Finally there’s a spot where sushi lovers can dine in harmony with their sushi-loathing friends.
Teppo, a yakitori and sushi bar on Lower Greenville offers two menus. One features yakitori, which are grilled, skewered meats, seafood and vegetables. The other menu boasts 38 varieties of sushi, sashimi and “rolls” (including some filled with vegetables and cooked items).
Of course, you can order from both menus, which most people do. Even my dining companion, who professed an aversion to sushi, couldn’t resist venturing into the sushi menu.
It’s hard to say which is the greater drawing card at Teppo – the excellent food, or the sleek ambiance, where timeless Japanese touches meld with hip accents. The restaurant is small, but beautiful. A stone-paved entry greets guests: an apricot-colored wall takes on a warm glow at night, and a traditional-looking tatami table (the only big table in the restaurant) nestles in the corner window. There’s even a patio for outside dining.
The restaurant draws its vibrance from the long sushi/yakitori bar. Patrons dress in shorts, designer suits, chic sheaths and everything in between. Although the bar has a youthful feel (pulsing, modern music plays at night), I’ve spotted middle aged businessmen and a senior citizen on separate visits. Good food draws all kinds of folks.
We began our meal with yakitori. All yakitori are grilled over oak-flavored Sumi coals and are served with Japanese mustard and red hot pepper sauce. They come two skewers per order for $3.50, perfect for sharing.
The chicken and Japanese green onion yakitori were a safe opener. The marinated chicken breast chunks were tender and flavorful, even without a dip in the accompanying sauces. Asparagus and bacon yakitori was cooked to perfection, straddling the line between crisp and tender.
Whole shrimp came with shells on. I thought about peeling my shrimp, but decided to eat them Japanese style – crispy heads and all. It was wonderfully crunchy and well-seasoned. The Yakitori chef was proud of me – my friend was shocked.
With that adventure under our belts, we moved on to the sushi menu. All sushi comes two pieces per order. Sashimi (rectangles of sliced fish without a rice base) come five pieces per order, and rolls are cut into six pieces. The smoked salmon sushi won us over with its sweet, smoky flavor (it’s not raw).
Japanese Crawfish Roll ($4.50) held spicy crawfish and caviar bound with a Japanese-style mayonnaise. The Greenville Roll was all vegetables – asparagus, carrots, avocado and small Japanese cucumber – and similar to the California roll. Soft shell crab roll (another cooked item, $5.25) was beautiful and delicious. It held crab, avocado, Japanese cucumbers and came with sweet dipping sauce.
We had only begun to explore the extensive menu when found ourselves too full of food and sake (rice wine) to go on. The rest of Teppo’s treasures will have to wait for repeat visits – lots of them. We didn’t want to leave.
Teppo is located at 2014 Greenville (826-8989). Open for dinner only, Tuesday-Thursday and Sunday, 5:30-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 5:30 p.m.-2 a.m.
