Fort Lauderdale's Tokyo Blue Could Exercise a Little Restraint

Entrées at Tokyo Blue range from $18 (that for the aforementioned curry dishes, which can be upsold to the $30s by adding lobster or duck) to an $86 USDA prime rib eye cut to a cool 34 ounces. The ultra-expensive options don't end there — a few fish dishes such as whole fried yellowtail and Dover sole price out about $35, and you can even splurge on Japanese Kobe beef at $25 for a three-ounce portion prepared any of three ways (seared tataki-style, grilled on skewers, or served on one of those searing-hot toban yaki skillets). The menu seems to contradict itself here too: It lists Kobe beef under the toban yaki section for $42 an order. A quick question to our waiter revealed the latter to be a larger portion — be sure your server gets it right before ordering.

Among the standard curries and pad Thais are a few dishes that really stand out. The toban yaki is in fact excellent, a sizzling-hot platter bubbling with onions and mushrooms plus beef, salmon, or tofu ($14 to $28). But nothing we tried was better than a beautiful fillet of sea bass served with balsamic teriyaki sauce ($27). The sizable fillet was seared to a lovely crisp on one side, remaining moist and tender throughout. Under it was a pool of thick, black sauce made from aged balsamic vinegar, deep and rich as an onyx-lined pool. And instead of being tart or overpowering, the addition of the vinegar was smooth and sweet — it paired wonderfully with the meaty fillet as well as with the leafy bok choy plated smartly on the side.

Candace West

Tokyo Blue's take on pad Thai with jumbo shrimp.

Location Info

Map

Tokyo Blue

4040 Galt Ocean Drive
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33308

Category: Restaurant > Asian

Region: Beaches

Photos

1 user reviews	Write A Review
Save to foursquare

Details

Click here for Tokyo Blue's address and contact information.

Related Content

• Planck Institute Clams Up on Animal Welfare Practices: "Reputation Speaks for Itself"
  January 14, 2013
• Feds Cite Planck Institute Over Animal Welfare. Activists Demand CEO's Head
  January 7, 2013
• Monsanto Protection Act Makes Its Way Through Senate
  March 25, 2013
• The "Ag-Gag" War: Behind the Scenes of the Death Match Between Big Ag and Undercover Animal-Rights Activists
  May 23, 2013
• The Undercover Animal Cruelty Videos that Spurred Big Ag's Censorship Crusade
  May 23, 2013

More About

• Dover
• U.S. Department of Agriculture
• Sushi
• Seafood

If only Tokyo Blue had the courage to sharpen its focus toward well-executed plates like that sea bass, it would have a future in Fort Lauderdale. Of course, it would also have to clear up a few other issues: For one, the incessant Euro-dance music blaring over the loudspeakers during dinner hours grows pretty wearisome after a half hour or so. In the end, it's not that Tokyo Blue is a bad restaurant. With a little ma, it could be so much more.