Dine on a Dime: Taneko

Week 1: Taneko | Slideshow

At Taneko, the ambiance sets the scene for a unique dining experience. Upon entrance to the restaurant, we were greeted by two friendly hostesses who were dressed in red and black Japanese style outfits, which match the giant red and black lanterns hanging over the bar area in the middle of the restaurant.

Right away, we were taken in by the Japanese writings on the wall, and felt as though we were a part of something very special. One of the unique aspects of Taneko, is that much of their produce is grown here in Arizona. In addition, the menu changes daily, based on the freshest seasonal products available from local farmers.

The best way to dine at Taneko if you are on a budget is to try and arrive during happy hour. Happy hour is from 3-6:30 Monday through Friday and features a list of sushi and sashimi as well as some appetizers, at half off the regular menu price. Virtually every cocktail, glass of wine, beer or sake are offered at half the regular price during happy hour, so there is plenty to choose from.

We started our meal with some specialty items on the cocktail menu. The Hibiya-Tini ($9 regularly) is a mixture sochu, (not to be confused with sake) fresh lime, and Japanese cucumber. Sochu is a distilled liquor, which makes it stronger than wine or sake, but weaker than whiskey. It has an earthy flavor, which blends well with the cool, mellow cucumber. Where the sochu is the star player in the Hibiya-Tini.

Taneko also features flights of sake on the menu. This is a great way to try out Sake if you are not familiar with it as each flight comes with three different flavors of sake. The specialty drinks are between $8-$9, but if you come during happy hour, you can score a drink for half that price.

As far as the sake and wine go, come any time on Monday, day or night, and all of the sake and wine, even wine by the bottle, is half off all day long. Prices range up to $95 for top-end wines.

Having wet our appetites with unique Japanese libations, we were ready to start on the appetizer menu. The first appetizer we devoured was the Tuna Tartare, (regularly $13), which incidentally is available on the happy hour menu, and is out of this world!

Slightly spicy diced tuna is mixed with crunchy cucumber, creamy avocado and black sesame seeds. The presentation is lovely, and the tempura nori chips offer a unique crunch with the tartare. It was slightly reminiscent of the ever popular spicy tuna roll, without the rice, and with much more flavor. At $13, it is worth sharing or could possibly suffice as an entrée if you loved it as much as we did.

Our next appetizer was the signature Kobe Beef Hot Rock You Sear It appetizer, ($14 regularly).

This starter features a hot rock, heated to a searing temperature of 500 degrees, resting on a bed of salt. The Kobe Beef is thinly sliced, marinated with oil, scallions and garlic, and is brought out to the table raw. The diner then takes the beef, places it on the rock, and cooks it for the desired amount of time on both sides. The beef literally melts in your mouth, and left us begging for more once it was finished.

In an effort to find the best menu items, but also find the best value on the menu, we ordered four different entrées. Two of the entrees that came highly recommended were the Wild Copper River King Salmon ($27), flown in just that morning, and the Lamb Chops ($26), Both were excellent, and although the lamb was a bit on the more pricey side for the budget watcher, there were four large chops included on this dish, so it could easily feed two people.

The salmon was the star of the show, each of us claiming it might be the best we had ever enjoyed! However, this dish is not always available, and it is definitely an item to split if you are watching your pennies.

The Free Range Organic Chicken ($14) also was very impressive. It was tender, juicy, with a crispy crunchy layer of skin, and a slight lemon flavor, and is perfect for budget conscious diners! The salad was tangy, and the shrimp was tender yet crispy on the outside, and not at all overcooked.

If you are in the mood for some traditional Japanese food, but do not want to break the bank, don’t discount Taneko. There are so many menu items to choose from, you can enjoy all of the flavor, and not end up spending a fortune.

Dine on a Dime, our newest Chow & Tell team, are a bit camera shy. The quartet visited Taneko, where Happy Hour saki is a hit. Team members are: Kelly Lake, Chance Lake, Michael Moore and Jill Moore.