab mix, avocado & cream cheese roll, topped with crab sticks, drizzled with spicy sweet mayo sauce and tempura crispy

I was a little hesitant to order this one because I wasn’t so sure about the coconut shrimp. However, my server said it was one of the most popular rolls on the menu. One bite, and I understood why. There was a lot going on in the roll, but no part of it was overpowering at all. The flavors all worked together, and honestly you really couldn’t taste the coconut. Every time I picked up a piece, at least half the crispy and most of the crab sticks fell off. So after the second piece I ate the topping first, and then followed with the roll itself.

I usually get 2 rolls, but my server said it would have been a lot of food. Judging from the size of the Kaboom roll, he was right. Since I only did the one, I decided to get dessert and went with the chocolate and banana crepe

I was shocked at the size of this crepe, as it was a lot larger than I expected. I have to say, this was my least favorite part of the meal. The crepe itself was very savory, which I wasn’t a huge fan of. It’s my own fault though, because I don’t like mushy bananas, and of course it was basically a banana paste inside. The whipped cream and chocolate sauce on top were my favorite parts.

Will I go back? No question. They have so many rolls I would like to try, and I would really like to try one of their dishes prepared and served on the stone grill.