Tomo Japanese Steakhouse

I've gone here a couple of times, but I've only had the hibachi. I have never tried the sushi. I'm sure I won't like it as much as Sakura...but who knows...maybe next time.

Tomo was a nice surprise to me. The exterior is not an indication of how cute the inside is. I thought it looked very modern. There were plenty of regular tables for the sushi only eaters and a few U-shaped hibachi grills.

Service was good. Not overly friendly, but accommodating. Although, each time I felt that the server seemed a bit overwhelmed. Food was also solid. My only complaint was how salty and overcooked the salmon was. So I don't recommend the salmon, but if you really want it I would ask them for medium salmon and the sauce on the side. I didn't do that, and the sauce kind of ruined the rest of my food. :-/ We ordered the calamari as an appetizer. I liked how crunchy the breading was, but I wish calamari dishes gave more tentacles. I might be the only one that feels that way though...

Because of slower service during my first visit, we got a free dish of tempura battered ice cream. I think I would just prefer some simple green tea ice cream, but it was yummy. There was plenty of unmelted ice cream, and the batter was cooked just right. And as someone that tried to make fried ice cream at home, I know this is not an easy. 

The Info
Tomo Japanese Steakhouse
7411 North Keystone, Suite A
Indianapolis, IN 46240
317-254-8666
www.tomo123.com (Didn't work the last time I checked though.)

Usual Suspects

I rarely think of Usual Suspects in Broad Ripple as a place to go eat at. It's usually my go to dirty martini spot. Mike makes the best martinis. But after having dinner there, I will be thinking of it more often.

I ordered the french onion soup and the award winning osso bucco. It's like a challenge when you tell me your food is award winning! I thought the french onion was really good. Even though the cheese wasn't melting over the sides of the bowl, I have no complaints about the amount of melty cheese in this soup. And with a lot of the toasted cheesy bread dry, it added a good crunchy element. I also really enjoyed the osso bucco. I think osso bucco is normally a veal shank, but this one was a pork shank. The dish needed salt, but the meat fell right off the bone and there was a lot of it! Way more than shown on their website. The risotto wasn't memorable, but it was cooked all the way. Receiving undercooked risotto has been way too frequent for me.

Mike ordered the lamb kabobs after they ran out of beef tips. He was pretty disappointed. The lamb kabobs tasted ok, but they weren't amazing. Overdone. Probably won't order them again.

Overall, Usual Suspects was a great value. You get pretty decent food for not a lot of money. Also, if you're looking for a place to eat at with a big group, this is a good choice.

The Info
Usual Suspects
6319 Guilford Ave.
Indianapolis, IN 46220
317-251-3138
www.usualsuspectsindy.com