[An apology to my readers: I have been on hiatus for about 2 months getting some much needed work done on the Art side of my career, and dealing with the things that "Real Life" presents. I do have a bevy of reviews and recipes I will be rolling out in the next 3 to 4 weeks, and even 2 new episodes of my Cooking Webshow. please accept my apologies and enjoy the following review.]
If you hadn’t guessedby now, I am a huge fan of Asian cuisine. I love to make it. I love to eat it.I have been enamored of all things Asian since I was a teenager preparing toenter into college to study that part of the world. As a result, I amcontinually looking for new Asian restaurants to try and experience the widearray of delicacies and fare. Once you begin experiencing food from the FarEast you soon begin to realize that there are vast differences between thetypes of food, the kinds of seasonings, and preparation methods among the variousAsian nations. Which brings me to this review of a wonderful little store-frontrestaurant in Louisville, KY called The Tokyo Restaurant.
Situated on theNortheast side of town, this is a great “Mom & Pop” Sushi Bar andRestaurant. I eat sushi often, and I have been to plenty of Japaneserestaurants. But The Tokyo Restaurant served me up some surprises on my visit.As usual, it was my friend Ken and I visiting this establishment on a Saturdayafternoon around 4:30. One is immediately struck by the exceptional ambiencedespite the strip mall façade outside. Large, colorful banners and décor.Comfortable chairs. Very cozy.
Since this was anew restaurant and a new experience for us, we were definitely going to do thefull meal top to bottom to get a good perception of the range and quality of food.We both started with a House Salad with fresh Ginger Dressing. It looked likeyou standard Ginger Salad, until we took the first bite: incredibly gingertaste, unlike what I have tasted before. It was quite more than I expected.
For the appetizer,I chose a Green Onion Beef Roll. I do have to say that the flank skirt beef wasa little tough; it seemed to me that it had been just slightly overcooked. Butit certainly did not detract from the flavor. I had never actually seenanything like this before, scallions and seasoning rolled inside grilled beef.As for Ken, he opted for the fried calamari, and reported that it was exactly the way he preferred his squid:crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside. His only complaint was there weretoo few pieces to enjoy.
 |
| Yakinuki |
 |
| Tokyo Roll & Negihami Roll |
On to the main course,Ken eyed the Yakinuki, a dish of tender, sizzling beef with carrots andscallions in a sweet and tangy sauce, and served with fried rice. When his entréehit the table I was immediately consumed by the smell of it. For a second, itmade me wish I had ordered it as well. ButI was eager to try some “signature” sushi from our host. In this matter, beingthe house specialty “Tokyo Roll”, and the Negihami Roll. The Negihami Roll is asimple Yellowtail and scallion roll, which I found extremely tasty as it is oneof my favorite types of fish. The Tokyo Roll, however, was incredible:cucumber, shrimp and egg surrounded by fluffy rice and then layered outsidewith avocado and cavier. An absolutely exquisite taste. And of course- inJapanese tradition- it was well presented on the sushi plate in a colorful,beautiful way.
Now comes my oneissue with our visit. I was a bit disappointed in the portions. Perhaps I amspoiled, and too use to magnanimous offerings of food, but I think the portionscould have been a little bit bigger overall. As a result, I found myself stillhungry and needing something else to sate my need. No matter, I perused themenu for another unique dish and settled upon an appetizer of GreenMussels. Again, a surprise. The GreenMussels were broiled in a spicy mayo sauce, perfectly cooked and then cut inhalf. Each bite was spicy and tangy at the same time. It was a taste I hadnever experienced, and left me wanting more.
But our Saturdayafternoon food journey was coming to an end, and it was time to enjoy somethingsweet before going. Ken opted out of the dessert, but I set my desire on asweet rice bun encasing a red bean filling. Upon first cutting into the bun, Ididn’t know what to expect. My eyes told me there was no way this thing couldbe a sweet dessert. But my taste-buds were treated to a mellow, creamysweetness much like a sugared purple yam. Again I was surprised by the taste andthe exquisiteness of the dish.
Clearly, allaround, it was one of the most wonderful culinary experiences Ken and I haveever enjoyed. And The Tokyo Restaurant will certainly be on our repeat list. Itdidn’t hurt, as well, that the service was on par with excellence. A woman whoI assumed to be the “Mom” in the “Mom & Pop” and a young gentleman werevery attentive to our gourmet needs, helpful with details, and completelypersonable in every way.
Ken and I bothagreed that The Tokyo Restaurant is one of thebest places you can eat in Louisville. We were torn on our rating due to ourminimal issues as described above. But no matter, the recommendation is GO, andexperience a unique, tasty, satisfying slice of Japanese cuisine. You can visittheir official website beforehand to start planning your meal here: http://www.tokyosushis.com/index.html
Rating: * * * * 1/2
Hiç yorum yok:
Yorum Gönder