Taku, Garden City: First bites
The sushi & sashimi lunch combo at Taku in Garden City shows an artistic attention to detail. (Oct., 2012) Credit: Newsday / Joan Reminick
It seems, at times, that the countless Asian fusion/sushi restaurants on Long Island blur together, one nearly indistinguishable from the next. Taku, an attractive Garden City fusion spot that made its debut earlier this year is, in appearance, not unlike a multitude of other such places: dark dramatic lighting, burnished ceramic tiles, black furnishings.
What sets Taku apart, however, is something quite simple: an attention to the details that matter.
On a recent afternoon, I ordered the lunch special sushi-sashimi combo ($14). Highlights of the meal include a bowl of very good wonton soup, thin and delicate dumpling skins stretched over savory shrimp and pork fillings. The main event was a careful arrangement of artfully cut finfish — salmon, yellowtail, tuna, white tuna and fluke — as well as nigirizushi, long cuts of fish draped over ovals of rice at optimal temperature and texture. Instead of the California roll included on the platter, I asked for a salmon-avocado roll. Well worth the extra $1. The roll was made with a barest modicum of room temperature rice flecked with black and white sesame seeds. Absolutely lustrous fish and avocado. In short, a standout.
Also on the roster of lunch specials: pad thai with chicken, vegetable or shrimp ($9), steak teriyaki ($10), a lunch bento with shrimp tempura ($12). Dinner prices are a bit higher but still moderate.
Taku is at 100A 7th St., Garden City, 516-877-9776.
The sushi & sashimi lunch combo at Taku in Garden City
