Review
New York Times

"TARO is the kind of restaurant that people wish would open in their towns, an inspiring space that serves satisfying Asian dishes for reasonable prices. You can make reservations, sometimes even that day, and troop in, wearing jeans, for a bowl of shiitake mushrooms and spinach noodles in basil-scented broth. The cold sesame noodles aren't the best money can buy, but the Peking duck is only $17 and almost perfect, and the cappuccino is at least available, which it isn't in your average Chinese restaurant. Perhaps 'other restaurants offer juicier portobello mushrooms, softer summer rolls and creamier banana cheesecake, but not all under one roof, and not in so interesting a setting. In this sense and others, Taro is a huge step in the right direction. Before you dine, however, you may want to visit Church Street, the busy strip that is home to galleries, craft shops and other restaurants. When Taro first opened, people wondered how it could possibly compete, but now, instead of milling in front of one door on Church Street, hungry crowds cluster in front of two. One reason is the decor. Peter Chu, the owner, who is a partner in the Manhattan architectural firm Tuller, McNealus, Feld & Chu, picked the interesting flatware and bud vases, which hold unusual species like freesia and Scotch broom, never carnations. Towering bamboo and a vast silvery wall painted shades of somber green lend drama to the lower level of the two-story dining room but I prefer the upstairs, which is quiet, Zen-like and a thousand shades of soothing beige. The best of the four meals I ate began, upstairs, with a near-perfect hand roll. The nori, or seaweed, wrapping was soft as silk, and the enoki mushrooms and buttery salmon that filled each cone were as interesting to look at as they were to consume. Occasionally an unripe avocado disrupts the assortment, but it doesn't diminish the impact of the rolls, which are garnished with ginger and wasabi mustard. The chicken satay is also flawless, a stick of juicy meat that offers the same long-lasting pleasure as a Sugar Daddy. In this case, the sweetner is a peanut sauce that isn't too rich or too fiery. Paper-thin wisps of sesame-scented carrot and turnips surrounding the plate are more pleasant to crunch on than the vinegary kim chee at other fusion restaurants. In the vegetarian category, the sesame peanut tofu is stir-fried with garlic and ginger, then buried in a sweet but pungent plum-flavored dressing. Although the sauce saturates the tofu, the outside of the cubes remain marvelously crisp while the insides stay soft and creamy. The same lively sauce transforms the Chinese greens around them into a delicious vegetable stew. Consider your beta carotene quotient filled for the week. Chinese-style spare ribs are often meager at other restaurants; these baby back ribs, served as an appetizer, have meat plus appropriate accessories. The dense white mound of mashed taro, which looks and tastes like mashed potatoes, is a fine receptacle for the tangy sauce. For a lighter appetizer, the featherweight shrimp and vegetable dumplings are served with equal flourish, in a bamboo carrier that keeps their wrappers moist and glistening. ...Salads, on the other hand, feature bright, springy greens and interesting combinations like duck and mesclun with fresh mango salsa. The entrees are also complex and satisfying. A five-spice powder marinade enlivens the meaty pork tenderloin, which is accompanied by garlicky spinach dripping the same slightly smoky, evocative sauce. Meat and potatoes have seldom tasted so interesting. The Peking duck is also attractive. Half the price of comparable versions, it's beautifully roasted - the meat is moist and the skin crunchy and the amber glaze is sweet but not cloying. After a recent encounter a friend reported, "It wasn't any different from perfect Peking duck anywhere, but that's what I wanted: duck with no surprises, except that this one had less fat." ...A hot pot steaming with chunks of lobster, shrimp and scallops, show what the kitchen at its best can do with seafood. The shellfish is succulent, and the broth around it is rich and dense. Taro doesn't have a liquor license, but you can bring beer and wine, or order espresso, cappuccino or Tazo iced tea. The kitchen doesn't traffic in fortune cookies, but offers raspberry almond tarts and chocolate mud cakes that taste almost homemade. Mr. Chu, a native of Taiwan who lives in Maplewood, said he opened Taro because of the sense of inadequacy he felt on behalf of New Jersey. "I was tired of listening to people complain that there was no place to eat in New Jersey and no place with atmosphere," he said. Taro has atmosphere, and it's very good."

 

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