The 60-something lady at the neighboring table sounded like she was having an orgasm: “Aaaaaah. Ooooooh.” Then: “Yeeessssss.” I stole a quick glance over as she popped a piece of tuna tataki into her mouth and shut her eyes, luxuriating in the exquisite flavors: “Ohhh.“ Suddenly, her eyes flashed open and she caught my uncertain sideways glance. “I’m from Bellingham,”she offered by way of an explanation. Of course. Apparently, she and her companion had taken the six hour drive from Washington state in search of good sushi. And, by the sound of things, they‘d found it.
Our journey to Tojo’s new location on Broadway was admittedly shorter, but we were no less impressed with our first orders: live sea urchin and bluefin tuna sashimi. While I’m sure many will turn up their noses at the thought of eating sea urchin (a.k.a. uni), I’d wager to say most are only familiar with the fresh-packaged variety which a friend once described as: “Redolent of the sea – right beside an open sewer main.”. The live version, scooped and served atop its hollowed-out spiky shell, is similar in appearance (think tiny orange tongues) only a little more vibrant in color, and far superior in taste and texture, possessed of a unique creamy sweetness. Equally pleasing on this night was the bluefin tuna sashimi – the generous slices of toro both firm and fatty. These were quickly followed by Tojo’s tuna – again, chunks of mouth-melting tuna sashimi, this time served in a house special sesame sauce. Following a bit of a wait, we were served the cooked dishes: the sautéed halibut cheek with local vegetables and the baked sable fish. The halibut was firm yet tender, good but not outstanding – which the sable fish very much was, the delicate fish draped in a sweet miso sauce. The sushi followed soon after. The spicy tuna roll was excellent – chopped fresh albacore tuna in a not too spicy sauce, rolled, cut, and topped with slices of more tender tuna. The dynamite roll was equally great, the tempura prawn at the heart of the roll still delightfully warm. For dessert, I was served some sort of mousse – half of which was definitely green tea, the other I’m not so sure, though if someone had told me it was Crisco parfait I’d have had no trouble believing it.
Great service throughout by our upbeat server Dragon who was never strayed far – except on the brief occasion he joined his fellow staff in belting out an off-key rendition of Happy Birthday for another customer.
The new look location is a big improvement over the original. It‘s bright and spacious, the dark wood, sliding screens, and the rock pond at the entranceway giving the place a much more traditional Japanese feel that the old Tojo’s sorely lacked.
All in all, a terrific, though expensive, meal. Despite our tendency to over-order, $275 for the two of us without sake and before tip felt a bit pricey. That said, you can no doubt find less costly sushi in town, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find better. Our neighbors from Bellingham agreed. As we left, they were already planning their return visit.
Q&A…
Arctic Goddess writes: “Have you ever considered doing an episode on one of the characters coming unbalanced and perhaps psychotic?”
Answer: Yup. Just last week in fact.
Itsaysgateheadonmyuniform writes: “ 1.You’ve said it’s unlikely to see Jonas on Atlantis; what about an SG1 movie? 2. Will we be seeing Walter or Siler in season 4 of Atlantis? 3. Any plans for a ship based episode this year?”
Answers: 1. Again, unlikely. 2. Unlikely. 3. No plans as of yet but the ships will come into play over the course of the fourth season.
NowIWillDestroyAbydos writes: “A new series for Beau Bridges, are you referring to “My Name is Earl” or a completely different series.”
Answer: A different series.
Anonymous #1 writes: “I remember you from Anime Evolution. Will you be there this year?”
Answer: It’s possible that Marty G. and I may put in an appearance this year.
Anonymous #2 writes: “In SG-1 movies, will there be continuation to what “Dark Mitchel” said concerning the green wire in “Ripple Effect”?”
Answer: Nope.
Alipeeps writes: “Any plans for any interesting guest stars in Season 4?”
Answer: We’re working on more than a few surprises.
Anonymous #3 writes: “Why won’t you confirm RDA’s participation in Continuum even though it’s already been revealed in Playback?”
Answer: Continuum is Brad’s baby and it would be presumptuous of me to confirm something like this before Brad has had the opportunity to make it official.
Anonymous #4 writes: “Has there been anything introduced on Atlantis that has similarly turned out to be a pain?”
Answer: To be honest, not everyone is a fan of the ships.
Ryu Gaia writes: “Is there any chance of the script for “Judgement” being posted on the internet as fanfiction?”
Answer: Absolutely no possibility as it never made it past the idea stage to the script stage.
Hannah writes: “I think it’s fan-freakin-tastic that Michael Beach was in Atlantis. Will he be returning next season?”
Answer: Yup.
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