Wasabi ★★★★1/2
Northeast: 4561 Hardscrabble Road, 736-9687
Mon-Wed, 4:30 p.m.-10 p.m.; Thu-Sat, 4:30 p.m.-10:30 p.m.
By now, navigating the Northeast area is something we do on automatic pilot, as tonight is our third recent foray there. This time, our destination is a new establishment on Hardscrabble Road.
A variety of eateries featuring Mexican, barbecue and beef-focused cuisine reside in the same strip mall as our evening’s destination, and the only exterior hint that our restaurant had arrived was a single-word sign: “SUSHI.” The restaurant, Wasabi (Japanese horseradish), is a new endeavor by the former owner of Saky, a beloved local Japanese restaurant.
As we entered, we knew right away that this was not a venture that was entered into lightly. Indeed, once inside, you are oblivious to the strip-mall locale. The tasteful décor with open ceilings featuring exposed wooden rafters and a classic black-and-white color scheme is decorated with Shoji screens and bamboo.
The inviting sushi bar, an attractive gathering spot, greets you as you enter the door. Sushi is a real feature here, although other options abound.
Maximizing our evening’s samplings, we selected Bento Box B ($15.95), which provided a variety of Wasabi’s fare, beginning with the traditional starters of miso soup and a ginger salad.
The soup had a mellow, white miso base and the salad of crispy iceberg lettuce was dressed with a refreshing, fruity ginger dressing (orange or mango, perhaps?). I loved the dressing’s unique twist, though my companion preferred the more traditional, savory variety.
The box was brimming with food: Gyoza, which are tasty pan-fried pork dumplings; Sushi, consisting of colorful fresh morsels of fish (salmon, yellow tail and tuna — traditional and white); a California Roll, which was an enjoyable repast with a slightly different flair (‘Saky’ style, perhaps?); Teriyaki Chicken, comprised of moist chunks of dark meat in a delightful sweet, syrupy sauce; and, our favorite, Tempura Shrimp, which was extra-crispy shrimp accompanied with a Tempura dipping sauce.
Two other levels of these combinations, Bento Box A ($17.95) and Bento Box C ($13.95) are, likewise, great ways to sample and share many flavors.
Many rolls piqued our interest, including the Birthday Roll (two versions, $10.95, $13.95), which had tempura shrimp, eel, wasabi sauce and toppings (the higher-priced includes fish) and the Calamari Roll ($5.95), which had cucumber and avocado and was offered either spicy or mild (the restaurant is, after all, called Wasabi). However, having already sampled California rolls and sushi, we opted for two cooked varieties.
The Spider Roll ($5.50), which is soft shell crab tempura rolled with avocado and cucumber and drizzled with a slightly sweet reduction sauce, was a nice choice. This tempura lacked the crispness of the shrimp that we relished earlier but was still flavorful.
The Bulgogi Roll ($10.95), chosen since Bulgogi (Asian marinated beef) is a family favorite dish, combined the tasty strips of beef with cream cheese and cucumber and was drizzled with a reduction sauce. This unique combination provides more opportunities for meat lovers.
There is something for everyone at Wasabi — hearty soups and salads, many combination dinners and a la carte sushi. Hot tea and domestic beer were our accompaniments, but sake or a Japanese beer would complement these dishes nicely.
Although our tamer selections didn’t reflect the spicier fare one might anticipate from a restaurant named Wasabi, many dishes come with two levels of heat, and there is plenty of wasabi on hand to spice up any dish!
We ended the evening on a sweet note, with a sampling of two Japanese ice creams — red bean and green tea ice cream, which were two very distinctive flavors — one earthy and one citrusy. The other sweet ending to our excursion came when the check arrived. |
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