Tsunami for Lunch
- by Macrae Schaffler, Friday, November 30th, 2007
Above, the mahi-mahi fish sandwich special of the day. Below, the seafood saimin. Photos by Macrae Schaffler.
Tsunami is officially open for lunch! You may already be familiar with Tsunami’s superb dinner menu. I dream about the sea bass, the scallops, and the mezze platter.
Midtown’s restaurant scene continues to improve. Definitely the best part of town to look for a good bite to eat, Midtown boasts recent openings of Umai, Lou’s Pizza Pie, and Café 1912’s bar. Unfortunately, the lunch scene was lacking a little before the arrival of Tsunami’s new daytime hours, as most lunch options seem to come with a side of fries.
On our first visit, we sampled the spicy black bean soup with smoked chile cream, the sweet potato lemongrass soup (a special), the fish sandwich of the day, and the seafood saimin. Everything was delicious, and the service was impeccable, just as it is at dinner.
The seafood saimin was perfect for the chilly day on which we first visited Tsunami for lunch. A comforting miso-dashi broth was loaded with noodles, chunks of mahi-mahi, and topped with two perfectly cooked shrimps. Both soups were wonderful, and both very different. The spicy black bean soup was reminiscent of southwestern cuisine, with a smoky cumin flavor and topped with a drizzle of chipotle cream. It had just the right amount of heat in the back of the throat, and it was nice and creamy. The sweet potato lemongrass soup was the special, and it was utterly decadent. The lemongrass flavor was subtle, and it was nicely balanced by the garnish of crème fraiche and toasted sliced almonds. The tone of the sweet potato lemongrass soup was just a little sweet, and just a little savory. I am looking forward to trying to recreate that one at home.