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| Há Căo |
Despite what others might think of a modestly sized region in the Southeast, the Triangle loves its sushi. What once was the barometer of an American's culinary adventurous spirit has sparked a convoy of sushi restaurants opening despite gloomy economic times. Just off the top of my head I can think of four sushi places that had opened in the Triangle just this year (Tasu, Sushi-O, Sushi Love, Sushi Nine). Trying to find a foothole in this crowded market, some restaurants have touted their daily "buy one get one" sushi deals. The Scrooge in me rejoiced in the thought of all the pennies that I would pinch.
The first attempt at dining at Tasu started with PetSmart calling to inform Sara and I that they would be unable to groom Norton because he was not allowing the groomers to pick him up to place him on the grooming table. I went to go rescue the poor chow-chow as Sara waited for the food we just order minutes before the call. After comforting the frantic dog at home, I rushed back to the restaurant but the mood for the evening was already ruined. We sat in frustration and quiet, eating our sushi without really enjoying a bite.
In hopes to redeem that night, we decided to try Tasu again and left the dog at home. Hungry, we decided to begin the meal with dumplings. A standard streamed shrimp dumpling, the outside was delicate yet sticky with bits of it sticking to the lettuce leaf. Biting through the wrapping revealed the dumplings' pillowy shrimp filling. The mellow shrimp flavors of the filling were enhanced by the salty and hint of citrus from the ponzu sauce.
The first attempt at dining at Tasu started with PetSmart calling to inform Sara and I that they would be unable to groom Norton because he was not allowing the groomers to pick him up to place him on the grooming table. I went to go rescue the poor chow-chow as Sara waited for the food we just order minutes before the call. After comforting the frantic dog at home, I rushed back to the restaurant but the mood for the evening was already ruined. We sat in frustration and quiet, eating our sushi without really enjoying a bite.
In hopes to redeem that night, we decided to try Tasu again and left the dog at home. Hungry, we decided to begin the meal with dumplings. A standard streamed shrimp dumpling, the outside was delicate yet sticky with bits of it sticking to the lettuce leaf. Biting through the wrapping revealed the dumplings' pillowy shrimp filling. The mellow shrimp flavors of the filling were enhanced by the salty and hint of citrus from the ponzu sauce.
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| New York roll, Tasu roll, Alaskan roll, The Woman in Red roll |
A colorful plate of sushi was placed down in front of us and after achieving the correct soy sauce/wasabi ratio in my sauce dish I began with the Woman in Red roll. Topped with the a dot of sriracha sauce and filled with spicy tuna, the roll gave a hint of heat in the beginning. The masago popped in my mouth with each chew as the flavors from the tuna, cucumber and albacore blended together.
After cleansing my palate with a piece of pickled ginger, my chopsticks turned to a piece of the Tasu roll. The roll which, topped with seared mackerel, gave a "fishy" taste that you don't get from other sushi. The pickled ginger I found odd in the roll as you would chew on a crisp piece of ginger ever so often and it would dominate your palate. I did, however, appreciate the tempura crunch as it give a good texture contrast to the rest of the dish.
The avocado from the Alaskan roll gave a wonderful creaminess but by that point all the rolls' flavor were mending together. Being my apathetic self, I stopped cleansing my palate with the picked ginger. The New York roll also had a nice creaminess, but from cream cheese, which was met with the pop of the wasabi tobiko. The depth of flavor from the smoked eel shine through in this roll despite my palate being cluttered by other flavors.
We were able to leave Tasu without rushing to rescue our scared dog from his groomer, but instead we left with full bellies and a bill that was cut in half. A night that surely was redeemed.
Tasu Asian Bistro
2007 Walnut Street, Cary, NC 27518-9205
After cleansing my palate with a piece of pickled ginger, my chopsticks turned to a piece of the Tasu roll. The roll which, topped with seared mackerel, gave a "fishy" taste that you don't get from other sushi. The pickled ginger I found odd in the roll as you would chew on a crisp piece of ginger ever so often and it would dominate your palate. I did, however, appreciate the tempura crunch as it give a good texture contrast to the rest of the dish.
The avocado from the Alaskan roll gave a wonderful creaminess but by that point all the rolls' flavor were mending together. Being my apathetic self, I stopped cleansing my palate with the picked ginger. The New York roll also had a nice creaminess, but from cream cheese, which was met with the pop of the wasabi tobiko. The depth of flavor from the smoked eel shine through in this roll despite my palate being cluttered by other flavors.
We were able to leave Tasu without rushing to rescue our scared dog from his groomer, but instead we left with full bellies and a bill that was cut in half. A night that surely was redeemed.
Tasu Asian Bistro
2007 Walnut Street, Cary, NC 27518-9205
(919) 896-7289
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