TakoSushi

Last night Brian and I went to TakoSushi, the "it" place for sushi here in Augusta. The food was good, but perhaps I expected more considering how much everyone raved about it. We got there a little early (5:30'ish) so we weren't suprised to be the first guests; but we were surprised that only one other table filled up by the time we left an hour later.

We started with the shrimp shumai which was just like I remembered it growing up. Crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, with a rich shrimp filling. Brian actually thought he was ordering gyoza (potstickers) and was surprised to see the little round dumplings on the plate when they arrived. I gave him a brief lesson on the differences between the two.

For the main course we got four different rolls:

• Super Krunchy: shrimp tempura, smoked salmon, avocado, cucumber, teriyaki glaze
• Crazy Roll (aka Kevin's Roll): shrimp tempura, fresh shrimp, crab, cucumber, avocado, teriyaki glaze, and aioli
• Cary's Roll: flash-fried tuna, salmon, yellowtail, cream cheese, with takkosushi sauce & teriyaki glaze
• Yasai Roll: japanese pickles, avocado, cucumber, asparagus, sprouts, scallions, & shredded veggies

They were all good but we decided the Yasai Roll was our least favorite and wouldn't get it again. It was dry. I guess vegetarians would probably enjoy it, but some type of sauce would make it a lot better. In fact, we ended up rolling it around in some of the leftover teriyaki glaze from the other rolls and found it much more appealing that way.

My favorite was the Crazy Roll as the shrimp and crab had a lovely texture. Brian liked the Super Krunchy roll as it reminded him of the Super Crunch we would always get at our favorite restaurant in Birmingham (Surin West). The description of the Cary's Roll was misleading as the entire roll was fried instead of just the tuna which is how we interpreted it. I have to admit it was still yummy, but an indulgence not to be had very often.

Would I recommend this restaurant? Sure. The food was fresh and the service was great. Our waiter was attentive and jumped in with suggestions. He also ensured our request for no avocado was carried through as Brian is allergic to the stuff. The decor is eclectic with earthy/southwestern colors. In fact, one half of the menu is southwestern so even non-sushi lovers should find something to appease them.

My rating: 4 out of 5

TakoSushi
Surrey Center
437 Highland Avenue
706-736-9191
http://www.tako-sushi.com/