Hagerstown Eats

By Anne Chovey
Special to The Herald-Mail

The outside of Sakura Japanese Steak House & Sushi Bar, tucked away in the small shopping center on Railway Lane near Valley Mall in Halfway, tells you nothing about what to expect inside.

My dining companion, Pap Ricka, and I have been fans of Sakura for some time, but in my role as food critic, I saw the restaurant with new eyes.

Upon entering Sakura, diners have several options:  To the left is the hibachi area where the chef entertains patrons as he makes the food; straight ahead is the sushi bar where diners can watch rolls being made; and to the right is the dining room.

Sakura has an elegant feel, with high-backed booths, light wood panels framed with darker wood and interesting art work on the walls. The tables are white, high-grade plastic with inlaid designs. Hanging over each table, and also over the sushi bar, are beautiful and colorful glass pendant lights. The overall effect is serene and inviting.

Pap and I were met as we came into the restaurant and seated in the dining room by the host. Our waitress immediately came over to take our drink orders. Sakura serves wine and beer and has a variety of sake from which to choose. We were there on a week night so I got a soft drink and Pap ordered unsweetened iced tea. Of course, tea means something a bit different to Japanese, so he actually got a can of Japanese green tea. It was unexpected, but pleasant.

Our waitress was most attentive and checked with us several times before we were finally able to choose our dinners. It was difficult to decide. There is an extensive list of appetizers both from the kitchen and from the sushi bar. Most were between $4.50 and $10. Sushi or sashimi may be ordered as an entre either in individual pieces ($1.75 to $2.75), or in hand rolls of either raw fish or cooked seafood or chicken ($4.50 to $10).
Extra special rolls like the dancing dragon roll (shrimp tempura, spicy tuna inside, spicy crab, spicy shrimp and avocado on top for $14) or triple treat roll (fresh tuna, salmon, yellowtail wrapped with soybean sheet topped with spicy crab and fish egg for $13) were also available. Entrees from the kitchen include teriyaki (marinated and cooked in the sauce), tempura (very lightly battered and fried), grilled fish or steak, noodles and fried rice. Most range from $10 to $20.

We began with a sushi pizza as our appetizer. The base was a crisp panko-encrusted dough topped with tuna, salmon avocado and fish roe. Artfully drizzled over the top was a delicious sauce. The pizza was cut into bite-sized pieces and was definitely enough to serve two. We dove in and gobbled it up. I had never had anything quite like it. The combination of the crispy crust, the velvety fish and the zesty sauce hit all the right places.
For our entrees, I ordered chicken teriyaki dinner box special and Pap got Sakura sushi, three pieces each of tuna, salmon, yellowtail and a spicy tuna crunchy roll. As we were finishing our pizza, bowls of miso soup were placed before us.  Miso is soybean based with scallions, tofu and seaweed. It sounds strange and it tastes different but intriguing. I am never sure if I really like it or not, but I always feel healthy when I eat it.
The soup was followed by salad. Unlike an American salad that might have lots of ingredients, this salad was very simple:  fresh lettuce, carrot and cucumber and an amazing ginger sesame dressing.

While our soup was served with a thick white spoon that was more like a ladle, our salad came with no flatware, only chopsticks. I suppose, flatware would be provided if requested, but Pap and I like a good challenge. I have been shown how to use chopsticks by a friend who lived in China for awhile, but when I try to remember what he taught me, I get a cramp in my hand.

Pap said it best, “When I think about it, I can’t figure out how to use these things, but if I don’t think and just pick them up, I can manage pretty well.”

After a bit of awkwardness initially, we got the hang of it and most of our food arrived at our mouth. (To tell the truth, Pap did stab a few pieces of fish, but that worked, too.)

Our dinners were served promptly after we finished our salads. Sushi is beautiful food.

It seems to me that the whole point of preparing it in the way it is prepared is to look beautiful. Pap’s plate was no exception. The fish was draped over the rice in exact proportion. A small mound of pickled ginger was next to a dab of bright green wasabi, the fiery condiment. The spicy tuna rolls marched down the plate in perfect order. The meal was accompanied by a small white dish, in which soy sauce can be poured for dipping the sushi.

Pap picked up his chopsticks and maneuvered around the plate.
“Taste this,” he commanded and presented me with the tuna roll.
It was yummy with a bit of a kick. He slathered on the wasabi, dipped the sushi in the soy and sighed with pleasure. Sweat popped out on his lip. “This is good!” he said.

My dinner was presented in a lacquered box: chicken teriyaki in one section, white rice in another, a California roll in another. Shrimp and vegetable tempura and two shumai occupied the final sections. I love sushi, but was very happy with my choice.
It seemed I had the best of all worlds. The chicken teriyaki was tasty and tender. The California roll (crabmeat, cucumber and avocado) was delicious. The shumai was much like dim sum, a little soft dough package of pork dumpling.

My favorite, though, was the tempura. The shrimp was huge and straight and covered in that panko-crumb coating that is so crispy, yet so light.

The sweet potato, squash and zucchini tempura were also wonderful, cooked until just tender. It was more than I could manage. If it is true that you eat first with your eyes, then Sakura gets high marks.

This was one of the most artful meals I have eaten – definitely a beautiful feast.

Restaurant review:

4 1/2  (out of 5 Stars)
Food:  4 1/2
Service:   5
Ambiance: 4 1/2
Value: 4  1/2

Address: 102 Railway Lane, Halfway
Hours:   Lunch: Monday through Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.  Saturday, noon to 2:30 p.m. Dinner hours: Monday through Thursday, 4:30 to 10 p.m.; Friday, 4:30 to 10:30 p.m.; Saturday, 2:30 to 10:30 p.m. ; Sunday, 4:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Phone: 301-393-8680
Style: Hibachi grill, fine dining
Food: Japanese cuisine, including a hibachi grill, sushi bar, teriyaki, tempura and other traditional food.  There are many vegetarian options in all preparations.
Range: Entrees range from $22 to $26
Bathrooms:  The bathrooms were clean, large and wheelchair accessible.
Parking and handicapped accessibility: Parking for Sakura is in the shopping center lot.  As there are several businesses in the center, patrons may not be able to park directly in front of the restaurant, but ample parking is available.  The parking lot has a bit of a slope, but otherwise should present to accessibility issues.
Reservations: Not necessary
Website: www.newsakurajp.com.

Tuesday, September 28th, 2010



Category: Asian