"For devotees of sushi and sashimi"
New York Times


Hartford Courant

"Extraordinary to Perfection"
1997 Zagat Restaurant Survey

1 of only 5 Restaurants and the ONLY Japanese
Restaurant in all of Connecticut recommended in
“The Chef’s Guide to America’s Best Restaurants”

"Best Japanese Restaurant in Hartford County"
by Connecticut Magazine Readers Choice

The Only Japanese Restaurant
in the Greater Hartford area and 1 of 3 in the
entire state of Connecticut recommended by the
New York Japanese Tourist Guide

	Hartford Advocate, January 2006 By Steve & Lisa Alcazari
	As customers tuck their heads into the entrance of West Hartford's Murasaki, the chefs yell a warm "irashaimase" from behind the small sushi bar. "Irashaimase" is the traditional welcome -- sort of a "come on in" -- shouted at the incoming patrons by the staff at sushi bars (and other establishments) in Japan. Lisa and I were pleased to hear Japanese being spoken between one of the managers and the chef (plenty of great Japanese restaurants are run by Koreans, Americans, Chinese, or whoever, but the Japanese can be reasonably expected to know the cuisine of Japan best). Murasaki is small and narrow, but the compact space adds to its charms. Instead of the standard woodcut prints and kabuki costumes, there's a full wall of collaged pages from Japanese newspapers. It's a neat effect. Japanese restaurants -- like Thai, Italian and Mexican restaurants -- have suffered from their popularity. A kind of standardization has set in. You can count on similar yakitori, gyoza, shumai, a seaweed salad, fried tofu, Philly rolls, tempura and more at just about any Japanese restaurant you walk into. That's not necessarily a bad thing; there's a lot to be said for getting reliably decent food without having to go too far. But what happens is that, though serviceable Japanese food is readily available, one rarely gets a surprise. I guess we weren't expecting a surprise from Murasaki either, but we got several. The specialty appetizer list had a few, including broiled yellowfish served with grated daikon radish and ginger, baked white fish served with a spicy sauce, and strips of cuttlefish coated in Japanese bread crumbs (they're different from the grocery-store variety) and fried. I couldn't resist the hasu nimono ($6.50), which was described as lotus root prepared with bacon, carrot and green beans in a mirin sauce. One rarely sees lotus root on the menu, though the crispy potato-like roots are popular in Japan. Another big surprise came in the form of my glass of unfiltered Ozeki sake, which had a milky color, sort of like a watered-down egg nog. Served chilled in a small tumbler, the sake gave off a potent alcoholic vapor, with sweet, vaguely funky hints, like something you might turn your head sideways at upon sniffing it in your fridge. Lisa called it "rustic," but it was satisfying. I recommend it for the adventuresome. Take the leap. A bowl of miso soup was mellow and smoky without being weak. Murasaki uses lovely lacquer bowls and trays. Even the salad was a nice deviation from the expected. Most Japanese restaurants serve a rice vinegar/ sesame dressing with grated carrot or onion and ginger. The salad at Murasaki was a delicate mung bean salad with shredded lettuce and bits of seaweed. The slight twists and pleasant surprises kept coming, too. Instead of the routine crackling crisp texture, the fried exterior of the soft shell crab in a spider roll had an unusual nuttiness and heft. A few strands of daikon sprouts stuck out of the end of the roll providing an elegant little flourish. Lisa tried the sushi and sashimi meal, which included some of the most beautiful and buttery tasting tuna we've seen. I ordered the kitsune soba, which was a large scalding hot cast-iron pot of buckwheat noodles in a semi-sweet broth with bits of scallion and toasted nori swimming on the surface. Our waitress brought a small glass container of Japanese hot pepper powder, in case I wanted to inject a little more heat into things. Dessert, two small globes of bubblegum-like mochi (pounded sweet rice) filled with red bean ice cream, was a pleasantly manageable size. Our meal was pitch perfect, and we left with that clean feeling of being satisfied without being stuffed.

	Hartford Magazine The Place to go for Fine Japanese Cuisine
	There is no question that Murasaki is the place to go for the finest and most authentic Japanese cuisine. Making the move from its former Simsbury location, this small restaurant has been highly reviewed and greatly loved by its customers. Stop in over the summer to take advantage of its outdoor dining as you indulge on its Salmon Teriyaki or Sushi and Sashimi Dinner.

	Gayot On-line Restaurant Guides The Most Authentic Japanese Cuisine
	When Murasaki opened in Simsbury in 1990, it was one of Greater Hartford's first Japanese restaurants and a destination for those who knew sushi back when mainstream diners were still cool to raw fish. Many competitors have arrived on the scene since, but Murasaki, which moved to a more visible spot in West Hartford Center in 2004, remains largely unrivaled for authentic, expertly executed Japanese fare. The restaurant excels across the spectrum of traditional dishes, from hand rolls to noodle bowls. Whether you snag one of only eight seats at the sushi bar or dine at one of the seven tables tucked into this narrow, intimate space, you'll have a prime view as chefs transform fresh, tender cuts of fish into colorful, delectable sushi and sashimi presentations. The soups, appetizers and entrées that emerge from the kitchen are prepared with an equally keen sensitivity toward balancing textures and subtle flavors. From the dense and rich miso soup, diners receive their first hint that this is not ordinary Japanese cuisine. Steamed wasabi shu mai dumplings have just the right warmth and zest to awaken the taste buds. Tempura dishes are perfectly light and crispy. And if raw morsels from the sea won't satisfy you, Murasaki proves that Japanese food can be hearty, too, with its piping hot copper kettles filled to overflowing with soba or udon noodles and various accompaniments in a steamy, seasoned broth.

	New York Times, November 2000 A Place for Devotees of Sashimi and Sushi
	As ethnic food fads have flared brightly in the Connecticut night, then almost as quickly fizzled out, there is one foreign cuisine that has never really had its 15 minutes in the spotlight: Japanese. Yet, as Murasaki in Simsbury has been proving for 10 years, a Japanese restaurant can thrive in our state. There are a few other Japanese restaurants around, but they in no way represent a trend. This means a devotee of sashimi/sushi and other such delights has to seek them out. For such fans, Murasaki is definitely worth the trip. As sushi/sashimi addicts, the first thing we did, after being ushered to our table, was to check out the sashimi (raw fish) and sushi (raw fish with pickled rice) at the sushi bar along one wall. The display of plastic-wrapped seafood looked spotless. We began our dinner nibbling on an order of edamame (boiled green soy beans in their shells), as addictive as peanuts or potato chips (and healthier). We then progressed to several other appetizers. The lengthy menu made choosing difficult, because of its variety. Particularly appealing was Murasaki dynamite, which consisted of cod in a spicy sauce, decorated with flying fish roe and chopped scallions. The taste was as sizzling as the cast iron baking dish in which the fish was served. A second surprise was a dish called yellowfin tuna collar (hamachi kama). Two scruffy-looking pieces of broiled fish with tails tucked back were not prepossessing, but to our surprise they were delicious, firm-textured and moist, proof that looks aren’t everything, even in fish. Our other starters were more familiar. We liked especially the soft shell crab, deep-fried and crunchy, enveloped by a syrupy, tangy teriyaki sauce. Calamari a la Murasaki – strips of tender squid, deep-fried, also in a teriyaki sauce – was another fine choice. And of course we had to order an old favorite, agedashi tofu. In this version, the lightly (barely) fried bean curd was delicate as custard, with a scattering of bonito flakes on top. With more than 20 appetizers listed, we could happily have made a meal, tapas style, of a bunch of them alone. As an entrée, una-jyu, barbecued eel, was prettily served in a covered lacquer box. Three ample filet-like pieces of eel, glistening in their mahogany-colored, soy-based veneer, were spread over a large helping of rice. With the dish came leaves of paper-thin pickled ginger, a narrow strip of pickled Japanese squash and spicy seaweed salad strewn with sesame seeds. Another entrée, a sushi dinner, included an assortment of tuna sushi, tuna rolls, salmon, squid, whitefish and shrimp. Completing the dinner were a small bowl of soup (clear or nourishing miso), garden salad, rice, green tea and a dish of ice cream. Most of the sushi and sashimi dinners were arranged with flair on stylized boat-shaped platters. There were various tempura combinations on the menu. We selected the jumbo shrimp and vegetables, which was unusually generous by tempura standards, with five giant shrimp, eggplant slices, green beans, yam, and red pepper. All on the plus side. But unfortunately the batter was much too thick and heavy, no kin at all to a light, crisp and feathery tempura batter. In addition, the dipping sauce was thin and bland. Desserts were inconsequential. A two-course dinner for two, skipping dessert, came to $53.50, before tax, tip and drinks. There was a full bar, a modest wine and beer list. For anyone visiting this area, Murasaki is a real find, both price wise and in the range of dishes, especially appetizers, served.