Restaurant Review: Takara

Over the years, Takara, in Elm Grove, has become our favorite sushi restaurant. I can't even remember how we discovered it, but I'm glad we did. They've got great sushi at great prices (lots of rolls are about half off Sunday-Tuesday) and it's a cute, cozy place.

Last week, I met some former coworkers there for dinner, and it was great as usual. Jeanne and I split an appetizer and sushi rolls. For an appetizer, we had the shumai, or steamed shrimp dumpling. It was tasty and just the right amount of food for an appetizer.

For rolls, we had two types of rolls found under "Chef's special roll." One was called Beauty and the Beast: spicy tuna topped with tuna, salmon, yellowtail and avocado (the row of rolls in the middle). Unfortunately, I can't find the other one on the online menu, but I know it had spicy lobster in it. They were both really tasty and different than other sushi rolls I've had.

Janice, opted for non-sushi menu items: a house salad with the house dressing and the vegetable tempura appetizer. Everything looked great (gotta love anything with a tempura batter!) and Janice said it was tasty.

Overall, it was a great eating experience, as usual, at Takara. The service can sometimes be a bit slow, but I always know I'm in for great food, so it makes waiting that much easier.