Living in Madison, different cultures, beliefs and traditions expose themselves in a variety of ways to people daily. More specifically, when walking down State Street, choices of restaurants can overwhelm any number of senses. This past week, I kicked up my adventurous state of mind, and for the first time, I dipped some chopsticks into sushi.

Opening in 2001, Takara Japanese Restaurant unlocked its doors to two locations in Madison: one on State Street and the other on the west side. Known for offering conventional and unusual Japanese entrees, Takara presents customers a wide range of choices from tuna to eel to soft shell crab.

As you walk into the State Street restaurant, Takara is much larger than appears from outside. With this spacious interior, Takara offers a plenty of seating in which patrons may choose to sit and watch hibachi chefs personally cook their meal or sit and gaze at the sushi bar.

With the friendly and fast service, servers will be ready to take your order one or two times before you actually decide what to order. Despite the pricey menu, when it comes to the food, you definitely get what you pay for. The best times to avoid these prices is by visiting restaurants during the lunch hour special, in which prices are almost cut in half from the dinner menu. Yet, if you wish to visit the restaurant during the evening, you can side step the expenses and still leave satisfied by indulging in the ? la carte and maki menu.

Ordering any number of reasonable priced appetizers, Takara offers different choices for customers. The vegetable tempura ($6.50) presents food lovers with a mix of vegetables coated in a light batter which are then deep-fried. To compliment the meal, Takara’s choices of beer, wine and non-alcoholic beverages are endless. Sapporo, a famous light malt Japanese beer, gave the meal extra flavor to boost the flavor of the few mild dishes served.

Being a first time sushi eater, I did not want to commit to a meal entirely by itself, so I indulged in the sushi and sashimi ? la cart menu, and the maki and temaki (rolls and hand roll) menu.

With the ? la cart menu, which ranges in price from $1.50 to $4.50, customers can order single servings of any raw fish with a side of wasabi. The tako (octopus) had a rough, yet satisfying, texture. When a slice of pickled ginger is placed on top of the tako, it provided a refreshing taste. The maguro (tuna), however, did not provide as much texture as the tako did and felt more like a paste rather than a piece of meaty flesh from a fish.

The sake maki (salmon roll) and spicy tuna maki gave the meal something more. The sake maki ($4) was mild, but when pickled ginger is placed on top of the maki, it provided additional zest to the mild roll. The spicy tuna roll ($5.75), however, had a special seasoning inside of the roll which I wanted to savor as long as I could.

Takara Japanese Restaurant offers refreshing, and delicious, traditional Japanese entrees. It is no wonder they have been recognized as a favorite Madison restaurant, as the atmosphere, service and food gives local residents of taste of something new to experience.
4 stars out of 5