After hopping around the country learning different styles of sushi and Asian cuisine, Yun Chen got a tip from a friend on where to open his own restaurant.
Fargo's growing, the friend said - come take a look.
Last March, Chen did, first visiting Bismarck before driving here. After three hours in town, he was convinced the city had the right mix of demand and restaurant-goers to make it work.
Nine months later, his restaurant - Samurai, at 1775 45th St. S. - is open, with a mix of sushi and Asian fusion cuisine, and a staff of friends and family imported from halfway across the country.
"This is the perfect location," Chen said, referring both to Fargo and to the busy 45th Street corridor (his brother-in-law John Weng, who came to Fargo to help Chen get started, helped translate).
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Chen, who is from China and came to the United States six years ago, crafted his own brand of sushi from stops ranging from New Jersey to Louisiana to Texas. His brother Steven, a chef at Samurai, embarked on a similar path.
"Every sushi chef has a unique way of making sushi," he said.
The result is a deep menu that blends a wide variety of styles and traditions, both in the sushi and the selection of cooked dishes, which includes, Japanese, Thai, and other Asian cuisine.
Weng said the variety of offerings is important both for bringing in customers who are wary of sushi and for giving regular customers new things to try.
"You try something, two weeks later, you try the same thing - it's getting old," said Weng, who runs two Asian restaurants in Virginia and plans to return in a few months.
Weng isn't the only one who made the trip to give Chen a hand. Cindy Chen - Weng's wife - helps manage the restaurant. And John Weng convinced two family friends, both chefs from New York, to come work in Fargo.
Samurai, which opened Dec. 22, is the second new sushi restaurant to come to south Fargo in recent months. In August, 101 Sushi opened at 4480 23rd Ave. S. Like Chen and Weng, the owners of that restaurant said they were attracted by a shortage of Asian restaurants in the area.
Weng said he's confident Samurai is distinctive enough to stand out.
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"We're bringing the big- city flavor to a small one," he said.
There was at least one question Chen answered without waiting for a translation: What does he think of Fargo so far?
"Very good," he said.
Readers can reach Forum reporter Marino Eccher at (701) 241-5502
