| rev:text
| - Takara is a pleasant, somewhat modern-designed restaurant in a strip mall that achieves more than its location would suggest. Inside, traditional meets modern with an L-shaped sushi bar in the back corner, a rectangular liquor bar that is gently lit, and tables scattered about the interior. There are a few private rooms with sliding doors that look to be a great spot to share some time with close friends. Ceilings are high, the tables and floors are light to natural in finish, and lines simple. Fairly traditional, and that's a good thing to me.
Now, I am going to contrast my review against Christie L's reviews, because we are two different people when it comes to sushi. She seems to enjoy rolls, options and creativity. I prefer pure expressions of simplicity and tradition, where I can taste the individual nuance of each piece of nigiri and precisely taste the fish. Take what you will from each of our reviews.
According to the Japanese, you can judge a sushi place based on their tamago. Hence, I always get one and eat that first. It's different everywhere you go. Here, it was a fascinating and unusual presentation with the tamago split and formed around the rice. However, there was a little browning on it -- a big no-no when scrambling egg.. The flavor was a little eggy in nature, like an improper custard. It was all right, but nothing I would consider to be a definitive expression of the establishment. This I would not order again.
The remainder of the nigiri were mostly above average. The saba was oily, rich, and faintly fishy in that way that reminds you that yes, you are indeed eating mackerel, but it does not overpower you. It was very, very good. The salmon lived up to its appearance and was tender and well-flavored as evidenced by its thick chevrons of fat. Tako was above average in quality and cut on an extreme bias, which was quite pleasing to the eye. The unagi was overly sauced and too sweet, but still was tasty..just not ideal. The hamachi was a little overpowered by its wasabi and earned a shrug from me -- they were either covering for something or thought I wanted it that way. Snapper, on the other hand, was good.
For a roll, I consider myself something of a futomaki aficionado. I love the big fat roll with the vegetables, gourd, pickles and perhaps some steamed crab or raw tuna. It's different everywhere, and the futomaki here is good. It has avocado in it and that's not my thing, but I would certainly order it again.
Decor was simple and pleasant, as it should be. The small private rooms would be a great place to enjoy with friends or family for a special occasion or small, intimate event and I plan to take advantage of them the next time my brothers are in town. There's a great chandelier that I have added a photo of. It's a lovey feature in the place and should be highlighted, as I've seen nothing like it before.
My only real complaint was that I was server by a waiter despite sitting at the sushi bar. I would have appreciated the chance to have the chef prepare what he thought was best and go piece by piece, but that's a no go, apparently. C'est la vie.
All in all, I recommend Takara and plan to return. The fish was good and ambiance pleasant, even if the service was a little weird to me. Overall it was a good experience and I think is's a solid 3 stars here at Yelp.
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