Tomo: Japanese Steakhouse

7141 N. Keystone Ave.
Indianapolis, IN 46240-3375
317-254-8665
Tomo Japanese Steakhouse & Sushi Bar

I knew you all were getting excited since a week had gone by without a post. Better luck next time! I just got my phone back yesterday, so expect me to tweet more pictures. I had a loaner phone from Best Buy while mine was being repaired, and it was the worst. I don't think I could ever go back to a Blackberry, especially the flip phone that I had to use for 4 days. Am I overreacting? Probably. But those of you who saw what I was working with can feel my pain. I want to also apologize for the lack of pictures. I got antsy and dove in before I took any pictures. All I have is a picture of the soup. I know I'll be back, so I will add more at a later date.

I have been to Tomo twice in the past month. I feel like Butler Basketball guard, Ronald Nored, who is all about this restaurant. There was a streak over the summer where he went multiple times in the same week. So it was not so surprising when I saw #5 and a few other Bulldogs dining there. The Teppanyaki part of the restaurant has 4 total grills, two on each side of the room. I would say that the room holds about 30 patrons, with about 10 other tables in the main part of the restaurant. The interior was a lot nicer than I thought it was going to be, as it is located at the end of a strip mall which houses a tanning salon and a smoke shop. The service both times was terrific. As soon as you sit down, you are offered a warm towel. The first time I was offered a warm towel was when I went on Spring Break with MWF's family. We flew first class from Indy to Cleveland and I was sitting by myself. I had to take MWF's lead on what to do with the towel. The food came out quickly and we did not have to wait very long for the Teppanyaki chef to come and prepare the food. For those of you familiar with the wire, it was like the time Bunny Colvin took the hooligans to Ruth's Chris. As you know the cooking at a Japanese steakhouse, is essentially a show. Almost all the classic Teppanyaki tricks were done for us: the sake fire, the onion volcano, and the egg roll into the egg toss into the hat. The only thing missing was our chef did not toss the shrimp tails into our mouths. Instead, he threw clumps of rice. All in all, both experiences were fun and entertaining.

I was overly impressed by the food. I ordered the combo of steak and shrimp both times. The meal comes with a salad, soup, grilled veggies, two shrimp, and fried rice. The salad has carrots, tomatoes, iceberg lettuce, and a ginger based dressing. The soup is a clear based soup with thinly sliced shitake mushrooms. The grilled veggies are mushrooms, zucchini, carrots, and onions. The fried rice was my favorite part of the meal. I don't know why it tastes so good, but it does. It is the best fried rice I have ever had. My best guess as to why it is so delicious, is it contains the perfect mix of "yummy yummy sauce" and "Japanese Coca-Cola". If you have ever been to a Japanese steakhouse, you know what I am talking about. The dipping sauces at the table are the "yummy yummy sauce" and some other ginger based sauce. To cap off the meal, they leave a sliced orange for you. It is a nice refreshing end to a very solid dinner. I want to try the sushi sometime, but after having the Teppanyaki I find it hard to stray away from the grill.

"Women EAt while they are talking, men talk while they are EAting." -Malcolm de Chazal