Bon Appétit
Janet Curran Perlman, our restaurant critic extraordinaire, found extraordinary delights at Toro Sushi, where sushi was only part of the fabulous evening.

Bon Appétit By Janet Curran Perlman, photos by Dan Epstein Raising the Bar on Asian Cuisine H crunchy spicy tuna and cucumber wrapped in manere I am in the mood to eat out, but my go with a sauce of silky mango lending a tropical reluctant husband lies recumbent on the feel. Again incorporating spicy tuna crunch, the $6 couch. Luckily, I know four magic words Mexican Roll was paired this time with avocado and that instantly galvanize him: "Let's go for sushi." rolled in masago (tiny fish eggs). Yes, we do love sushi. e menu offers plenty of selections for nonI've visited many good area sushi restaurants, sushi eaters, including the $7 Rock Shrimp, a sweet but many are somewhat lacking in atmosphere. and spicy selection of these satisfyingly tender little at's why I was delighted by the Zen-like feel of shrimp, as well as such entrées from the kitchen as Toro Sushi Bar. Against a backdrop of Japanese tempuras and teriyakis. purple walls, tightly pleated cream curtains frame Properly primed, we eagerly awaited what a lovely space, enhanced by subdued lighting and would prove to be an evening highlight: the $15 Aji, gently flickering candles. a dark Japanese fish, similar to mackerel, dramatiYet as inviting as it is, a beautiful interior is only cally presented in authentic Japanese style, the head part of the equation when it comes to a memorable and skeleton in a back bend, with the filleted meat dining experience. Toro Sushi Bar rounds out the rearranged on the side. Once we finished, the Aji rest of the equation with outstanding cuisine and was whisked away and the skeleton and head deepcheerful, professional service. fried, then returned to us, soft bones and all. Five Owned by Amy Chen and her husband, sustars for the Aji! shi chef Andy Hayasaka, Toro Having proved Sushi Bar goes far beyond the Toro Sushi Bar adventurous, we were ourselves ready to usual Japanese fare of sushi, 44 Upper Montclair Plaza follow Amy Chen's recommensashimi, and ordinary rolls into Upper Montclair dation of the Tuna Dumpling. another, exciting dimension of 973-746-8555 At a modest $8, it's an onionAsian cuisine. ToroSushiBar.com shaped winner! Its layers peel We began our evening Hours of operation: open to reveal a center genslowly with two appetizers Lunch: Tue-Sat 11:30am–2:30pm erously filled with fresh blue from the sushi bar. Fried spicy Dinner: Tue-Sat 5-10pm, Sun 4-9pm crab meat, complemented with chopped salmon wrapped in BYO crunchy avocado and creamy nori gave the tasty $7 Crispy wasabi—definitely recomSalmon Roll a nice jolt of flamended. vor. Sashimi Jalapeño, $12, thinly sliced slivers of For a light finish, we chose both the Mochi Ice tuna, salmon, and yellowtail, each discretely topped Cream, $3, small golf-ball-sized ice cream nuggets by a thin slice of garlic and jalapeño pepper, at first wrapped with sticky rice, and a first-rate banana seemed simple enough, but the first bite convinced tempura, $4. us that the sweetness of the fish against the bite of And then it was not "Sayonara," but "See you the pepper was an inspired combination. soon" to Amy and Andy and the wonderful Toro Specialty rolls, a good indicator of a sushi chef 's Sushi Bar. creativity, were outstanding, especially the $13 Sade,  Toro Sushi Bar favorites, clockwise from left: Rock Shrimp, Tuna Wrapped Roll, Central Park Roll, and Red Naruto 86 86 SUBURBAN ESSEX MAGAZINE October 2009

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