Tsunami is one of those restaurants that's been on my to-do list for as long as I've had one. I don't know why it took me so long to get here, but my husband, Tom, and I wandered in on a Monday evening. We were treated to great service and some really delicious food.
We started out with 3 appetizers: jalapeno hush puppies with maple-soy aioli, bacon-wrapped dates with a sweet chili sauce and the Asian nachos - wontons with tuna tataki, cilantro, jalapeno and sriracha.
The hush puppies were crisp without being greasy or heavy. There was a touch of heat that was mellowed by the sweetness of the aioli. The bacon-wrapped dates were a great combo of sweet and salty (and they were probably my favorite part of the whole meal.)
My husband enjoyed the nachos so much that he ordered tuna for his entree as well.
Tom enjoyed the spice crusted tuna with cucumber salad and wasabi vinaigrette for the most part. The portion was quite large; one end was thinner and the other, thicker. The thinner part was a bit overcooked and he felt that the cucumber salad accompaniment needed to be more substantial.
I chose the duck breast medallions with butternut squash puree and flash fried greens off the small plates menu. This menu changes daily, but if the duck is listed when you visit, order it. It was perfectly cooked and paired beautifully with the squash puree.
We finshed off our meal with the ginger doughnuts, which are normally served with coconut sorbet. I can't eat coconut, so we went with vanilla ice cream instead. The doughnuts had the texture of beignets and the ginger flavor was not overpowering at all. This was definitely the most intriguing of the dessert selections, and we were not disappointed in our choice.
Final Impressions: Wow, I wish that I'd visited Tsunami sooner. Except for the slight misstep with parts of Tom's tuna entree, the meal was well-prepared and delicious. Tsunami would be a great choice for a romantic date night or a girl's night out. They're also Project Green Fork certified.
Tsunami
928 South Cooper
Memphis, TN 38104
(901) 274-2556
Average Appetizer Price: $5-$10
Average Small Plates Price: $12-$16
Average Entree Price: $15-$28
Average Dessert Price: $7-$9
Hours of Operation
Monday-Saturday 5:30-10:00p.m.
To clarify, I found the cucumber salad not insubstantial in size, rather it was quite large.
The salad lacked something in complexity of flavor and general execution. The cut of the cucumber left me tackling it with a knife for every bite and the wasabi dressing was tasty, but one note.
Posted by: Thomaslangston | January 19, 2012 at 02:21 PM
Duly Noted :)
Posted by: Tiffany | January 19, 2012 at 02:45 PM