Courtesy photos

Sometimes, when trying out a new restaurant, you don’t even have to taste a bite of food to know that a place is going to be incredible.

There are plenty of indicators, actually. A packed dining room, for example, or a place that has been so consistently crowded that they’ve already had to expand the dining room just a few years after they originally opened.

Ahi Tuna Poke

Grilled Filet Medalions

Tuna Nigiri

Vanilla Bean Flan

When waiters carry plates of food that look like they ought to be hanging on the wall of a gallery somewhere instead of eaten, garnished with fresh, edible flowers. When you recognize that several of the patrons of the restaurant are actually chefs at other establishments.

All of these things are true of our newest sponsor, Meiji Japanese Cuisine.

Chef and owner Darwin Beyer opened Meiji in spring of 2010. The idea from the beginning was to serve fresh sashimi-grade sushi, flown in multiple times per week, and paired with locally-grown produce and sauces made from scratch in-house.

That idea caught on pretty quickly. In less than two years, the restaurant has already expanded to double its original size, including a second dining room for receptions and parties, new catering options for events, and a sake lounge for relaxing after a hard day at the office.

Despite the exponential growth in such a short period of time, chef Darwin remains committed to the freshness principles that the restaurant was founded upon.

“My philosophy on food is to keep it very, very simple,” said Darwin. “I believe that the food should speak for itself, as long as you use quality ingredients. We like the fact that we make everything from scratch.”

“Sure, you can go buy eel sauce, or you can go buy teriyaki sauce from the grocery store, but when you make it yourself, and you put your heart and love into it, it’s something different, and I think the taste really shows,” he said.

The restaurant uses produce from several local farmers, and most dishes are garnished with fresh, edible flowers grown locally to make every dish look almost too good to eat.

Almost.

We’re extremely happy to be working with Darwin and the rest of the folks at Meiji, and we hope you guys will help us welcome them to the Flyer family by stopping by to try the freshest, most delicious sushi we’ve ever had the pleasure of popping into our mouths.

Welcome to the family, Meiji.

Chef Darwin’s Philosophy