(Sigh) I feel like I'm doing this a disservice. I reviewed this place 3 or 4 years ago (or was it 4 or 5? I forget) and it was one of the 1st food reviews we wrote well before Moda began frassin for the CP. Sufficed to say, I'm going to continue to refer to this place "Japplebee's" in terms of it's cuisine, quality, and the type of crowd they're pandering to.
While we were out and about last night, Moda and I were in the midst of a severe sushi jones and since I'd passed this joint on the way to AL's birthday dinner earlier this week (And as it has recently opened in the 'hood) I thought that maybe it had came into it's own in spite of our initial experience being poor at their flagship restaurant in EP. (In case you forgot- Bad sushi, poor service, terrrrrible ambience)
We arrived well before the dinner hour, both very hungry, and both very willing to put our experiences behind us in order to expand our neighborhood options. The restaurant was quiet, tastefully decorated (with the exception of the weird Audrey Hepburn poster in the men's room. I didn't get it.) , and we were seated right away. We started off with: veggie gyoza, edamame (natch) and a small bottle of sake' to share.
The edamame was fine and brought out straightaway. The gyoza was...interesting. The dumplings were a shade of green and instead of the ground veggie/tofu innards I was expecting there were large tablets of edamame bean here and there. (A weird sensation on the palate, to be sure) Again, not great, but interestingly displayed.
As for the quality of the sushi? This is why people say they "hate" sushi. (Outside of the seaweed and raw fish, I guess) I won't even bother entertaining you with the kind of rolls we ordered. Simply put? They were warm. (Our same issue as the last time) And it wasn't even like they were "warm from sitting out or being heated" (I said at the very least with the temperature as it was I expected the fish to be manky or the rice to be firming) It was just...well room temperature sushi is kind of gross. And if that was their "thing" I don't think I'm alone in saying it's not how people are meant to enjoy sushi-room temperature and underwhelming. We ate it very fast.
Later we were given some complimentary fish eggs since they were originally to top our order but we were informed that they were still thawing out and needed a few minutes to prepare. (Note to self: You like the roe better than the whole slimy egg)
We were still hungry, but both quickly agreed that another roll wasn't what we desired. We shared some Udon noodles which were hot and filling but still- shy of out and out delicious. And the sake was pretty lame too. That, and when I said it panders? (The signage in front of the restaurant kept pimping the steaks, almost as if to say "Don't be afraid of the sushi! We have meat and potatoes too!") As for the quiet ambience, it was soon ruptured by the sound of a 3rd Date couple "Mr. Johnny Salami Loud-Talker", a pair of woman who I overheard loudly say they were only leaving a 10% tip, and finally...the random loud-ass gong followed by an obnoxious canned birthday party. (There was a hibachi birthday in the adjoining room. There's only so much cheering, clapping, robotic birthday songs, and clanking of knives one can take when they're trying to immerse themselves in a tranquil Japanese dinner)
We won't be going back again, as there are newer sushi options that have popped up in NE within the last few months that may beckon at a later date. All told, I feel like a douchey boyfriend for having "treated" my girl as a housewarming gift to a sushi dinner at a place that, after two at-bats, is just as disappointing the second time around.
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