David Fishman, age 12, reviews Tenzan

Tenzan's spider roll

Photograph: Donna Rickles

In a quiet, very nice neighborhood lies Tenzan (285 Columbus Ave at 73rd St; 212-580-7300, tenzanrestaurants.com). Before I get started I would like to introduce my 12-year-old cousin, Jonah, who dined with me. We were seated on the basement level, which was practically empty and unpleasantly quiet. But I was pleased with the fountain and the bottles of Japanese liquor on shelves. They gave it a Japanese-y look. Our waitress came over after a little too long, but apologized and offered us drinks. I asked if they had the spider roll, because no other restaurant I had gone to recently had it. It’s a magnificent dish if made correctly.

Miso soup came with our entrées. It wasn’t the powder you find in stores, but a delicious misty soup with seaweed and tofu. Then our entrées arrived. Wow, I thought asI saw huge crab legs and a giant roll. I began to eat and was astounded by a fresh taste of crab as if straight from Montauk. I asked to try my cousin’s shrimp tempura. It was okay, but I’ve had better at Haru (433 Amsterdam Ave). They could have given a little more shrimp.

Upper West Sider David, an aspiring restaurant critic, has been profiled in The New York Times and on CBS’s The Early Show.

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