TAKASHI - Salt Lake City, Utah Review by Ryan Yokley

Sushi isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when one thinks of the high desert of Utah. In a place where the only significant body of water is the near-lifeless expanse of the Great Salt Lake, one could easily make the assumption that seafood isn’t road worth exploring. And so it is that most people visiting Utah for the world-class skiing, or to see the Mormon Temple square, get their buffalo burgers and their southwestern food fix and never look twice at places like Takashi.

Takashi is nestled in the middle of the Salt Lake City downtown, an area that still has some life on a Saturday night, but may seem, to the weekday traveler, like the ghost of a metropolis, rather than the largest, most populated city in the state. Just off Main Street, in view of the Trax metro light rail station, and just behind the zombie of the chain fondue relic of the 1980’s that is the Melting Pot, Takashi is a hip, Zagat-rated Japanese restaurant that’s packed with locals on the weekends. They come for the modern sushi bar and the trendy ambiance before jumping next door to the connected lounge Martine for an after-dinner cocktail.

The first thing a weekender will notice when stepping into Takashi, aside from the paper lanterns and giant mesh fish sculpture hanging from the ceiling, is the number of people waiting for a table. Takashi is not a huge restaurant, and its popularity leads to some waits, but there is a small bar in the restaurant where you can get drinks and even appetizers, and the hostess invites guests to either hang out there or at the neighboring Martine bar for a table to come available. The longest I’ve ever had to wait was an hour, but the average wait is about 30 minutes.

People coming for the sushi bar will be taken care of by one of Takashi’s numerous talented sushi chefs, who provide very personal service and are always eager to treat guests with the freshest ingredients and a nice mix of classical and fusion techniques. The table service is a little less personal, as the wait-staff always appears to have one too many tables to handle, but I’ve never had an order misplaced or the wrong roll brought to the table.

Let’s talk about the food now, shall we? Takashi has a fairly extensive set of appetizers and starters if you’re not there exclusively for the sushi. The green papaya salad with chile lime dressing and cilantro is a favorite, as well as the wonderfully crisp and flavorful cornmeal encrusted calamari. The appetizer on special was a pan-seared sablefish, prepared very simply with some shredded daikon and lotus. Takashi offers a few traditional non-sushi entrées for the non-fish eaters in the group. A range of tempura and sukiyaki, as well as some noodle dishes. The star here though, is the sushi. For Sushi, it’s hard to top Takashi in the Salt Lake area (without heading up to Park City, but that’s another review). All of their fish is flown in fresh every day, so while there is a premium for the luxury, all the fish we tried tasted clean and flavorful. Takashi mixes a traditional nigiri and sashimi menu with a set of fusion specialty rolls that should be experienced. Make sure to check the specials on the written menu adjacent the sushi bar. The Strawberry Fields roll, which mixes fresh tuna, strawberries and jalapeno peppers is a unique and surprisingly delicious original, and fans of salmon will want to give the Little Mermaid roll a try. There are also a number of vegetarian sushi offerings like the Buddha roll (tempura sweet potato and veggie) and riceless rolls such as the Summit roll, which replaces the typical nori wrap with thinly sliced cucumber. As this is the Utah, there are a number of spicy and southwestern inspired creations such as the Ceviche roll with a very sharp lemon sauce accompaniment.

The roll special was a sablefish and tobiko roll with seasame and habanero sauce that was fair. Deserts change at Takashi, and the wait staff will provide a separate dessert menu on completion of your meal. We had the crepe dessert which paired fresh fruit and custard in a basic sweet crepe, and the rum chocolate torte which had a nice bittersweet flavor. The real star of the dessert however was the heavenly black sesame ice-cream that came paired with the torte.

There is a full selection of sake, beer and mixed drinks available, as well as a curious mix of non-alcoholic drinks. Give the lavender soda a try.

To sum up, Takashi is a great trendy sushi restaurant frequented by locals with hip modern ambiance, delicious fresh sushi and a few surprises in the menu that will leave your tummy happy. As a tourist if you can be pulled away from the slopes or the tabernacle long enough to explore the oft untrodden territory of Utah seafood, you’re guaranteed to find a gem in Takashi. Price: Included drinks, appetizers, sushi and dessert, approx. $50 per person.