Tsunami Sushi and Hibachi Grill opens new Japanese restaurant in Manatee County
Guests have been beating a path to Tsunami Sushi & Hibachi Grill, rewarding the perseverance of owners Jeffrey Karasawa and Samuel Ray and general manager Jason Klamson.
The new restaurant opened Jan. 20 at 11627 State Road 70 E., Lakewood Ranch, in The Green shopping center — about a year behind schedule.
Many times guests ask, “What took you so long?”
The answer: a little bit of everything, including the pandemic, the disruption caused by Hurricane Ian and the insistence by the owners on doing the opening right.
“We don’t want the experience to start at the table. We want it to start when they walk through the door. We want our guests to start with a smile on their faces when they sit down,” Klamson said.
Tsunami Sushi & Hibachi Grill is a staple in downtown Sarasota at 100 Central Ave., suite 1022.
New Japanese restaurant in Lakewood Ranch
The new Lakewood Ranch restaurant offers about twice as much seating as the original: about 150, counting the seats in the main dining room, the upstairs mezzanine, along the sushi bar and outdoors.
Karasawa and Ray wanted to open a restaurant in Lakewood Ranch because so many of their customers came from Manatee County.
What the owners have created is a beautiful, unique interior, much of it handmade by Samuel Ray. But more about that later.
Any discussion of Tsunami Sushi & Hibachi Grill needs to start with the food.
“Well, obviously we possess a terrific reputation for authentic Japanese sushi (dozens of varieties), but that’s far from the only selection available,” the company web page says.
Also offered are premium hibachi grill items such as shrimp, lobster, filet mignon, scallop and chicken, prepared in the kitchen — not table side.
Tsunami also touts its drink menu, which includes sake, 11 Japanese beers, cocktails, and red/white wines.
A wide-ranging menu
Tsunami’s menu is extensive. We counted 19 appetizers, ranging from edamame to stuffed shrimp, sushi and sashimi samplers and more.
The entrees, served with soup and salad, are priced from $22 to about $36, and include curry, stir fry, Mongolian beef and a variety of sashimi and sushi items.
Sushi and sashimi lovers may go directly to that very comprehensive part of the menu with offerings like TNT, Snow Mountain, Monster, Cloud Nine and much, much more. Prices for sushi rolls start at $13.
There is also a vegan dinner menu, which includes appetizers, entrees, sushi rolls and vegan wines.
Authentic restaurant decor
Much of the decor in the restaurant was hand carved by Samuel Ray, including the sushi bar, shelves, wooden fish along one wall, the torii gate (a traditional Japanese gate often found at the entrance of a shrine) and kumiko, wooden bars artfully designed and installed in the restaurant windows. Ray also hand-sewed the curtains in the restaurant.
Some of the wood used in the restaurant was salvaged from trees felled by Hurricane Ian.
In addition, Ray’s artistry can be seen in the pagoda type covering huge aquariums at the heart of the restaurant. The covering includes approximately 10,000 pennies.
What to know
▪ Name: Tsunami Sushi & Hibachi Grill
▪ Address: 11627 State Road 70 E., Lakewood Ranch
▪ Days: Open seven days a week
▪ Hours: lunch hours, 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Current dinner hours: 4:30 to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 4:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Friday, noon to 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Saturday and 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.
▪ Catering: Tsunami will bring sushi and hibachi to your local destination of choice.
▪ Phone: (941) 909-8288
▪ Online: https://www.tsunami-sarasota.com. A unique web page for the Lakewood Ranch restaurant is still in the works.
