The restaurant where as a young girl I first tried and learned to appreciate a California roll and eventually a piece of raw fish dotted with spicy wasabi has earned itself another rave review. A restaurant that continues to evolve and impress year after year, visit after visit, is a true gem beyond a shadow of a doubt.
The simple gourd table decor embraced the fall season. The waitstaff is always pleasant and informed, our waitress, Severina (cool name, right?) explained the specials in great detail, even multiple times, and rolled with the punches as we sipped martinis, ordered dishes at random throughout the evening, and grew louder with every sip of sake. (Carafes were ordered once the martinis were polished off.)
Suffice to say, we went all out. We earned it. And we're celebrating the birth of my dear mother who gave birth to me at age 28, and my younger sister Leah at age 30
"Say Cheeeeese." (The man taking the picture was a real hoot.) The specialty martinis and saketinis ($9.50 each) are crafted with a heavy hand and a sugared rim. 
We all tried sips of each others. I enjoyed the Ginger Martini Stoli Vodka Shaken with real ginger syrup. 
Leah drank the Lemondrop Saktetini Absolut Cirton vodka, Limoncello syrup, sake and a splash of fresh lemon juice. 
And for Mom the classic French Martini Stoli vodka, Chambord and pineapple juice. 
We started with one of the specials, the Tuna Sampler ($13) which boasted three types of fresh tuna and a ceviche. 
The nigri in the front is Toro, a highly coveted cut of fatty blue-fin Tuna. The dish also boasted a lighter albacore tuna, a standard slice of ahi tuna and a ceviche layered with cucumber and jalapeno. These four types of tuna created a well rounded sampling of exceptionally fresh fish. 
Along with this appetizer we ordered the Double Dragon ($17) off the maki roll menu. More tuna anyone? 
The best I tell you! These rolls full of of tuna, salmon and avocado maki come delicately dripped with spicy mayo and adorned with heaping piles of deep black and bright citrus colored fish roe, then generously sprinkled with tempura flakes and scallions.
They don't miss a beat. When you pay $17 for a maki roll, you get your monies worth. Don't let the price tag deter you. And merely let the menu guide you, the specials here are always worth it, and reasonably priced at that. We finished off our martinis each with a Miso Soup ($2.50). Un-photographed because I know the blog has seen many a miso soup.
Oh and speaking of specials, we also ordered on Severina's recommend a Volcano Shot ($12). 
California rolls topped with fresh scallop, mushrooms and sauteed bok choy in a spicy mayo, sweet miso sauce and tempura flake crusted emulsion.
Wow, did this ever impress. Sensational flavors and textures all around. 
Sake time! Currently, they only offer a one size fits all option for $6. I'd love a larger choice for say a $9 price tag. 
Hot sake pairs with sushi like wine pairs with cheese. 
The scallops atop the volcano shot were incredible. The entire special as a whole blew us away, and we completely shocked our waitress (and maybe even ourselves) by ordering another. And because it was that good, we also splurged on a sashimi plate of the Bluefin Toro ($14)
and an order of Unagi ($5) and Tako ($4.50).
That's eel and octopus for the record. All the smooth fatty tuna and plump scallops we'd been inhaling, the palate needed a textural change of pace. The order boasted generous slices of sushi draped over a bed of compact rice with a belt of seaweed fastened around the center. 
I snapped more pictures of our second Volcano Shot because literally the rolls were exploding with even more scallops and mushrooms than the previous. 
Adventurous eating pays off.
The dinner was paced to our liking and I was highly appreciative of Severina's considerate demeanor. We took our time, we sipped martinis, deep conversation ensued, we debated over the menu, we downed shoots of volcano rolls and sake, we ordered more sushi whenever the moment struck. I'm pretty sure the moment would have continued to strike until closing time if we didn't stop ourselves by placing a dessert order. 
A family staple since day 1, circa age 12 birthday dinner, I present to you the Flourless Chocolate Cake ($6.75). Don't mind the upside down picture and the fact that Leah already took a bite. Paired with luscious vanilla bean ice cream and fresh strawberries, drizzled in chocolate sauce and sprinkled with powdered sugar, the dark chocolate is compacted into a cake of textural wonder. Dense and fluffy, rich yet light, it is a conundrum of a cake that tastes absolutely nothing like your go-to chocolate birthday staple.
Please ignore this awkwardly posed shot and take in the scene. Sake racks and light wooden geometric shaped shelves line the bar in the background, waitresses bustle about in the foreground and the modern high backed chairs and homey carpeted floors serve to create a relaxed and stylish atmosphere.Inventive maki, fresh sushi & sashimi, creative saketini cocktails and warm attentive service, Inaho is not only a family favorite, it is the Japanese restaurant on Cape Cod not to be missed.
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