Tsuru Sushi (San Leandro)

1427 E. 14th Street
San Leandro
http://tsurusushi.com/index.html

Quick: Much better for local sushi in comparison to Sushi Musashi. I might only go back to Musashi for korokke after going here. Tsuru also seemed to be more busy than Musashi, which I'm taking as a good sign.

Good: Everything really. Food was good and people are nice. Price is right.

Bad: I had to search for a gripe. I don't like the annoying bell on the right door and it took a while for them to refill our tea. Not deal breakers at all. Oh, they don't elaborate too much on what's in the rolls, but all you have to do is ask.

Extended: Okay, so in search of an answer for dinner during this heat spell, Nancy and I went on an unintentional quest for sushi. Our favorite (Sushiya) was closed (SOB!), as was our standby (Ichiro). We ended up back in San Leandro (stupid big loop) and Nancy suggested Tsuru. This was her first sushi place, but somehow I never made it here before.

As part of our new mission to finding good chicken wings locally, we had to have theirs. The presentation was very nice - I like how they get fancy with the lemon garnish. The wings were rather hot and very tasty - hint of lemon served with a "special sauce." I think the sauce was just soy sauce with a little lemon in it, but I couldn't really tell. There are only 4 wings, though, since this is an appetizer. Good for when you don't want to overdo it, but bad for when you really want some chicken wings. I could eat a bucket of these, but that would get a little pricey.

The salad and miso soup were also good. They use my favorite kind of dressing (that mayo ginger stuff) and it's thick so that counteracts any watery bits. The miso soup was simple and not too salty. It was served at the perfect temperature for immediate consumption.

Now for the main course. We both got combination dinners, which make it easy to play it safe and get a variety of things as well. I got tekka maki, California rolls, and shiu mai. Nancy also ordered tekka maki, but she got nigiri (3 pieces) and gyoza. Then we shared negihama rolls (hamachi with green onion).

The rolls were good and firm, which makes them easy to eat. I really don't like it when you pick up a roll and it starts to fall apart - something about sushi craftsmanship or something. The California rolls were dry, but a good dry. Some places mix the crab with mayo, which isn't bad but sometimes it's too much. The tekka was fresh. There was a touch too much hamachi in the negihama rolls, but totally forgivable. The balance of flavors was still good, which is very important with the delicate hamachi and strong onion flavor. Nancy said her nigiri was good - it was sliced thin and she could definitely taste the wasabi underneath. The shiu mai was fried, which is different since they're usually steamed, but they were still good. I think there was some water chestnut in the mix because there was a little crunch, which was nice. The gyoza were good, but there wasn't anything extra special or distinctive about them. They are very similar to Sushiya's.

The combination dinner is a good portion of food as long as you don't order too many fried items. A good balance is 2 sushi-like items with 1 fried item. I think you get rice if you don't order sushi items, which might make it feel like too much food. Tsuru also serves donburi and udon, as well as your safe standards (tempura and teriyaki). Really, it's hard to go out on on a limb at this sushi place, since the sushi menu is a little limited, but it's nice that the menu is a little more focused. It makes it easier to make a decision.

Overall, I really enjoyed my Tsuru experience. I think this place will be my new local standby, rather than my usual settling for Musashi. I would still take Sushiya over Tsuru, but Tsuru comes in a close second.