More than just raw fish

When I overheard a rumor of a Japanese woman who takes all of her guests from Asia to Takara, I immediately began looking for an excuse to visit Coeur d’Alene. My urgency can be explained in two words: raw fish.

I first ate sushi in Seattle as the result of a dare, and I was stunned when I woke up a week later wanting more. Now – years later, a mountain range away from a major port and this side of a few queasy meals – the issue is not just sushi, but good sushi. Consistently, the chefs at Takara deliver excellent sushi when I’ve visited – sweet shrimp (ebi) and yellowtail (hamachi), savory grilled fresh water eel (unagi) and more exotic options such as boiled octopus (tako).

Yet good sushi is not the reason I plan to return soon. Ambiance isn’t either. Takara’s main dining room would benefit from some investment; currently it is little more than a serviceable café with utilitarian tables and a smattering of Asian knick-knacks. But the restaurant’s several private Tatami rooms, which are being remodeled, are a step in the right direction with seating on traditional mats around low tables.

No, the reason I can’t wait to return is not the sushi or the atmosphere, but the fact that Chef Viljo Basso and owner and manager Ryuhei Tanaka have introduced me to an amazing cuisine that is much more than raw fish. A testament to this culinary diversity is my wife who enjoys Takara, and she has the slightest interest in sushi. While I might dream of a perfect sliver of tuna, she lights up at the mention of Takara’s Shrimp and Vegetable Tempura ($12 at dinner). The crisp, light Tempura, like every other dinner entrée, comes with two salads (one lettuce, one cucumber with a vinegar tang and sesame seeds), a warm bowl of miso soup, sautéed vegetables and rice.

Equally accessible to those non-sushi eaters are Takara’s popular teriyaki options: beef, chicken or salmon. Our order of Chicken Teriyaki ($9 at dinner) had nicely balanced moist meat and a subtle house-made sauce.

If you are willing to try a Pacific Rim, the restaurant offers Wafu Steak ($13) – an 8-ounce choice New York steak served salted and peppered and sliced with a tangy Ponzu dipping sauce and shaved daikon, a Japanese radish. A small step from the familiar are Takara’s noodle dishes such as Yakisoba ($10), which offers thin pan-fried strands that arrive wonderfully smoky and sweet in a large bowl with vegetables and a choice of chicken, beef, shrimp or tofu.

Possibly the most stunning dish on my last visit was the Twice-Cooked Pork Steak ($12). Basso served the steak so tender that no knife was needed; it literally could be eaten with chopsticks. The flavor of the pork atop ginger-braised Napa cabbage and basted with a honey and stone-ground mustard sauce was fusion heaven. A friend at the table described the pork as “auditioning to become a signature dish.” It shows off the culinary range of Basso whose training is French and Japanese.

Just as worthwhile is the lunch menu, which offers a number of individual entrées, or for little more than the cost of a burger and fries, a $7 “Bento box” with rice, soup, salad, tempura and two entrée items such as Chicken Teriyaki and Tonkatsu Pork.

With prices this reasonable, I suggest you also order an appetizer. I gravitate to three options. The Yakitori skewers of chicken and green onion ($4) are served salted and grilled (shioyaki-style). Equally satisfying are the lightly floured and deep-fried Agedashi Dofu ($4.25) – tofu squares in a bowl of sweet broth – and the Edamame ($4), which are bright green steamed soybeans salted and just begging for you to pop them out of their pods into your mouth. Basso and Tanaka also featured Grilled Yellowtail Cheek ($10) as a special appetizer several weeks ago, and the unanimous verdict at our table was “wonderful.”

Actually that grilled yellowtail was the first taste in a meal that unfolded as a sensory experience: a progression of hot and cold, salty and sweet, sharp and smooth. The final perfect note to the night came in the form of Mochi ice cream balls ($5 for four). With Mochi, your ice cream comes wrapped in a chewy sweet rice pastry, and you can mix and match flavors such as vanilla, mango, espresso, strawberry or guava (my favorite).

Some rumors are just that. Takara turned out to be much more. Fine sushi plus a wealth of cooked dishes that open up a rich and creative culture spanning the arc from the familiar to unexpected. I’ve now studied the menu closely enough to have my next excuse for a visit ready; it is the second entrée on the dinner menu: Tonkatsu Pork.