Hello out there in reader land. Being from Delafield originally I often want to yell out phrases such as, "The West Side is the best side!", and "Where the hell is the smiley barn?". For this particular blog I think option number one is fitting. Often times I hear people talk about where the best sushi is in Milwaukee, and I am always open for suggestions. The not-so-informed pick is Izumi's (which I think stinks due to its inconsistency), the I'm-very-trendy-and-rich pick is Nanakusa (which regrettably I have yet to attend, but heard is wonderful just a bit pricey). I have heard a few other places muttered including Sake-Tumi on Milwaukee St., which was ok food wise, but i had a bad experience there. Finally, I think I have found the place. On bluemound road just a mile or two east of mooreland road there is a fairly new Japanese place called Takara. Here is the rundown:

 

Starters: Edamame (Steamed Japanese Soy Beans $4.95). It is hard to screw this up, but for the first time in my experience the dish was served with a Lemon Wedge which was a nice little compliment to the beans covered in sea salt.

Miso Soup ($2.50): I love miso soup, but I have to say this was not their best dish. It was a little bland and lacked any sort of signature flavor. Still it came with a lot of the dinner combos so that is cool. For those of you who venture to our capital city, Restaurant Muramoto on King Street just off the capital square, has the best miso soup I have ever had, and overall is awesome.

 

Companion #1 (Bones Scarface) #75 Sushi Deluxe 9pcs Sushi and Tuna Roll ($18.50).  Served with miso and salad. This was a great order for anyone who really enjoys the fish and finds that most rolls tend to hide a bit of the flavor behind cucumber, avocado, etc. The tuna roll was just a standard sea-weed on the outside small piece of tuna in the middle. The salad had the nice standard orange colored, ginger flavored, dressing that is common in most Japanese restaurants.

Me: Spicy Tuna Roll ($5.95), Fashion Roll (Shrimp, tuna, salmon, avocado, cucumber, tempura flakes & tobiko $8.50, Naruto (Spicy tuna, caviar, avocado, scallion, rolled in thinly sliced cucumber $7.95). The spicy tuna roll was a very good version of an old favorite. The fashion roll was very good, but the star was the Naruto roll. It was finely chopped tuna mixed with caviar wrapped around an avocado cube. Then instead of seaweed to keep the roll together, thinly sliced cucmber was used, and there was no rice involved. This was one of the best rolls of any kind I have ever had. It is a candidate for the Ten Best Dishes list i'm putting together.

If Takara sounds familiar perhaps you have been to their location on State ST. in Madison, or at their westside Madison location. They offer hibachi at all three locations, and their addition to elm grove about a mile east of mooreland on bluemound rd. is a great sight. I highly reccomend this place for anyone out west.