Johnny's Peking Tokyo

That there would be a local sushi spot with good tasting sushi, reminiscent of any of the restaurants one can easily find in cities like New York and San Francisco, I thought was an impossibility...until Johnny's Peking Tokyo in Mystic. The unassuming location in a small shopping center, let alone the name of the restaurant itself, would have never drawn me to the restaurant. Peking Tokyo came as a recommendation; the best one I have received since my move to Rhode Island. The seafood is fresh. The raw fish has a delicate taste. The daily specials bring unique fish to the menu like Madai (red bream) and Otoro (fatty tuna), and a selection of composed rolls like the Rainbow Caviar (spicy salmon and tempura flakes topped with colorful tobiko) and the Black Dragon (shrimp tempura topped with eel, avocado, and eel sauce). Peking's is a wonderful surprise, and after my second visit, I can't wait to return.

More Seafood at the Ancient Mariner

Like many of the other local restaurants I have visited since moving to the Rhode Island/ Connecticut area, the Ancient Mariner in Mystic is a casual restaurant that specializes in seafood, like the name implies. The menu, like in many of the other restaurants I have tried, does not stop with mussels, clams, and the daily catch; the Mariner also serves chop house style fare, New England classic dishes (think Yankee Post Roast) and burgers.

The space is made to look like a nautical museum with oars hanging from the ceiling, blue wooden panels lining the walls and booths, and prints of old Mystic steamboats hanging from the walls.

For old times sake, we ordered an onion soup, which made well can be delicious (and very different from the Campbell's version which has been desecrated to make casseroles and other "family" meals). The signs of a good onion soup: evident acidity, rich color, bubbling and browning of cheese. Their onion soup was all the above and more, so much that we ordered a seconds.

Since we were in the mood of sharing, we ordered the Mariners Treasure Chest- clams casino, oysters Rockefeller, Stuffies, and popcorn shrimp. This did not prove to be as amazing as the soup. The biggest let down were the clams, which instead of diced bacon and a heap of toasted breadcrumbs, there was a slice of bacon (the length of the clam) and a light sprinkle of breadcrumbs. It was slightly insulting. The oysters were an improvement, with a savory creamed spinach on top. The stuffies, quintessential Rhode Island, were decent. The quahogs are mixed with an excessive amount of breadcrumbs to make what seemed like a bread crumb Matzoh ball in the half shell. To my opinion, and this was my first stuffie, this preparation completely hides the clam's flavor. The popcorn shrimp was good; it was fried and had a sweet and sour dipping sauce. Easy.

From the specials' menu, we ordered a blackened salmon Caesar salad. This was disappointing. The salmon was under seasoned, and completely dry. Salmon can be blackened on the grill without drying; its all about timing.

For dessert, we ordered a brownie Sunday. Chocolate, ice cream, and fudge- ultimate indulgence.

The Ancient Mariner has a good selection of items, although not all might be hits, which makes the restaurant a good choice for a low key meal, in a laid back setting, with friendly service.

Anthony J's: Yes, it is Italian

Anthony J's Bistro in Mystic, Connecticut is another of those spots the locals seem to know and love, referring to it as a place with 'really good food and drinks'. On that note, I decided to investigate.

Inside, the place is covered in dark wood from floor to ceiling, only broken by wall sections made of massive gray bricks. An extremely colorful mural depicting what I assume is a night at Anthony J's distracts you through the entire meal (at least it did for my sister and me). Not only is it very outdated, but it is comical as the “people” on it are of different races, shades, and personalities. I give props to the idea of being all inclusive, but it came as across as trying too hard. But then yet again, it might just be the owner's joke on us. Portrayed, there is a diner-like waitress with big hair carrying a tray high up above her head, an Asian woman sitting at the bar next to a man with a red beard, an African American male wearing bright yellow in the fore front, and a promiscuous looking blonde at the bar chatting up an overweight, bald man. Also, a man with a stiff posture, red bow tie and suspenders, who I think of as “the connoisseur” of the wall, further proves that the bistro attracts all types of people.

Anthony J's is an Italian bistro serving the classics, among them bolognese, fettuccine carbonara, osso bucco, antipasta, and small selection of stone pizza pies. For starters, I ordered the veal meatballs with homemade marinara sauce, and calamari fritti, as per recommendation. The meatballs had a light flavor, probably from the choice of meat, and were less crumbly than the meatballs I am used to. The marinara was straightforward, and overall the dish had less spices and herbs than could have been used, but good nonetheless.

The calamari fritti was squid tossed with red cherry peppers and bread crumbs. Their calamari is pan fried, not deep fried, which does not give it that greasy, oil taste. The squid was cooked perfectly, not chewy at all, but tender and soft. It was very spicy, which I liked, but it lacked salt. In my opinion, a wedge of lemon would have added a splash of acidity to brighten up the dish.

Unique to the menu of any Italian restaurant, but perhaps common to Korean cuisine, is their Hot Rocks. Stones imported from Italy are heated to a scorching 650 degrees. Guests chose from seafood scampi, steak teriyaki, and cajun spiced chicken (the two latter being very traditional Italian, ahem!) and cook the proteins themselves. Other tables around us, from what I overheard, were hesitant to order this since it would require them having to cook, which is after all the main reason people dine out. I liked the interactiveness of the dish and decided to try the seafood scampi. I heard the sizzle before I saw the waitress approaching us carrying the smoking board. On it was a square stone with seafood in a straight line- four scallops, two shrimp, lobster knuckles, small pieces of salmon, and some calamari. I enjoy my scallops and salmon cooked more medium that my sister does, and the stone allowed us to have seafood our way. The seafood, however, lacked seasoning again, and none of the Hot Rocks items include a side. We ordered a simple garden salad with tomato basil vinaigrette since the meal would have then felt incomplete.

For dessert, we got the tiramisu made in house. It was sweet, light, and airy. It was rich, but not overwhelming. It did not get the Kahlua and coffee flavors listed on the description, and I felt it had less lady finger than other tiramisu I have had or made.

Like with many of the restaurants in small towns, with Anthony J's “it is what it is”.

Only One Bravo for Bravo Bravo

The word “Bravo” is an Italian adjective which means clever, capable, good, fine. The restaurant Bravo Bravo in the quaint, maritime town of Mystic is just that. The space is clever, utilizing large, glass, floor to ceiling windows to showcase the happenings on East Main Street. The cuisine proves the Chef is capable of combining flavors and creating dishes dinners seem to come back to again and again. The service in general was just fine. Overall, dinner at this modern, Italian seafood restaurant was good, yet it fell short of exceptional.

On a Wednesday night, I decided to dine at Bravo Bravo after several colleagues expressed their appreciation for the contemporary spot. Inside, the restaurant is almost dark with illumination provided by small, white candles lining the walls, bar and tables. The constant, flickering lights make the space glow. The ambience is reminiscent of a sexy, city lounge or an uber fine dinning, white table cloth restaurant. Simple, clean wooden tables are placed close to one another throughout the room. We were seated at a corner table, which was a bit snug but more comfortable than the two tops set side by side in the center of the small, dinning room.

Our server, who was both attentive and knowledgeable, brought us our menus and delivered the night’s specials. Although we had decided to order from the regular menu, one special stood out- seared scallops with a curry coconut risotto. The restaurant’s website describes the cuisine as “Italian seafood”, and while some items on the menu have Mediterranean inspired dishes like Moroccan spiced pork, a clearly Indian dish sticks out like a sore thumb. Chefs should maintain focus adhering to the cuisine the house promote and not use specials to experiment. It is confusing.

We asked for the calamari and a Bravo Martini, vodka martini with gorgonzola stuffed olives, while we read the menu and decided what to order. I could have ordered any other of their specialty cocktails, but I am one to enjoy a good, old fashioned martini since not everyone gets the balance between vodka, vermouth, and olive juice right. The martini was delicious, although it was the basic martini and requires no real creativity, the Ketel One vodka made it smooth.

The server brought us bread and a trio of extras on a small plate: marinated, mixed olives, olive oil, and a white bean and red pepper spread. The olives were simple, but very good, although I am unsure if they are marinated in house. The spread was a great alternative to the traditional butter but lacked acidity and seasoning. Nevertheless, the unexpected trio was a nice touch demonstrating the people at Bravo Bravo try to make your meal special.

The fried calamari with spicy aioli took a bit longer than I had expected. To my knowledge the squid is precut, breaded and fried to order, a process that doesn’t take longer than five minutes. The calamari rings were scattered on a plate larger than it should have been. They were a shade past gold in color, and thick in breading, but very well seasoned. Having experience with calamari told me these were frozen since the rings were un-clumped, there were no tentacles in the batch, and they were a bit chewy.

While eating the calamari, the Arugula, crispy artichoke, prosciutto, and shaved parmesan Reggiano salad we ordered arrived. The Arugula was beautiful, had a nice peppery flavor, and lightly dressed, which allowed you to taste the good quality of the green. Pesto and olive tapenade placed underneath added some flavor but the salad needed more acidity, perhaps sherry vinegar, and salt. The artichokes were warm but not very crispy, and tasted canned, not fresh. The thin Proscuitto should have been cut into pieces instead of leaving the slices long and whole. A salad should not require a knife in my opinion.

Our next course was pasta. Our server explained that some of the pastas on the menu were made in house. We decided to try to the linguini Bolognese. Although the pasta was not made fresh, Bolognese is a staple Italian sauce and it is an element to judge how good an Italian restaurant is. This dish failed to impress us or legitimize the restaurant as an authentic Italian place. A traditional Bolognese does not call for the use of cream, and Bravo Bravo’s uses cream. The cream disguised its true flavor, and diluted the acidity which is natural in tomatoes. The meat should have been the only source of fat used to balance the acidity- the cream was unnecessary.

With our next course, the pork, I ordered a glass of wine. The wine list has reasonable prices for wines by the bottle. The selection of these by the glass is scarce. I chose a pinot noir from their short house wine list. It was Australian, to my disappointment, and safe. The Moroccan spiced pork with faro, chickpea puree, haricot vert, Greek yogurt, capers and plumped raisins was well thought but poorly executed. The pork was too well done, and underneath the yogurt spread with capers and raisins you could see the burnt meat. The “plumped” raisins would have worked better if they had cooked them in some flavorful liquid, preferably with some acidity. The chickpea puree tasted like hummus, while the green beans were overcooked- they had no bite and they had lost their vibrant green color. The ingredients are complementary in terms of flavors, according to any flavor profile rule book. There was an overall disconnect of components- no harmony. The dish lacked an element, weather it be a vinaigrette or sauce, to tie all these ingredients together.

Apart from the dessert list, the waitress shared some specials including a carrot cake. Although

very un -Italian, and I was on a mission to have an Italian meal, it was made in house, so we decided to try it. This dessert was the highlight of the meal. It was rich, dense, and moist. There was a perfect nut to raisin ratio. The layer of icing was perfect for the amount of cake. The cake was set on a drizzle of caramel which was not necessary for the delicious cake.

Despite the misses in food, I would to return to Bravo Bravo. I think the restaurant offers decent service, a nice environment and fair food, but I would chose different dishes to try. The cuisine demonstrates that the Chef is apt and I am confident there are hits in the menu. The review might portray otherwise, but dinner at Bravo Bravo was an enjoyable experience.