By: Mike DeWitt
Going Local seemed a little more like Going Lonely the past couple of weeks without Joanne, the genius behind the entire project, there to join Victoria and myself. Victoria and I held our own for the time being as our partner rejuvenated herself by soaking up the California sun, and she was welcomed back with open arms as we expounded on our next adventure.
The contents of the hat continue to grow as our faithful readers pass along local food ideas in Wyoming and Kentwood. The food has been a treat and, more importantly, given me greater options to choose from when I’m asked to take the lady friend to dinner. Each week has been a brand new experience and this week was no different as we visited Tokyo Grill and Sushi located at 4478 Breton Road.
From the outside, Tokyo Grill and Sushi is tucked into a strip mall and feels hidden with curtains covering the windows. Once inside, the restaurant immediately welcomes you with cooks preparing food behind the bar. The interior opens up nicely with more room than meets the eye. The lighting is inviting with well themed decor giving off a strong sense of peace and relaxation.
The lunch menu is quite large with appetizers, salads, soups, hibachi, katsu, teriyaki, noodles, and a full sushi bar at your disposal. After perusing the menu, my eyes fell upon Yaki U-Don, a dish with stir fried Japanese thick noodles with chicken and vegetables. Safe to say, I found my soul mate.
A salad came with the dish and was… well, a salad. Not much else to delve into. A salad is a salad. It’s a tease before the true meal arrives.
With the salad gone, I was ready for my stir-fry and I was not disappointed when the hot skillet was set down in front of me. It was still sizzling, packed with food, and ready to be devoured. Quick word of advice, when something is sizzling, its contents are still very hot. My brain decided not to pass along this information onto my watering mouth. Thank goodness for the glass of water that was seemingly always filled to the brim.
The first bite bursted with flavor and texture and I immediately knew I made the right choice. The noodles were thick and soft, the vegetables were excellently seasoned, and the chicken was plentiful. In all, the meal was huge! About halfway through the meal I wondered if I had enough space left in my stomach to finish. Spoiler alert! There was room.
Once we made it back to work I was dangerously close to falling into a food coma. This seems to happen every time we Go Local. However, in the name of journalistic integrity and discovering all the food options Wyoming and Kentwood have to offer, I will continue to sacrifice in my service to you, the readers.
Put Tokyo Grill and Sushi on the Going Local list of great places to eat.
By: Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
When you walk through the doors of Tokyo Grill and Sushi you are transported to what I imagine is pretty close to what a restaurant in Japan would be like – complete with both Western and traditional Japanese seating. While located in the strip mall on the southeast corner of Breton Avenue and 44th Street, the restaurant design has eliminated those big store front windows with light colored walls and round windows that allow just enough light in to make the place warm and inviting. Topping it off is the light wood accidents and furniture that makes Tokyo Grill a place you want to sit, relax and enjoy a good meal.
Unfortunately relaxing was not on the agenda this week as we were on a bit of a time crunch with all that was taking place (elections, National Night Out), but that was alright as the staff was able to move as quickly as our needs required. Our biggest hold up was deciding what to eat. Being a Japanese restaurant, I quickly discovered you do not get an egg roll with every lunch meal but instead a salad. Apparently the homemade dressings are so popular, you can purchase some to take home.
Going on the waitress’s recommendation, I selected one of the Hibachi Lunch Specials, Beef Hibachi, $7.95. It came with a salad, white rice and stirred fried beef and vegetables with a homemade sauce. I selected the onion salad dressing and I could taste why someone would want to purchase a bottle for home. The dressing was sweet and favorable with no overbearing onion flavor.
The meal came quickly and was exactly what I was looking for. Fresh off the grill, the flavor of the vegetables exploded in my mouth. There was zucchini, broccoli and to be honest, I could have eaten a whole plate of just the veggies. (I brought a Chicken Hibachi ($7.95) with fried rice ($2.95 extra) back to the office for Victoria who gave it a thumbs up.)
The portion size was just perfect for me. I could polish off the whole meal feeling satisfied and perfectly able to function after lunch unlike my Going Local partner. Anyhow, Tokyo Grill also has a large selection of wines and beer for enjoyment as well. Lunch is served from 11:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. and dinner is from 3 – 10 p.m. weekdays and dinner only on the weekends from 12 – 10 p.m. Saturday and 12 – 9 p.m. Sunday.
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