So it's official, I suck at taking pictures. I always do have the intention to take pictures of my meals upon entering the restaurant, but once my food hits that table, it's game over. My mind goes a bit fuzzy, the room starts to spin and all I want is a bite of my food, and then another, and then another? I have been blaming it on the fact that my food always turns out to be really good and irresistable, but really, I suck at taking pictures.
Oh well.
This weekend, my aunt decided to spend some 'quality time' with me aka- have me help her with her wedding pictures. Funny, as I was helping her sort through her digital pictures on her webpage, I saw a few pictures of Raceday 2010 mixed in-why is that you ask? Well being that I had to miss Day 2 for my aunts wedding, you can be sure that I was watching the entire time as I was getting my maid of honor speech down! As people were taking pictures of the 'before'- I obviously was glued to the live feed from my laptop, with half of my dress on. Oops.
After showing her the picture, she thought it would be nice to treat me dinner for all that she has put me through (let's face it- she saved me from not racing that day- but we're not going to tell her that). We decided to go to Takara, a Japanese Restaurant located on 14th Avenue in Whitestone, NY.
Upon arriving, I was surprised to see that I have already been here before! A few years ago during winter break, I was craving sushi and decided to read some reviews on the best sushi in Queens- Takara was the obvious choice. I got take-out my first time there, and I still remember how surprised I was at the deliciousness of my spicy scallop handroll! The scallops were fresh and the texture and flavors were complimenting. I made a note to go back there- but never had a chance to.
So boy was I happy when my aunt brought me there this weekend! Looking at the menu, the special rolls seemed especially appetizing. I ended up getting a spider roll (you're welcome Eric) and a Red Dragon Roll. The Spider Roll was ok- but the Red Dragon Roll was great! A perfect shrimp tempura roll topped with mounds of spicy tuna, the Red Dragon Roll was absolutely delicious! My aunt got the seafood teriyaki, and the seafood in the dish, were plentiful and fresh as well.
Apparently, my uncle (my aunt's new husband) has been coming here for over 20 years! Wow! He loves sushi and he tells me that this place started out as a small joint, but quickly expanded due to its great food! It is now 3 times the size it originally was!
The service wasn't anything too special, but the servers did try to be attentive as much as possible. I also saw that there were private rooms in the back, perfect for a private, secluded dinner!
What a great find. Granted, this place doesn't have a parking lot and you do need to venture out into the streets to look for some meter parking, make sure to stop by this precious gem of a restaurant if you live in the area and are sick of going to Flushing!
Price: $$
Ambiance: B+
Service: B+
Food: A
