Every time my fiance and I take a trip down to Los Angeles or Santa Barbara, we always stop in Solvang on the way back (usually for “supplies,” aka wine). For the last few months, I’ve noticed a cute shopping center tucked off the main drag of East Highway 246 in Buellton.
I always point it out and remark how inviting it looks. There is a sushi restaurant, A-Ru, and I must have said about a dozen times now, “Too bad we just ate because that place looks really good.” Last week I finally decided to break this streak and try A-Ru for myself.
The venue is small and comforting, sparsely yet elegantly decorated in a low-key style that feels elevated but not intimidating. I went for lunch, when the menu is more compact and simplified, featuring a basic offering of rolls and sushi. It’s a nice no-frills experience that doesn’t skimp on the class.
The lunch menu offers a fairly large variety of salads to start, including a daikon salad with two different kinds of daikon served with a sesame dressing for $7. If you’re looking to splurge a bit, the spicy tuna salad is a unique and filling option at $20. Appetizers include the standard sushi bar fare such as edamame, agedashi tofu, and mussels broiled with a masago sauce.
Lunch specials feature a variety of tempura combinations with California rolls or teriyaki to suit your particular mood. If you want to try a little bit of everything, there’s the A-Ru lunch box, a bento box special, which includes salmon or chicken teriyaki, a generous portion of white rice topped with toasted black sesame, salad, sushi, and sashimi.
I really enjoyed the sashimi at A-Ru. It was cut perfectly and served extremely fresh. In light of the quality, I personally would recommend skipping the more familiar lunch fare and going with the sashimi combo, which offers 12 pieces of fish. If you’re looking to play mix and match on your sushi, A-Ru has that covered with a large selection of pieces from their sushi bar, ranging from $4.95 to $6.95.
Of course, you can’t forget the rolls because we’re Americans and we have to have our sushi rolls, gosh darnit. A-Ru offers a full range of what you’d expect on a Japanese menu, including spicy tuna rolls, rainbow rolls, and many more.
The bar also has about a half a dozen different kinds of sake, and a nice selection of bottled Japanese beers if you’re looking to add an element of bubbly celebration to your meal.
But it’s the atmosphere inside that makes A-Ru stand out. Starting with the unassuming refined decor, the venue sets the tone as laid back casual elegance. The mood inside is upbeat and friendly, a mix of retirees catching up with friends and office workers taking a quick bite before heading back to the daily grind. Just another small treat to find when you finally take a step off the beaten path.
Eats Writer Rebecca Rose is always on a roll. Contact her at rrose@santamariasun.com.
• Missy Morales is set to open a brick-and-mortar location for Sweet Baking Company in Lompoc (pictured). Morales does everything from custom cakes to cookies and cupcakes. Visit her on Instagram at @sweetbaking_co.
• New menus are all the rage in 2018. First and Oak and Bottlest just unveiled new menus for the new year, and Pico in Los Alamos is rolling out a new drink menu thanks to the popularity of their cocktail program. Visit First and Oak at 409 1st St., Solvang; Bottlest at 35 Industrial Way, Buellton; and Pico at 458 Bell St., Los Alamos.
This article appears in Jan 25 – Feb 1, 2018.