For many, dining on sushi once a week is as common as ordering pizza. While the number of establishments serving sushi has yet to come close to the number of pizzerias sprinkling New Jersey towns, sushi is easy to find - even grocery stores now stock individual servings in their refrigerator sections.
Tsuru is one of two Japanese restaurants serving sushi and other Japanese fare to Bernards Township residents. Located in the Dewey Meadow Village, Tsuru offers lunch and dinner and includes a private room on the second floor for hosting parties or tatami, mat like seating. A sushi bar is also available on the main floor for those who get a kick out of watching the sushi chef or are dining alone.
We arrived at Tsuru with high expectations. Everyone we had talked to had given it rave reviews. They were right. Not only was the food exceptional, the dining experience was convivial and fun.
Tsuru, however, is not necessarily the place you would go to for a romantic dinner for two. While the lighting is muted and the ceilings are high, the tables are closely nested, making it almost impossible not to talk to your neighbors. That is what makes it fun.
The service moves quickly. Diners order, the food is served promptly and the tables turn over at a relatively fast pace. People are there to eat!
Tsuru's menu is extensive. Descriptions accompany each menu item, but bring your magnifying glass as they are difficult to read. The menu lists several different soups (not just the standard Miso soup), a number of appealing appetizers, a wide selection of sushi, sashimi, hand-rolls, cooked entrees, bento boxes, and noodle dishes.
On this particular evening, however, we decided to experiment and composed our meal from the array of 25 exotic sounding Special Rolls. How could we resist? The creativity alone demanded a tasting. There was the Fire Ball (spicy salmon and crunch inside, the outside rolled with salmon and spicy tobiko, $14), the Special Rainbow Roll (fresh crab meat and avocado inside, with tuna, whitefish, salmon, yellowtail and shrimp outside, $15), and the Fantasy Roll (spicy crunchy salmon and cucumber inside, wrapped with seared salmon, lime, bonito flakes and cilantro, $14.)
Thinking the rolls alone would not be enough for a complete meal, we ordered three appetizers to start: Lettuce Wraps with Spicy Tuna ($10), Thai Spicy Beef (beef seasoned with chili pepper and peanut butter and served on endive, $8) and a Shrimp and Vegetable Tempura ($9).
The Lettuce Wraps and Thai Spicy Beef were delicious, the cool and crisp lettuce and endive acting as a nice foil for the spicy insides. While the Tempura was freshly done and piping hot, the bland exterior and dipping sauce were a surprising disappointment.
As one chef friend of mine always says, "we eat with our eyes, not just our palate." The chefs at Tsuru clearly understand this and the plates were beautifully displayed. The rolls were tasty and filling, so much so we took our leftovers home.
As we dined we conversed with some of neighbors, again hearing rave reviews. One couple dines there at least once or twice each week. The other compared it to sushi places they eat at in New York. "It's as good or better. We love it."
Hours: Mon - Thu, 11:30am - 3pm, 5pm - 10pm; Fri, 11:30am - 3pm, 4:30pm - 11pm; Sat, 4:30pm - 11pm; Sun, 4pm - 10pm
Dewy Meadow Village, 413 King George Rd.| 908-580-0666
