Chef Jose Arteche combined his Asian heritage and love of delicious food 13 years ago, when he opened Shogun sushi and sake bar in Delmar.

“We want you to basically experience the food that is at its most natural and at its most flavorful,” said Arteche, who is chef and owner.

Dishes include nigiri sushi with freshly sliced bluefin tuna and Norwegian farrow salmon over citrus-infused vinegared rice. Another staple is the homemade seasonal dumplings filled with roasted local beets, goat cheese and herbs.

“People love it when you make homemade dumplings. You can tell the difference with how much love you can put inside,” said Arteche, who picked up a love of dumplings as a little boy from his mom, Akemi.

“She’s from Okinawa, so to bring back the taste of home, we’d make dumplings in the kitchen together,” Arteche said.

He says you can ease into eating sushi with tempura. Shrimp tempura is a key ingredient in Shogun’s most popular dish, the golden dream sushi roll.

It starts with nori, rice, sesame seeds, freshly sliced avocado and Arteche's spicy tuna. It's topped with the tempura. It’s finished with a trifecta of spicy mayo, eel sauce and his mango mirin sauce.

“You’ve got the sweet, sour, spicy,” he said.

Not in the mood for sushi? You can try one of Shogun’s steak, chicken or fish entrees.

East meets west with wasabi pea encrusted salmon with mixed vegetables.

Pair your food with imported Japanese sake, which Arteche says compliments the sushi like a fine wine.

“Some Sakes are aged in a cedar barrel, so it almost has like a cabernet,” he said.

The restaurant’s name is inspired by the kind of dining experience Arteche wants customers to enjoy.

“When you come here, we will do everything to basically treat you like a shogun, empress, emperor,” he said.

Arteche hopes to be in Delmar for at least another 13 years.

“We appreciate the love that people give us and we want to return that love back,” he said.