Tengu
Categories: Sushi Bars, Asian Fusion [Edit]
Neighborhood: Westwood10853 Lindbrook Dr
Los Angeles, CA 90024 (310) 209-0071
- Price Range: $$$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Valet
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Dinner
- Alcohol: Full Bar
23 reviews
Neighborhood: Encino
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44 Reviews for Tengu
Ok, it seems like I've been giving away stars lately but seriously, I haven't been to a dump yet! Tengu satisfied my latest sushi craving for lunch and I was glad to be brought here by my co-workers. Tengu has great lunch specials and they offer your usual roll (my favorite is the eel and avocado) options with a couple of original rolls. The iced and hot teas are delicious as do their dessert. And most importantly, service is indeed excellent!
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Excellent service. Must try the Prime New York Strip, and the Ginger-Crusted Chicken!! Sashimi's pretty fresh too.... Price is not too crazy considering it's located at Westwood.
http://www.tengu.com/m...
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the service here is spectacular.
on to the food:
everything we ordered tasted delicious. nothing to complain about.
what i CAN complain about, is the price.
Seriously, I understand it's a small plates type of place but Japanese food already tends to lean towards smaller portions. Do you have to make it smaller just to call it "tapas style"? it almost seems like a cop out stategy.
For forty something dollars (no alcohol) between two people, we got three dishes and yet... we left hungry (see my in-n-out burger pics in my in-n-out review), and hoping to eat something again soon. we didn't want to order any more food there since it seemed like it wouldn't take that long to spend a fortune.
After this dinner, I decided I'm going to forego Japanese fusion type places for a while. hey, the economy sucks right now. i'm going to go where my money give me a week's worth of leftovers.
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I'm an umeshu drinker but I enjoyed the elegant and unique sake flights. Even though I prefer it unfiltered, I'd order the pineapple-infused sake again by itself. Dewasanan smelled like peach or pear more than apple. Otokoyama was watery. The best one out of the former sake flight was Tama de Izumi.
Love this place. Dark...great drinks...good food. Dunno about what kind of happy hour they have, but last I remember they make some pretty stiff drinks if you ask for it
Went here for lunch on a weekday because my friend was craving uni (yuck). We ordered the spicy tuna roll, uni sushi, and a beet and goat cheese salad, which came out to $34 (including tip). The food was really good, service was great, but the price was a lil' high for me(for lunch especially!)
Pros:
- Tasty!
- Great service. My water cup was never empty...(but there was only one other table, so maybe that's why)
- My friend said the hostess looked like a model. I guess having pretty people to look at while eating could always be a plus.
Cons:
- $34 for lunch!? DANG... =)
* I wouldn't hesitate going back if I'm in the mood to splurge a lil'...
I stayed at the W Hotel just up the street for work recently. One of our crew suggested we try Tengu and all of us had a wonderful time!
Of course, we all started out with one of their signature cocktails. I drank the pineapple-infused sake was quite delicious and really warmed up my appetite! We ordered a number of special dishes and rolls which all went over with a hit. Of the rolls, the Subarashi was our favorite by far (we ordered two,) but I also enjoyed the Mizore and Naminori as well (you can download the PDF menu at tengu.com.)
We also tried the wild mushrooms and tofu, which was quite tasty - if you like Japanese-style tofu as I do. We also split the filet-wrapped asparagus and the asian tartare, which were all very fresh and good quality. Again, these dishes are a bit on the small side, but we were really ordering items to taste rather than individual meals, and they were perfect for that.
The one special item not on their regular menu was small deep-fried crabs, which looked so cute and were deliciously crunchy and tangy. No one else really ate them, but I just had to give it a shot.
Many of us ordered a couple of sushi pieces here and there, but nothing extreme; add a bottle of sake and some beer, and it was really a lot of fun!
Honestly, when there are so many special items on their set menu as well as specials list, I would suggest trying them out. Why bother eating just plain sushi when you can probably eat that just about anywhere.
You have got to be kidding me? You call this stuff sushi? WTF? I feel sorry for the people in L.A. more specifically Westwood that are duped into believing that they're eating "great sushi."
C'mon, this stuff was bad. I ordered Unagi and some sashimi from the menu. The sushi was bland, wasn't fresh and was poorly made. It literally fell apart within seconds of grabbing it with my chopsticks.
I give the seating a 2.5, bad logistics from where we were sitting. We were perched above the restaurant in the "don't be seen" section. I'm 6'1, I couldn't even put my legs under the table without bumping into my coworker across from me. We were so cramped in our little seating area and there were only 4 of us. To add to that, our tables were so close to the others that I overheard a girl telling her boyfriend all the gory details of their friend's breakup. No bueno!
The service was spotty, in fact our waiter messed up our drink order and forgot one drink. The drinks were weak, no surprise there! The waiter seemed more intent on getting us in and out with as much aggravation as possible. Damn, the restaurant's in L.A. really need to take a cue from the ones from my hometown of S.F. or N.Y.C.
Oh before I forget, the calamari was pitiful to look at. The portion was so small I could have eaten the whole thing myself. In fact I commented to my co-workers that the calamari were probably malnourished and underfed from some 3rd world country.
C'mon Tengu, you can do better than that? Or can you?
The restaurant's only highlights were the Kobe beef which by the way was about a 3.5/4 on a scale of 1 to 5. It tasted more like a filet mignon than Kobe beef.
The other highlight of the night was the dessert, a chocolate mousse cake with ice cream that I savored and enjoyed thoroughly.
Oh Tengu, I can't believe the other patrons rated you so highly. Come up to San Francisco and try Sebu or Sushi Groove South, if you want real sushi and great, friendly service.
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One question...why the DJ?
This place tries to be 'cool' but nothing is 'cool' about having to scream at your waiter to order. Just loud.
Food was average. There's better sushi in a strip mall down the street. Definitely not impressed. And our waiter had an outstanding ability to always suggest the most expensive item on the list. What's with waiters actually not being able to recommend a dish? Just lookin' for some expertise here!
On a positive note -- the Japanese Sangria was delightful.
A safe choice for sushi in Westwood.
Nice ambiance, great staff, delicous food but overpriced & small portions. Even with the $15 cozmocard it was pricey.
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One of my favs, walking distance, not so crowded at 5:30 p.m. We always get the good seat. Since we come here often, they pretty much know what we like. Expensive for a fusion but hey you can't go wrong with a zagat-rated sushi place. If you want to eat good sushi plus hot dishes and a bar type vibe then this is the one. I love the mizore, yakihama, seared albacore sashimi, the appetizer mushroom and tofu sooo good.
Holy moly, very expensive... It was really yummy though... and within walking distance of the W hotel where I was staying. I was told it is "Typical LA."
Like this review, Tengu was okay, nothing too special, nothing too exciting. You can choose to read this review like you can choose to go eat at Tengu, both are equally not interesting (don't say I didn't warn you). Either way you aren't missing out on much.
My friend and I went to Tengu for the Dine Out meal sponsored by S. Pellegrino. $25 for lunch, $35 for dinner. We went for dinner and ordered the following:
-Kurama-Yama (spicy tuna, shrimp tempura, vegetables, soy-paper hand roll), this was okay...nothing too crazy
-Asian Tartare- okay. nothing special about this dish
-Jalapeno-Miso Chilean Sea Bass- good, but its hard to mess up this dish
-Combination Sushi Plate- okay, I enjoyed the california rolls
-Banana Tempura- the ginger ice cream was gross!
So, overall nothing special. Nothing exciting. I felt like Tengu was trying to hard to be that hip fusion restaurant, but wasn't quite able to reach their goal. The goal and concept is there, but not executed very well. If you are looking for Japanese there are SO MANY other places on the Westside that taste waaaaay better. If you are looking for a trendy Hollywood place, go to Hollywood. Otherwise, I guess if you want okay, not very exciting food, in a not very exciting place that is trying to hard, have at it!
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Great location for good food and attentive service.
It offers a bit more than the typical LA Sushi place.
Great place for business lunches.
I liked the apps, I liked the food. We celebrated my partner in crime's birthday here and it was a good time, I must admit. They play house music and have a happy hour 1/2 off sushi and sake on Sundays. It's a nice chill and quiet place for a group or a good date place. I am especially a fan of their cocktail "bowls" (oh so romantic). Best roll in the house: the crunchy tuna roll - although the name escapes me at the moment.
I picked up from here on a Sunday night (yes, I know, not the best night for sushi) but was pleasantly surprised. I was with a group of big sushi eaters, so we ordered a good sampling of the almost entire menu (at least it felt like it). The order was ready when promised, and they didn't miss anything, which was great. The food was definitely good - we had several different types of rolls, sashimi, appetizers and a couple entrees. The miso chilean sea bass was delicious, and the specialty rolls stood out much more than the regular spicy tuna/spicy scallop/yellowtail/etc rolls that are standard on every sushi menu. Though it was a bit pricey for what we got, which is why I deduct one star. Given the Westwood location, I doubt they will ever lower their prices. A good choice if you're in the area!
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Tengu is one of my favorite sushi restaurants in Los Angeles. Beware -- it's pricey and it is VERY easy to run up a tab of $100/person, especially if you're with a group of sushi lovers. So if you're on a budget, get your buddy to take you there for your birthday :)
I love love LOVE sushi. And I can tell when sushi is not fresh, because it gives me painful indigestion within minutes. The sushi here is fresh and delicious. They have the most mouth-watering toro I have tasted, and I loves me some toro. Seriously, get the sashimi cut (market price -- you will probably pay about 40 bucks for five slices of fish. Like I said, I LOVE the stuff) and just let the orgasmic goodness of the fatty tuna belly carry your mind to the fair beaches of Osaka.
The best part is, you can even bring your sushi-coward friends here too, as they have mouth-watering cooked foods, including a delicious filet with wasabi mashed potatoes. Once when I was there with my friend and her husband, he ordered this and it was incredible.
The lychee and pineapple sake are MUSTS to at least try out once. They come in martini glasses, but they're not overpoweringly sweet like most sweet martinis -- they're this perfect blend of the sweet, tangy fruit and the more somber, grainy flavor of the sake. One of the most delicious drinks I've gotten in the city.
Favorite dessert here is probably the fried banana. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. My sister and I once split an order of this, and even though we were already stuffed from dinner we finished the whole thing and scraped up every little bit with our spoons. The tempura ice cream is also tasty though not quite as original, and one time when I sat at the sushi bar the chef sliced up a fresh orange and served it with ice cream. Simple, but delicious, and so nice! The mochi ice cream is nothing special, you can get it at Trader Joe's, but I think they do have a few more flavors than I've seen in the store.
Hmmmm... I think I better stop, because I'm making myself hungry.
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We have mixed emotions about this place. The decor gave that typical "Hollywood" (fresh, cool, modern... but pretentious) vibe, the food was mediocre, and there was a point in the meal where we thought that forgot about us entirely. ...However, unlike the typical "Hollywood" clubs, they totally made up for it by giving everyone on the table a complimentary glass of wine and dessert.
This may be the nicest restaurant in Westwood - and It feels a little hidden since its on the outskirts of the village. Their happy hour runs from 5:30 - 7:30 and features discounted appetizers which are quite a deal. Everything was delicious and the bartender was super friendly. Sadly no drink specials, but I HIGHLY recommend the Japanese Sangria.
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Just.... okay. Good, but not great. Expect to pay $4 per (small) bowl of miso soup if you are not ordering it with a meal that includes it.
The chilean sea bass was good, along with the unagi/shrimp tempura roll. Didn't care for the the coconut shimp appetizer though.
Good service, and the warm towels they give you before you eat are a nice touch. Overall, would go here again only if someone other than I were paying.
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I'm going to go ahead and give this place 4 stars for the following reasons: I would give it a 5 for the food, a 4 for service, and a 3 because of the prices, so I figured I would go ahead and give it an average of 4. The pineapple insfused sake is awesome and worth the price, the sushi is fresh, the rolls are excellent as are the numerous appetizers and entrees. The service is extremely good and always very helpful when trying to decide on certain things on the HUGE menu that they offer (I loved the Chilean sea bass dynamite). Later on in the evenings they have a DJ spinning a decent blend of modern house music as well. The only warning I have is the place can be VERY pricey, two people can easily rack up a $175+ bill here. However, if you're not afraid to spend a little extra and are looking for a large menu in a very good setting, this is the place.
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Tasty, but too damn expensive. It's cool and all, with its dark woods and dim lighting and DJ booth. And the food is pretty good - the roll with the spicy jalapeno is particularly notable, and our Uni was very fresh. But it's just not refined in the way that Katsuya or Sasabune are. Some of the more creative sushi/sashimi dishes were too "saucey", and their version of Agedashi Tofu is from the KFC school or deep-frying.
Overall, good but not great.
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I think this place is close to stellar. I've found it to be consistent and dark (I like dark places) and come on, where can you beat that Asian Tartar or Chilean Sea Bass?
Great bar, they know how to make a martini and prove to have a variety of spirits (I can't believe I wrote spirits - I'm like someone's Grampa) and the staff is always friendly.
In a word - Yum
My favorite restaurant ever (so far hehehe) fantastic sushi and sashimi...great steak and chicken...amazing drinks (pineapple sake is my favorite) and the mashed potatoes (yes...I LOVE MASHED POTATOES) are awesome! LOL!!!
I likeD this place for the ambiance and different flavors of sake. What I didn't like was when we were leaving, the manager stopped the valet from getting our car and accused us of stealing food. I guess a party next to us didn't take care of their bill and naturally, since our nationality's look alike, we must've been part of their party and therefore, we were the ones stealing food :-/ Way to ruin a good night, Ms. Manager. Anyways, the food was great. It was only my second time there and if you were me, after that fiasco, would you go back? There's plenty of sushi places in LA to go to, so you probably won't ever see me there again. "There's principalities involved."
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This is a beautiful restaurant, with a gorgeous bar. Lots of different Sake drinks available, with talented mixologists to make you a swell sake cocktail.
Sundays are Sake Sundays - half of sake drinks. Definitely try the Pink Lily - Nigori Style Sake with Pomegranate Juice. Yummy!
The limited food on their bar menu was quite delicious! I can't wait to go back for dinner!
Hamachi carpaccio - those are the only two words you need to know about this place. sliced yellowtail served with soy sauce, truffle essence, arugula, seaweed, and did i taste some yuzu? in any case, it was like an orgasm on my tongue. but i could've handled some more... :D
-1 star b/c parking totally sucks and you HAVE to get valet unless you're super lucky. and also because of the prices - my tongue orgasm cost $21 for 6pc of fish. but it was totally worth it :d
Still digesting my Tengu dinner.
It's 8pm, Saturday night in Los Angeles and I couldn't wait to get back to my friend's place to log on and Yelp about our Tengu experience. That's not to say there isn't more exciting stuff to be doing in the entertainment playground of the world on a Saturday night, in fact the limo will be here momentarily and I have yet to shower and dress for our night out on the town.
Tengu is lovely to look at, delightful to hold. A mid size sushi bar in the heart of the Westwood Village. Save your ducats and go down the block for twice the action at half the price. This has to be THEE most expensive sushi bar I have ever eaten at in the free world. The rolls average $15-$19 and the sushi is two pieces for about $10.00. Minuscule portions- very chintzy.
Great service from UCLA (not yet jaded) fresh faced co-eds, yummy cocktails, fabulous coconut shrimp.
Now for the bottom line since my pumpkin carriage awaits.... for dinner, this restaurant is a fifty dollar hooker in Prada pumps. Beware the sirens that steer you into the rocks dear sailors.
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This is possible the best sushi restaurant I've been to. EVER.
And I'm picky when it comes to my raw fish.
I went down to LA to visit old friends and we decided to try out Tengu so that we could visit our ole college hood and yet be fancy and sophisticated. First off, its a good thing this place wasn't around when I was collegiating my way around Westwood. All my textbook money would have gone to supporting the establishment.
It was one of those meals, hose unforgettable meals, where every course was unique, refreshing, different, and most of all, absolutely delicious. The prices are worth it. The cocktails (12 freakin bucks!) are SO good and completely compliment the food.
We started out with a fresh Yellowtail Carpaccio, with a white truffle sauce. AMAZING and so unique. We then had the Warm Spinach Salad with mushrooms and these thin crispy potatoe threads (I say threads, and not strings, because they literally were like threads). Next we had this gorgeous Sushi roll with salmon, crab, jalapeno, fried onions sprinkled on top, in a ginger sauce with carrots too. Can't even decribe the lovely explosive goodness. It was a Sushigasm. And last but not least we had the beef dish pictured on this page. It had a Chili Rub (so subtle) with a Pomegranite glaze and it was oh so tender and perfect. Cocktails? Mine had mint, cucumber, and vodka and my friend's had berry, vodka and jalapeno (Sounds gross but it was SO good. Like a berry fizzy drink with a bite to it on the aftertaste)
Basically, the meal was better than sex.
So I was reading the menu and Tengu is the Japanese god of mischief. Apparently, Tengu likes to tease you and play with your sense of reality. The food did just that. You expect something and then there's a little something different and unique and leaves you wanting more.
After a day of baking (more like burning) in the sun at the W Hotel pool, we needed a food fix and didn't want to get dressed up. The concierge recommended Tengu and said we could go as casual as we wanted. Sold. Now, i wouldn't recommend wandering in with your sweats on, but we did just that. Everyone was on date night or girls night out, dressed up in their Saturday best. That didn't bother us as we were seated in the back of the restaurant a couple tables from the sushi bar.
Everything was delicious. Our favorite (not counting the infused Sake!) was the Yellowtail Carpaccio special... melt in your mouth fish soaked with lime, what was that ginger, and something else? Who cares what it was other than amazing. We had to order a second plate of that one. The others were the Diablo roll with jalapeno on top and a habanero twist in the filling, the standard Spicy Tuna, and some kind of tuna on a crispy rice cake thing. It's all a blur because of the food and sake buzz permeating the entire meal.
Yes, prices are up there, but really what sushi place isn't? Dinner which included 5-6 plates plus 2 carafes of sake was $75/person (top included) for the three of us.
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The service was great, the rolls are unusual and delicious, it's great for groups, the whole atmosphere is very modern and sexy, and for a ton of sushi, desserts, and a few vats of sake, it was $60 a person. Not quite cheap, but I never feel cheated. Love it.
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DELICIOUS!
I love this place! The food is amazing and fresh but the best is their pineapple infused sake! I don't even like sake! But I truly loved this one. $32 for a carafe, but sooo worth it. Everything is so fresh and definitely above average. I LOVE the filet wrapped asparagus!
It is kinda pricey though - My first experience had the bill at $175 for 2 people. My second experience had the bill at $350... but it's always worth it!!!
Oh yeah, there's a dj in the house! Plays ambient, lounge, house music.
Some friends and I tried the new Tengu in Santa Monica and it was like night and day... I won't go back to that one unless I want to look at the hot bartender.
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I love Tengu. Their oyster shooters are fabulous / their Omakase always is worth the $100 / the vibe of the place is cute. The one thing I think that is absolutely AWFUL about Tengu is the service.
Service is disgustingly slow. The Tengu gods seem to remember me and always give me the slow dark-hair with glasses waiter. He is SO SLOW! As in 15 minutes for water, slow. My friend's salmon sushi came after her dessert. HOW RUDE, right?
Anyway, if you can withstand poor service - the food is worth it. Like mentioned in some of the other reviews, it's quite pricey so make sure to either go on the 15th or the 30th.
Enjoy....
This is by far the most fascinating sushi experience ever. Make sure you ask to be seated with Masa, the best sushi chef in Los Angeles.
Everything he prepared for us was eye captivating, mouth watering and heart smiling food.
When you order your sake, ask for extra cups and share it with the sushi chefs, you'll see ...
When it comes to raw fish, this is my SPOT! Pricey but WORTH IT!!
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UPDATE 8/31/07 - They're pretentious here. I was asked to write a review about them for a website and they weren't very cooperative saying they weren't sure they were going to be shed in "the right light". *rolls eyes*. I shall not be going back. Their pinneaple sake is good but their regular food (aside from their Valentine's Day prixe fixe menu that one time) is nothing to rave about.
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All I have to say is...wherever there's pineapple sake...I AM THERE!!
Haven't tried to sushi but I did one of those prix fixe menus on a special occasion. I kept my menu scroll from that night and here's what I had...
Tengu's signature house-infused chilled pinneaple sake
1st course -Chef's special salad: Watercress and arugula sald with baby golden beets, chevre goat cheese, shaved carrot and miso dressing
2nd course - Chef's special appetizer: minuet of foie gras and asparagus, wrapped in filet mignon with sweet soy mirin glaze and white truffle oil
Intermezzo: duet of champagne and passion fruit sorbets, with fresh granadilla
3rd course - Chef's special entree: Pan roasted medallions of veal tenderloin over whipped kobacha squash, lemon wilted spinach, and shamiji mushroom pan sauce.
4th course - Chef's special temptations: Giant stem strawberries with amore white and dark chocolate drizzle, mascarpone cream and dark chocolate pirouette.
Everything was fantastic! Haven't tried the sushi but I'm sure it's good. The ambience inside is reaally dark..asian inspired of course. We sat on the patio that night so it was much quieter. I definitely have to go back on another special occasion.
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I thought the sushi here was excellent. We had the subarashi roll, the red dragon, and the curry tataki. Our favorite was the red dragon roll. It was perfect. The fish was really fresh, and the presentation was gorgeous. The only downside is the price. This is the most I've ever paid for sushi, with the average price being around $20 a specialty roll. Since we got three, that was a $75 meal. I'm used to being full for $75, but I still give the place four stars, because the food is mighty tasty!
Steve said it's noisy and not a great date place, but we went on a Saturday night, and it was quite and quite romantic. We had lots of conversation, weren't rushed.
The only thing is...from what I understand, they have specials at the bar between 5:30 and 7:30, but we didn't know that. I would have liked to have tried that out. Bootleg....
GREAT place. Be sure to come in during happy hour when most everything is discounted (so you can actually afford it). The food is expensive but the presentation is excellent and its a great place to take a date when you dont have a car at school and REALLY want to impress them. Goregeous interior. Top notch.
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You want sushi? Go some place else. It's way too over priced. It's not a good place where you can have a nice dinner and have a pleasant conversation with your date because it's really noisy.
On the flip side, they do have pretty good mixed drinks and tasty appetizers. It would be a fun place to nibble and sip with your friends, but not a great date place.
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the sushi/sashimi is fresh, the other hot dish entrees (the chilean sea bass is VERY good) and appetizers are innovative ( i like the crispy imokoro
tempura-style spicy tuna, whipped potato, katsu salsa + crispy calamari w/ crispy zucchini, shallots, habanero lime yogurt), the drinks served up from the bar are good and strong, and they even have a pretty decent weekday happy hour with discounted appetizers at the bar -- although the drinks run in the $9-14 range. but don't go there looking for a value.. make no mistake.. it's a $$$$ kinda place.
side note: i like that Tengu is a nice upscale place yet they still have mini tvs at the bar, where you can catch a game while having appetizers and drinks.
three memorable things:
1. their beautiful blown glass sake decanters
2. salmon tartare:
pickled ginger, cucumber discs, wasabi creme fraiche, salmon caviar
3.seared togarashi beef:
marinated enoki, micro arugula, white truffle oil drizzle
and that's all folks...
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