According to the TV, only two things are going on right now: war and basketball. Not to worry, though. There still is a little grace left in the world.
Miyako Japanese Cuisine is the perfect alternative to our base instincts. Located on the Downtown Mall, this charming eatery allows the diner to, at least temporarily, escape from relentless television coverage.
Miyako has a very pleasant atmosphere. By far the nicest touch is the ceiling. The entire dining room is topped by an arrangement of lights and artistic patterns designed to resemble the night sky. We spent a few minutes just looking at the stars.
The rest of the decor isn't bad either. All sorts of Eastern art, ranging from traditional to cute, adorn the walls and help sell the Japanese dining experience.
And if you want a really special night out, check out the tatami room. Located right by the door, this small room features two low tables surrounded by cushions.
Eating on the floor is definitely a change of pace from the rest of the restaurants in Charlottesville, plus it is just plain fun. But make sure your socks match before you go out because shoes aren't allowed in this room.
Service at Miyako is definitely above average. Our waiter was professional in his performance, but was also approachable and helpful. Since we don't eat sushi too often, he was able to make recommendations based on our tastes.
Instead of taking away our drinks to refill them, he would bring new ones so that we would never be without something to drink. This definitely is a plus in a restaurant that serves items as hot as wasabi. Sometimes you just can't wait.
If you're a novice when it comes to sushi and Japanese food in general, you might want to take a look at the menu ahead of time. Restaurantdiningmenus.com has the entire selection, descriptions and corresponding prices, so check it out before you go.
Miyako offers lots of appetizers. We decided to try the Tempura ($4.95). These lightly fried shrimp and vegetables were quite delicious. The Vegetable Tempura we got included sweet potato and mushroom. The sauce served on the side is excellent as well. Tempura is a good starter, but you also can order a larger version as an entree.
Other appetizers include the Broiled Mussels in Tobiko Sauce ($5.25) and the Shrimp and Avocado in Sweet Miso Sauce ($5.25).
The entrees are expensive but come with a good bit of food. Each selection taken from the Teppan Yaki, Sushi Dinner and Tempura Dinner menus arrives with soup and salad. The miso soup was quite delicious. Based on a soybean paste, miso definitely is a must if you haven't tried it before. It has a pleasant flavor that does not overpower the diner.
We were a bit disappointed with the salad. The greens were unfamiliar to us, and their bitter taste didn't make them very welcoming. The fishy-tasting dressing didn't help much either. It was much too strong for a salad, so we recommend that you ask that they leave it off.
We tried three entrees. The first entree we tried was a combination dish. For $16.25 the patron can order two items from a list of filet steak, chicken, shrimp and scallops. Rice, carrots and spinach accompany your choices.
We opted for the filet steak and the scallops. The steak was juicy and flavorful on its own, but we were particularly impressed by the scallops. Too often, scallops can be spongy or weak in flavor, but these grilled scallops were perfectly prepared. The texture was just firm enough to pack a punch of flavor when we bit into it.
The side dishes also were quite nice. The carrots weren't soggy, the rice was not too sticky, and the spinach was a nice change of pace.
The second dish we tried was the lobster, shrimp and scallops ($23.95). The lobster was exquisite, even if the diner does not contain a lot of it. We were pleasantly surprised by the amount of shrimp in this entree. Usually shrimp of such high quality are served in small numbers, but there were almost too many to handle at the end of the dish.
At $23.95, this choice is too steep for most people. We recommend you jettison the lobster and go for the less expensive alternative described above or something else less painful on the wallet.
The lobster, shrimp and scallops all are served individually in dishes ranging from $15.25 to $23.95, so if you really like one particular kind of seafood you should order it this way.
We decided to sample a variety of sushi pieces by ordering the six Nigiri and two Rolls ($22). For the Nigiri we picked two salmon, two shrimp, one tuna and one yellowtail. For the rolls we picked the spider roll, which is cucumber and soft-shell crab, and the rainbow roll, which is a California roll topped with seafood.
It's worthwhile to remind you to make sure you get your money's worth; $22 allows you to choose any of the rolls and nigiri, so you might as well aim for the more exotic or expensive ones.
The presentation of this dish was gorgeous and we felt bad for ruining it. Fortunately, it tasted as good as it looked. Most importantly, all the ingredients were very fresh, which is imperative when you're eating raw food.
There simply are too many other sushi choices to list here. Check out the Web site for a comprehensive description.
Miyako can be very expensive, but you can defray the cost by making wise selections. Besides, it's a great change of pace; the food is terrific and the experience is made that much better by the surroundings. So if you can tear yourself away from CNN and CBS, give it a shot. It's a welcome break.
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