Toro Sushi- Mission Gorge

To tell you guys about this place is my nice deed for the day.  /Sadly, I rarely tell people about this place b/c I dont want to make it get crowded.  HA! Today was a good day which will be another entry, but it motivated me to share my ultimate favorite sushi place with the few of you who honor me with your comments.  Hold onto your chonies and get your sushi eating pants on.  We didnt order as much as we normally would but this is at least a little peekaboo into the place.  Its next to the Souplantation, some pizza joint, fro yo shop, Subway, Thai, Indian, coffee shop all in the same shopping center on Mission Gorge close to Vandevere.  Come to think of it, the entire plaza is almost all eating establishments.  For that reason, parking can get hairy at times-fair warning.  Also Toro itself gets very crowded with locals despite its smallish inside--they dont take phone rsvps (or they didnt use to), so I would go off peak eating out hours aka not at 730 on friday night.  The decor is blah and needs work.  Its kind of like a hole in the wall with big portions and good sushi.  It certainly isnt gourmet sushi but it is reliable, tastes good and wont break the bank.  The wait can be long sometimes from when you order to when you get the food depending on the traffic. 

The menu first page.  It is actually quite an extensive menu with appetizers, bentos, curries, rolls, sashimi, etc.  The portions are generous here, rolls creative, and rarely do we get a not-fresh fish when we come.  Prices are average but you will definitely fill up here.  They also have a happy hour but we have never made it on time for that. 

(Sorry in advance and in repeat for the poor photo quality.  I now have NO actual digi-cam and my smartphone camera does not have flash and is probably just a 1.0 mp quality)  This is yellowtail maki 6 piece.  This is simple and you really get to taste the fish minus sauce, fried somethings, or tons of other ingredients.  It also comes in an 18 piece I believe and is also offered in salmon.  Again, their fish usually is generously cut and always seemed fresh in taste. 

   

                         

This is the Allen Roll.  I cant remember all of the ingredients and cant seem to find a menu online.  It has spicy tuna outside, wrapped in rice paper.  The inside has surf clams, eels, and some other fish and stuff inside.  I really should have checked for a to-go menu.... The surf clam is a nice touch in this roll.  Not overly chewy.  I could have done with a bit less of the eel sauce but other than that, it was a good choice by hubby.

This is the soft shell crab roll.  Im not always into the fried rolls but this is one exception.  Others might not agree but I enjoy the imo krab toppings that Toro puts on some of their rolls.  It kind of has a sweet taste to it and not over bearing.  It is also cheaper than most of the other specialty rolls and filling. What are you waiting for????

One last picture from another trip.  The Danny roll.  Spicy tuna and crab mixture on top with the spicy aoli.  Wrapped in rice paper I believe.  Inside was some kind of white fish with cucumber and another piece of imo crab.  See the bonita fish shavings?  I love those things.  You better have your grown up panties on cuz this is pretty spicy.  Yum. 

I guess I will leave you with a shot of the inside.  I warned you that it was dive-ish and quite small.  Im in the red/ blk flannel and our table was the last one closest to the cashier.  They have about 6 seats at the sushi bar and maybe 10-12 small tables scattered.  Maybe you can see the photos they have of their customers on the wall?  Its like that kind of place and its family operated. 

Have any of you been here before?  I did check out that four letter word (as Kirk calls it) of a food review website.  Reviews seemed mixed but that doesnt mean anything.  They have been wrong many times over IMO.  You will just have to decide for yourself.  Apparently there are coupons floating out there but I have never got my hands on them before. 

Stay dry