Fancy-pants fusion where you buy your fancy pants

2010 was a banner year for fusion: Raku Modern Japanese Cuisine debuted to rave reviews in Edina, and, umm... at least a couple of customers probably drove there in Ford's most tastefully understated mid-sized sedan? Well, apparently Mpls' taste for the edible amalgamation of Japan, France, and Italy is still going strong two years later, as evidenced by Raku's new bigger, badder more tatame room-ier West End iteration

The sushi sister spot sports a similarly lavish, neo-futuristic vibe, adding a "tatame room" where guests eat sitting on a floor made of opaque, neon-lit panels, so it's sort of like Dance Dance Eat-the-fusion. The expanded menu stocks Kumamoto Oyster 3 Ways (live oysters with cocktail sauce, Ponzu, and mango salsa) and Spicy Kimchee Squid, plus holdovers like a filet topped with white mushroom & toban sauce (served with sake!), Tuna Pizza (served with a high-five for ordering sushi pizza), and the same mega-selection of fish to supplement "dishes served in creative and innovative fashions"... so hopefully you're cool with waiters wearing Zubaz

They've also got a full lounge that Edina lacks, perfect for enjoying cocktails created with shochu (sort of like the potent, mutant love-child of sake and whiskey), and cold ones ranging from Summit to Kirin, just in case the Fusion alone isn't tasteful enough for you.