First off, if I came off as a bit harsh on Sita's Kitchen last week'sorry. I do really like the place, I was just somewhat out of sorts.
That said, last Saturday I overheard a fellow gustator say that they had spotted Shirley Manson at Wasabi and, all of the sudden, I was in the mood for Japanese.
Saturday night I set out, making a stop at Wasabi just to make sure I wasn't missing out on anything. If you're reading this, Shirls, I have red hair, too. It'd be hot, believe me.
ESSENTIALSTon-Ton122 State St. 251-2171 Mon.-Fri. 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m and 5 to 10 p.m., Sat. 5 to 10 p.m. (out of 5) Overall *** Food **** Decor *** Service *** Dateability *** Skillful Japanese cooking Airport lounge |
The beauteous Ms. Manson was nowhere to be seen, so I headed down State Street to Ton-Ton. Ton-Ton has always given me the impression of a hotel bar and restaurant. The impressive wooden doors are just for show; you actually have to enter through the foyer of a large office building. Usually I would find this gauche, but Ton-Ton nevertheless proved itself to be a very classy place.
There were only three tables occupied at 8:30 p.m. on a Saturday night, but I still was seated near the corner by the seemingly unused sushi bar. Some Japanese art hangs on the wall, but overall decoration is quite minimal. I liked it: It's not overdone like some cheap whorehouse of my imagination.
One must order sushi in such a restaurant, and order I did. I avoided total environmental moral collapse by not sampling the giant clam or the abalone, which they were out of. If you're one for the raw fish, there is an ample selection: I highly suggest the fatty tuna, any type of clam or scallop and the salmon roe. While not for the squeamish, popping individual salmon eggs on one's tongue is one of the more decadent sensations around.
If you are a vegetarian, Ton-Ton offers a variety of rolls filled with avocado, asparagus and other vegetables.
After the sushi and a Singapore Sling (girl-drink stigma be damned) I was ready to pick an entr??e. I really wanted the Shabu Shabu, a luxe Japanese dish consisting of thin beef slices cooked tableside in hot broth. It goes for $20, which was a little more than I wanted to spend, regardless of my affinity for Iron Chef-style flair. Instead I ordered the eel, a dish that turned out to be so fantastic I nearly forgot about the Shabu Shabu. A wooden box was placed in front of me, and in the box was a coiled eel on a bed of steamed rice. The eel's baste was somewhat tart, which well accentuated the natural sweetness of the eel.
The miso soup that came with the meal was fine, very hot and flavorful, but the pickled zucchini was one of the weirdest things I've ever tasted, with a consistency of some sort of plastic dough with a sour flavor. Perhaps it is a delicacy, but it has taught me to be wary.
My associate's tempura and teriyaki platter was similarly enticing. The tender, thin slices of teriyaki steak were well-marinated in a sweet glaze, and served with scallions. Ton-Ton does tempura, a Japanese frying technique, very well: The batter was light, and the fried vegetables and shrimp were perfectly cooked. Before Saturday I had forgotten how much I love zucchini tempura, but I left reminded how great it can be, rivaling even the shrimp, one of my favorite foods (look for me, I'm the one eating the ceviche).
I usually enjoy a cocktail with my entr??e so a serving of warm sake was in order. At Ton-Ton the warmed sake is $1 cheaper than the cold, which is a sure sign of inferior sake but, unless you are a sake fanatic, it doesn't really matter. I really recommend warm sake; it really finishes a meal.
A meal at Ton-Ton will leave you with the feeling that you're living right, and that's what Gustation Vacation is really all about: helping you find the places that make you feel like the illness. Ton-Ton and La Paella did that for me, and no doubt Eldorado Grill does that for some people. Ton-Ton doesn't offer smoking, so score one more for healthy living.
