I recently dined at a new (to me) sushi place that is literally down the street from my new hood. I love spending my money at local businesses whenever possible and I had heard good things on Yelp and from my friends about Tomo Sushi for some time now and an occasion came up that warranted celebrating with sushi so Tomo it was.
We started off with the Screaming Orgasm appetizer. An appropriate name given the name of my food blog. This appetizer is described as tuna tataki with a creamy, spicy ponzu sauce. Below is what it looked like:
Underneath that creamy, spicy ponzu sauce was a generous portion of tuna on a bed of chopped cabbage(napa, bok choy? can't remember). What I do remember was the nice contrast between the cool tuna and the creamy, slightly spicy sauce as it hit my tongue. I would've preferred to have the sauce on the side for dipping and I thought that the ratio of sauce to tuna was rather high. However, that didn't stop us from cleaning the plate. If you can't discern it from the photo, there are chopped green onions garnishing this sauce as well.
We also ordered another appetizer - the rock shrimp tempura that was also stated as being served with with a 'spicy, creamy sauce'. Rather vague description and when it came out it looked like this:
The tempura fried shrimp were coated with the sauce and served on a bed of mixed field greens. While the flavor was good, I would have preferred the shrimp to have been crunchy with the sauce on the side. In case you don't know, I am one of those weird people who prefer all my sauces on the side and I don't like my food to be touching on the plate. Regardless, the dish was fine but not stellar. We went ahead and placed our sushi order.
From l-r Something Wrong Roll, Austin Roll, Say My Name, escolar, yellow tail and smoked salmon nigiri. The Something Wrong Roll was shrimp tempura, soft-shelled crab, tuna, salmon and yellow tail with special sauce. The Austin Roll was actually wrapped in soft rice paper which was very different and unique. I couldn't tell you what was in it at the moment. The last roll had cream cheese, jalapeno and was then deep fried. All pretty tasty. The nigiri had a nice size cut of fish with a smaller than usual mound of rice. If you are on low carb or like the high ratio of fish to rice than you should check out this place. We ordered two additional rolls to share but I didn't take a photo of them and although they were good, the didn't leave a lasting impression on me.
We were lucky to arrive early in the evening and got one of the two booths located near the front of the restaurant. The establishment itself is very tiny and the other tables are literally all lined up right next to each other with one wall of continuous booths and tables jammed together. The sushi bar itself is on the small side as well. The service was fine for us but I have heard complaints about the service and the sushi chefs as well who tend to take lots of sake bombs and begin to exhibit frat boy behavior but again I didn't see any of this during our visit. However, they didn't greet us when we entered as either.
Overall, the sushi was good but I think that the prices are comparable to most other sushi restaurants but the drawbacks are that it is very small and crowded and if you arrive later in the evening, you will probably be waiting to be seated. There was a vibe of "see and be seen" which always is a turnoff for me. I am there to be served good food and can even forgive bad service if the food is fantastic. Sadly, most places are not up to par.
My recommendations if you are looking for a decent sushi (that won't break the bank) are in the following order:
1) Mikado Ryotei www.mikadoryotei.com near Honey Baked Ham on Burnet and 183. MUST TRY - Hamachi Kama - fresh yellow tail collar grilled with salt, pepper and lemon. This appetizer takes 20 minutes to make but the wait is worth it. Trust me. I also recommend the Crunchy Kazi Roll (Spicy tuna, avocado, crunchy flakes and smoked eel, with eel sauce on the outside) and the Chorishi's Fire (2 pieces of shrimp tempura, spicy tuna, avocado, and spicy sauce).
2) Maru Sushi www.austinmaru.com Just past 45th street on Burnet Rd at the corner of a little shopping center, across the street from Sampaio's new location. This little unassuming sushi joint has been in business for few years now and is a little gem. I really like their seaweed salad and their special appetizer Stuffed Mushrooms. Their nigiri and rolls are reasonably priced and of good size as well. Since they are also a tiny joint, the best bet is to go earlier in the evening. Word is getting out and I have had to wait the last few times that I have gone.
3) Korea House couldn't find a website for them but they are located in the Village Shopping Center on Anderson Ln. behind Fuddrucker's and next to the Arthur Murray dance studio. I have been going to Korea House since 1992 for their awesome Korean food but they also have a very decent sushi bar as well. Decently priced sushi and no frills, just great food.
Some other places that I have heard good things about but have not tried are Mushashino's and also Kyoto (downtown). Kyoto's has special happy hour sushi prices but I have never been. Since I work downtown you would think that I would have tried it by now but it's on the list. So there you have it. My little treatise on sushi. I hope that you give these places a try. Happy eating!
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