If you’ve driven down Bryant Irving lately, you’ve probably told yourself that you’ll need to check out that restaurant, Tokyo Joe’s sometime. There’s certainly something refreshing about the sound of “Healthy Asian Kitchen.” The words almost seemed to jump out in front of me each time I drove past-a friendly, beckoning reminder that I should indeed check out Tokyo Joe’s sometime. So, of course, when another Mom and Me day came around, we decided to do just
that.
Usually walking into new restaurants and environments can be quite an adventure for me, considering my ever-present tendency of social anxieties. The worries ofwhat to do, where to stand, where to order, where to go, where to sit, combined with the overwhelming awkwardness of not knowing these answers or where to get them, whilst walking into unfamiliar territory, can sometimes be enough for me to decide if I’ll enjoy the rest of my visit and more importantly, if I’ll ever go back. The fact that I could walk into Tokyo Joe’s andimmediately an aisle was set out before me to the register like a red carpet to the awards, eased my anxieties instantly. While many may not relate and the intention, I’m sure, is to guide the flow of customer traffic to the counter-it was an unintentional, yet personal touch I enjoyed. The warm, sleek ambiance and friendly atmosphere had been set.
After we ordered, we got the pleasure to chat with the staff about the history of the place. The concept of Tokyo Joe’s was born from a desire of an affordable, healthy, Japanese, “Fast-Restaurant”. Think like a Freebirds World Burrito kinda-minus the precooked food waiting on a warming line, of course, and instead of burritos and nachos, you can get sushi bowls and bento boxes. Tokyo Joe’s came to Fort Worth from Colorado, give or take about six months ago and I’m already pretty positive we should be seeing more of those beckoning signs around town. How could you
not want more with deals like 2 for 1 sushi going down on Monday Nights?
We started with some miso soup and split an order of four California Rolls. These rolls are definitely a mouthful and two each was plenty for us, considering we
each had our own entrees coming. Mom built her own bowl making the equivalent to a Chicken Teriyaki Rice Bowl (her go-to favorite) with steamed veggies. I decided to stick with the Ahi Tuna Poke Bowl, that promised me marinated ahi tuna over sushi rice withchunks of avocado, green onions, cucumber, and a lemon wedge. Boy, did they deliver! Don’t be fooled by the simplicity of the descriptions-Tokyo Joe’s really has this Healthy Asian Kitchen thing down, my bowl came out as promised with cashews sprinkled on top (my favorite aspect of the dish) and left me feeling not just full, but good. I felt energized instead of sluggish. Surprisingly about half the bowl and all the Ahi Tuna did it for me and I got to take the rest of my rice mixture home in a cute little takeout box.
I definitely wish I had the chance to enjoy Tokyo Joe’s more before I moved from Fort Worth-its lunch time currently as I write this and it’s suddenly all I’m thinking about. Don’t be lame like I was and wait to try it, you’ll definitely be wanting to hit this joint up again and again.
Chalynn B
