Tatsu opened a couple of months ago in the Continental Gin Building near downtown.  The Sushi Omakase dinner included 15-18 courses made personally by Chef Tatsuya Sekiguchi.  There is free parking out front and a comfortable waiting area inside as you wait for one of 2 seatings Tuesday through Sunday.  The wooden counter is set with comfortable chairs and bright lighting with music in the background.  An exposed brick wall backs up the counter and next door is a smaller room for 6 guests.  Service starts fairly promptly and lasts just under 2 hours (that depends on how many extra items are ordered at the end).  Each place has a menu card that also lists the origin of the day’s ingredients.  It is well thought out.  The sushi can be picked up with your fingers or chopsticks.  I prefer the former and they had a lovely little folded moist towel at your place where you can wipe the fingers before and after each bite.  When you go, and do put it on your list, don’t miss the elegant bathroom with bright fish roaming the walls and a fancy Toto toilet to use for the necessary.  It is a calming and beautiful meal, especially under the care of the delightful chef, who has worked with sushi for 27 years, and his wife.

Set-Up

 

 

Omakase Menu

We chose a bottle of sake to accompany the meal.  They conveniently sell it by bottle, carafe and glass, just like they do wine.  There is a limited Japanese whisky menu and a pairing of 4 sakes.  They ask all the guests to arrive a few minutes early and this gives you time to select and have a welcoming glass before the meal.

 

Sudachi Soba was made with noodles from New Jersey.  Chef encouraged you to drink the broth after eating the noodles.  The soba were made with sea greens and thus had a green tint.  They were perfectly tender with subtle flavors coming from the surrounding broth.

 

Katsuo Tataki was from Miyagi, Japan and unfortunately, it got consumed before a photo was made.  It was skipjack and decorated with chives and ginger.  The ginger was an excellent touch.

Kanpachi from Kagoshima would be known as yellowtail here.  Chef cut the fish on both sides to tenderize it and release the flavor.  It was brushed with soy and was absolutely tender.  The flavor was enhanced by a dot of wasabi.

 

Aji from Hokkaido, Japan is called mackerel here.  This delicious stronger fish came off lovely, but again I failed to make a  photo. (I got the rhythm down after this, sorry.)

 

Hotate from Hokkaido is sea scallop and was tender and good.

 

Hirame from Hokkaido is fluke or flounder and was nicely seasoned with a bit of orange peel

 

Bluefin Tuna (Akami) was from Baja California in Mexico and had been marinated.  The color was intense and so was the bite.

 

Kasugo from Kanagawa, Japan is baby sea bream.  It was nicely tender with some amazing slicing beforehand.

 

Sawara from Kanagawa, Japan is mackerel that had been smoked.  The smell was divine and the smoke really enhanced the flavor.

 

Bluefin Fatty Tuna (toro) from Mexico was brought out as a large piece where you could see the tendons running through it.  Chef expertly trimmed those out for a tender bite of deliciousness.

 

Menegi from Texas was wrapped in seaweed and brushed with soy.  A few chives were on the top.  It was meant to cleanse your palate.

 

Kegani from Hokkaido, Japan is crab.  It was on rice in a seaweed wrapper.  It was good but I prefer Gulf crabs, but they are in short supply.

 

Shimaaji from Kagoshima, Japan is yellowtail and it was cut into several ultra-thin pieces and layered on the rice.  A pretty sight that was tender and delicious.

 

Salmon Roe from Alaska has the most amazing color.  It was also on the rice in a seaweed wrapper that yielded a bite of popping loveliness.

 

Temaki or hand roll was made one at a time with a larger sheet of seaweed wrap.  Inside with the rice were tuna trimmings, wasabi and chives.  The wrapper was a bit tough but the taste was fine.

 

Anago from Nagasaki, Japan is eel that was enhanced with lemon, soy and wasabi on rice.  The slow cooked eel was slightly warm and fall-apart tender.

 

While the soup is brought out, diners have the option of ordering additional pieces of some of the night’s presentations and also some that were not on the menu.  Miso soup had a few pieces of tofu and was otherwise tasty.

 

Tamago refers to Japanese egg dishes.  The one on the left was made with yams and the one on the right was patterned after an omelet with dashi.  It was the sweeter of the two with a more egg custard texture.

 

Dessert was homemade grape ice cream with blueberry balsamic reduction.  It was cold and smooth and a fine finish to the meal.