Ever since I discovered Ten a few weeks ago while getting drinks with girlfriends, I have been dying to go back and engulf myself in the swanky metropolitan restaurant for a full meal. But situated just above the Blue Light Grill with only a small frosted door emblazoned with "Ten" atop a Japanese symbol, the restaurant was slightly hard to locate a second time.
Once upstairs, the ambiance screamed classy Manhattan joint meets authentic, Japanese sushi bar. The mirrored ceilings, full-length windows and a far wall littered with European-style sconces served as an excellent backdrop for the three loosely divided dining sections.
The sushi bar area, situated to the far right upon entering, sports white bistro-esque tables along with seating around the sushi bar. The main dining area is composed of several black leather booths as well as floating tables with simple but comfortable white leather chairs. The cocktail lounge, where I had spent my last visit, has a small yet accommodating bar with a wrap-around black leather sofa and cocktail tables that face three large windows looking out onto the bustling Downtown Mall below.
I opted to take a seat in the main dining area and immediately took notice of the Zen-like simplicity that is carried throughout the restaurant right down to the place setting in front of me. There were white rectangular sushi plates, black chopstick rests and, of course, tiny white carafes filled with soy sauce.
The waitress explained to me that the food at Ten is for sharing and is typically ordered tapas-style. Tapas is an eating style in which restaurant goers may choose several different small plates to sample and share rather than one large entrée. Under the osusume (meaning "recommendation") section of the menu, however, one may choose to order larger plates of the foods that they enjoyed in the smaller servings, such as the Kobe skirt steak, a favorite at Ten.
After looking over the diverse menu (Ten's not just for sushi lovers) my friend and I decided, in accordance with our waitress' suggestion, to order several small plates to share. From the nomimono or "drink" section of the menu, I ordered a glass of the Dassai Nigori sake which was served cold in a long-stemmed glass with hints of melon. I was put off by the flavor at first, being used to traditionally warm sake, but when paired with the spicy dishes it proved quite refreshing.
When ordering tapas, the dishes are served in the order that they are prepared in the kitchen, and in this case Ten did not save the best for last. The harami miso, two skewers of Kobe skirt steak served with watercress and a unique miso sauce, was incredibly tender, one of the best pieces of meat I ever had.
The next dish out was the yakitori, or chicken teriyaki. Also served on skewers it was pleasantly sweet and extremely tender. This was followed by the kani avocado tobiko, the California roll. I felt a little boring and uncultured for ordering this, but I decided to investigate whether or not the long-time favorite sushi roll for beginners was any more exciting at a higher class restaurant. I came to the conclusion that, while better than the sushi sold at various University dining locations, this particular roll was nothing to get too excited about. It was much fresher than the on-Grounds California roll, but that's about it.
The calamari was my second favorite dish of the night. With its Korean chili sauce it boasted a spicy flavor unlike any other calamari I have tried and the sake I ordered complimented this dish particularly well.
Last we were served the shumai, ironically the only dish we ordered off the zensai or "hors d'oeuvres" section of the menu. The shumai was a small dumpling filled with shrimp, pork and vegetables. Though delicious, I couldn't help but think as I consumed the tiny dish that I finished off $4 worth of food in about 30 seconds.
Actually, all of the dishes seemed a bit skimpy for their prices (small dishes run anywhere from $3 to $20 and osusume dishes from $15 to $30). Despite the portions, I was surprisingly full at the end of the meal.
In terms of atmosphere, Ten lives up to its name. The dining environment suits any occasion from a casual weekday evening out to a slightly more sophisticated Friday or Saturday night and was indeed a perfect 10. Cuisine-wise, while impressive, the high prices and the California roll won't allow me to let it slip by with anything higher than a nine. Ten would be a great place to come on a date with a sushi-loving friend or with parents who are in town and might appreciate an Asian restaurant that is quite a bit more upscale than Lemongrass or Sakura.
My one regret is wishing that I had been daring enough to try some legitimate sushi -- the raw fish kind. But I have no doubts that I'll be returning to Ten to dine in the near future and hopefully the third time around I'll be able to find the door.
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