Traverse City Record-Eagle,  DECEMBER 5, 2003
Lunch to brighten the weary shopper's day
Taking nothing away, of course, from the fine shops in Traverse City, more than a few of us find ourselves drawn as well to the charms of Petoskey's downtown Gaslight district for some of our Christmas shopping. And nothing brightens the day more than sharing the season's excitement over a nice lunch. On our next trip there, we're going to have a hard time choosing between two places we've recently discovered.

One of them, called Julienne Tomatoes, is a new downtown soup-salad-sandwich shop, and the other is Tokyo, a Japanese restaurant so authentic that the default table setting is chopsticks.

Tokyo has been open a few years, and we regret being so slow to find our way there. When we finally did, however, we were amply rewarded with an inscrutably delicious lunch. Our delight was all the greater for having found such interesting food in what used to be a storefront Coney Island stand. Part of the charm of Tokyo is the unabashed way it flaunts the retro Coney look of stainless-steel short-order kitchen, lavender walls, and vinyl seats whose electric purple hue is best described as, umm-m . . .  strident.


We found chef-owner Masahiro Ohkawa's fare just as bright as the décor, but just the opposite in all other respects--thoughtful, subtle as a feather, and tantalizing. When we were there, he and his wife, Naoka, were the entire staff. He worked his magic behind the counter, and she served us lunch in our purple booth with a shy and quiet grace that went well with the soft classical music in the air.

Tokyo's specialties are sushi, teriyaki and donburi, the last being a popular sort of fast-food in Japan in which meat fish or vegetables come on a bowl of rice topped with broth. We had one "don" dish from the lunch menu, and one teriyaki, plus a green salad with a savory ginger dressing. Our tempura ten-don consisted of two large shrimp, plus zucchini, green beans, sweet potato and broccoli--all swiftly fried so the veggies remained crisp and flavorful in their golden jackets. The teriyaki was chicken with mushrooms and onions and noodles. The noodles had been tossed in a remarkably flavorful seasoning whose secrets we tried in vain to pry from Ohkawa. (If you can parse the flavors, please tell us.) The teriyaki menu offers chicken, beef, and (in the evening) salmon. Sushi comes with tuna, salmon, shrimp, or eel, and as an avocado-crab "California roll" (yes, you purists, the tuna and salmon are raw). The full-Monty futomaki sushi includes egg, spinach, Japanese squash, shiitakes, fish, and shrimp. Tokyo is open for lunch and dinner, and offers its menu for carryout as well. Dinners range $7 to $14, appetizers $2-5; at lunch, teriyaki runs $8-9, and sushi is generally $4-6.

Julienne Tomatoes' food and ambience is a bit less exotic, but its food is every bit as scratch-built fresh and interesting. The place gets its name from the proprietors, Tom and Julie, who put up a freshly made soup each day, and a heavy-hitting lineup of deli sandwiches backed up by a few classic salads (e.g., Greek, Caesar, and a cobbish concoction of julienne ham, turkey, Swiss with tomatoes, cucumber, onion, and boiled egg).  There is also a wide array of house-made croissants, eclairs and other pastries.

This is a classic deli where you order from a blackboard, then find a table and await your food. The furnishings ooze a certain rough charm and appear to have been acquired at a dozen garage sales. The walls bear exhibits and evidence of the building's long history as feed store, print shop and (most recently) the home of the Grain Train natural food store (now in a new home a few blocks away).
Julienne Tomatoes' sandwich list left us gasping in indecision. Peppered turkey club? Maple-cured ham and Swiss with lettuce, tomato and honey mustard on multi-grain bread? Tuna salad with onion, celery, lettuce, tomato, parsley and mayo on a fresh croissant? A Reuben? BLT? Or maybe roasted turkey and cranberry sauce with cream cheese and romaine on whole wheat? Lord, it was hard! We wound up sharing a Caesar salad and the day's soup-and-half-a-sandwich deal.

It was just the boost we needed to resume our shopping with renewed vigor.

DATA:
Tokyo, 307 Petoskey St., Petoskey; 231-439-3268. Lunch 11:45a.m.-2 p.m.; dinner 5-9 p.m. (Closed Wednesday and Sunday, and for lunch on Saturday.)
Julienne Tomato, 421 Howard St., Petoskey; 231-439-9250 (phone orders), and 231-439-9251 (fax orders). Open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., daily (closed Sunday).