Sakura's

It had been over 6 months since I last ate at Sakura's Japanese Steak and Seafood House here in Laurel. In my opinion, it's one of the finer restaurants in town. It has a nice decor, great food, excellent service and the chefs who prepare the food are very entertaining. I was reminded of the place last week when I delivered mail twice on rural route 15. The restaurant is one of the businesses on the route. So, I drove out there today.

The restaurant hasn't changed a bit. It still has a pleasant decor and service was excellent again. I was promptly seated and my order taken. The meal came with the standard soup (which is great) and salad (which is good). I had the scallops for an appetizer with the filet mignon, shrimp and chicken for the main course. The main course also came with a choice of appetizer and rice. For my second appetizer, I had the sauteed mushrooms and I chose their fried rice as it has more flavor than steamed rice.

The filet mignon was well prepared and very good. The shrimp was very tasty. The chicken was little dry. The fried rice and vegetables were excellent. The sauteed mushrooms were very good and the scallops were excellent, especially with some of the seafood sauce which the chef called yum yum sauce.

Overall, the meal was superb. My glass was rarely empty for long and my plate was filled up with food. Two people that ate across from me had to get doggie bags because of the large portions. Price wise, lunch cost me approximately $36 without tip. If you live in the Laurel, Maryland area, Sakura's puts out a 10% off coupon in the monthly Valupak you get in your mail. I used the coupon and it saved me $3.44.

I would definitely recommend this restaurant. Like I said previously, the food and service are excellent. The restaurant also has decent parking. The restaurant is located just off of Route 1 on the right before you reach the Route 1 and Contee Road intersection. Bon Appetit!