Among the emails I received early this week was one that started "Hey yoso-Dude....." Dude??? Well, I'll take that over other four letter words that I've been called or other various utterances starting with the letter 'D', often ending in "bag' or a word commonly used to describe any animal of the genus Equus.......
Anyway, this email went on to tell me that he really enjoys Dao Son, and first heard about the place through one of our posts. To return the favor, he thought he'd let me know that on his last visit to Dao Son he was told that they opened a new, more upscale restaurant on Adams Avenue called Tao. Tao also made their own tofu in-house.....we were so there!
After scouting about for a bit I found some parking, and we walked over a half block, and entered the world of Tao.
The interior is nicely adorned without going over the top. The menu is a mixture of Japanese, Vietnamese, and fusion dishes. We noticed a few familiar "Dao Son" items. We also noted that the prices reflected the upgrade in decor being about $2 more than Dao Son.
As with Dao Son, we steered clear of the straight Japanese and Vietnamese dishes. We were disappointed to find the Fried Catfish with Eggplant not on the menu, but pleased to see the Red Chicken. The offerings seem on the lighter side, with fewer fried dishes.
After placing our order, we were brought a free "salad", a nice touch.
This was more of a "herb salad" and will wake up taste buds if you aren't familiar with the flavors of Rau Ram(Vietnamese Cilantro), Ngo Om (Rice Paddy Herb - you'll swear there's cumin in the salad), Tiet To (Perilla), and I swear there was Diep Ca in this as well. It also featured a few small cubes of the handmade tofu, which was of the firm variety, and mildly "beany" in flavor.
Wanting to check out the homemade tofu, I ordered the Handmade Tofu with Oyster Mushrooms in sizzling Basil Black Bean Sauce ($12.95). Can you tell that Tao is really into oversized plates? The plates took up large real estate on the tables. Also, the pinwheel arrangement was a far cry from Dao Son.
I enjoyed the whole cloves of garlic, and the rice, a half red and jasmine rice was a nice touch, even though the rice wasn't particularly fragrant. The oyster mushrooms were ok, but nothing special. The tofu was too mild for this dish. For me good home made tofu should go off on one of two tangents. The first would be a wonderful silken tofu, that would be textural heaven. The second would be a firmer tofu that would have a pronounced "soy-beany" flavor. This had neither, and though the sauce, which tasted like basic black bean sauce, wasn't too salty, the tofu was lost in the sauce. For my taste, the tofu would be better served in dishes like the salad as it is very mild. This was not bad, but not outstanding.
The Missus, wanting to compare with Dao Son, ordered the Tasty Red Chicken($8.28):
I enjoyed this much more than the Missus. At Dao Son, the Red Chicken is sometimes served with strips of white meat chicken which can be dry as heck. These were wok seared dark meat chicken which I enjoyed. The "red sauce" here is more like a glaze than a sauce, and seems to be missing something. The heat is provided by dollops of Sriracha-like hot sauce, which tasted out of place. As you can tell, the Missus and I had switched plates. I think we'll have to go back to Dao Son soon to refresh our taste memory with regards to this dish.
The young lady serving us instantly charmed us when she smiled and told us, "I'm sorry in advance, I've just started working here....." She did a good job, and in fact was a bit over-attentive but I'm sure she'll do well. It didn't hurt that she brought us some free "dessert" while we waited for our check.
Overall, we enjoyed the experience, and we'll return to Tao in a few months. As you can tell, the decor is much more refined than the "divey" Dao Son. The folks are very nice, and the menu large. Parking can be a pain. We're glad that Dao Son has done so well, that the "Hot Chef" could open up a place like Tao. Open less than a week at the time of this meal, I think they did pretty well.
Tao
3332 Adams Ave
San Diego, CA 92116
Lunch: Mon -Fri 11am - 2pm
Dinner: Daily 5pm - 10pm
619-281-6888
As for the FOY who emailed me, when I wrote that I'd like to mention him in my post, he requested anonymity. So let's just call him 'Mr X'! So, thanks Mr X!
sounded like you got a great tip :)
Posted by: kat | Wednesday, 15 July 2009 at 10:25 PM
Sounds like an awesome place but I would be wary of soy product. Even though I love soy product.
Posted by: nhbilly | Thursday, 16 July 2009 at 08:02 AM
oh, that looks fun. thanks for the recommendation.
Posted by: Lynnea | Thursday, 16 July 2009 at 09:12 AM
Hi Kat - I love recommendations!!!
Hi Billy - I think awesome is perhaps too strong a word. We'll see in a fre months.
Hi Lynnea - Give it a shot. It's different....hopefully this is just a starting point, and the preperation of the food will get better.
Posted by: Kirk | Thursday, 16 July 2009 at 09:21 AM
OooOOOOoh! Dessert looks YUMMY!
BTW, I've started a food blog... DUN DUN DUNNNN! www.tinkerwithfood.blogspot.com
Who knew... :) Enjoy!
Posted by: Judy Lee | Thursday, 16 July 2009 at 11:32 AM
Looks like a nice place to try something new for us. That dessert looks yummy!
Posted by: Carol | Thursday, 16 July 2009 at 12:29 PM
That salad sounds very interesting, I'm kind of not seeing the Japanese elements much, but everything looks beautiful and the menu sounds promising.
Posted by: foodhoe | Thursday, 16 July 2009 at 12:45 PM
Hi Judy - I think it tasted better because it was free! ;o)
Hi Carol - Yes, kinda hit and miss, but interesting.
Hi FH - We were laughing, because we felt this was closer to Chinese than Vietnamese or Japanese. They do have stuff like Pho, Hu Tieu, Oden, and the like on the menu. But after trying those out at Dao Son, I've learned to stay away from them.
Posted by: Kirk | Thursday, 16 July 2009 at 03:38 PM
Certainly nothing wrong with Dude. ;)
Posted by: Bbq Dude | Friday, 17 July 2009 at 01:35 PM
Thanks for the review. After we read your review, my family and I went to eat at Tao on Adams Ave. It was unbelievable!! I went there with my mother, sister and my 2 kids. We absolutely love the food!!! I love the handmade tofu it was out of this world. It was full of flavors. Perfect for my mom who is a picky vegetarian. My kids ordered the odon soups and it tastes better than the expensive 5 stars hotel (Grand Hyatt)odon which costs more than $18 per bowl. The service is very good. Our glasses are always full of water.
For the price, service, and quality of food, I don't think you can get that from anywhere in San Diego. A must try!
Posted by: Alisha Robles | Thursday, 23 July 2009 at 03:02 PM
Hi Alsiha - I'm glad you enjoyed your meal at Tao. I'm our minds they have a ways to go yet, but I'm happy that you found some dishes that you and your family enjoy.
Posted by: Kirk | Friday, 24 July 2009 at 07:55 AM
Just catching up on my yoso readin. For some reason bloglines hasn't been updated with your feed since sometime in july...
So this place replaced the short-lived panda place? I drive past here every day, twice a day, and haven't noticed. Will have to check it out.
Posted by: dave | Friday, 14 August 2009 at 10:42 AM
Hi Dave - I think you're right.
Posted by: Kirk | Saturday, 15 August 2009 at 07:29 PM