Eating up a storm at Tsunami in Sarasota, FL

My first Savor Sarasota 2019 meal was a success. My goal in the coming weeks is to feature healthier options at restaurants in the Sarasota and Manatee area and I’ll be sharing those with you.

This was my first time at  Tsunami Sushi and Hibachi Grill, located in downtown Sarasota at 100 Central Avenue. I’ve walked past the door many times and just hadn’t given it a try. Wow…I am so glad that we chose to dine here on Wednesday night.

Summer dining in Sarasota is a much more relaxed experience compared to the winter months. You can pretty much (almost) always walk into a restaurant without a reservation and get seated without a wait. We arrived around 6:30 and had our choice of tables, and luckily there was a booth available. The restaurant was fairly busy with many tables occupied and the service was both professional and friendly. Our server was very knowledgeable about the menu and explained the Savor Sarasota special as well as the regular menu items.

I was so excited to try the multitude of vegan options available. When you think of a sushi and hibachi restaurant, you may think that you’d have to have fish. Not the case at Tsunami. They have dedicated an entire page to vegan offerings. More importantly, the Savor Sarasota menu had multiple vegan choices for each of the courses. I actually had decisions to make (which rarely happens at a non-vegan place).

For my first course, I chose the Vegetable Tempura. I was presented with a heaping plate of asparagus, sweet potato, taro root, broccoli and onion. This was all battered and lightly fried and served with a ponzu sauce. Yes, tempura is on the decadent scale of healthy––but definitely worth the splurge.

I ordered the Ruby Tower for my second course. Again, there was some tempura component, which added a delicious sweetness and crunch to this dish. The tower was a base of sushi rice which was then topped with avocado, purple sweet potato and finished with a drizzle of sweet brown sauce.

When it came time for my third course, the Power Roll, I didn’t think I had room for any more food. The portions are quite generous and could have easily been shared. I had one piece of the power roll and took the remainder home for the next day. The power roll was an avocado, cucumber, asparagus, carrot and wakame roll which was then battered in tempura. So delicious and one of the most original rolls I had ever had in a sushi restaurant.

For the non vegan, the menu is endless. Our server told us that fish is flown in daily. The vegetables they use are organic and you can tell from the variety served that these are quality dishes prepared well.

Give Tsunami a try whether you’re craving sushi or fantastic noodles or just a lot of vegetables. You will find something you love––I know I’ll be back.

Photos from Tsunami Sushi & Hibachi FB and Heidi Schild .