Oyaji

Price: $-$$
Rating: 6.5 (Rating & price key)
Last visit: 04/21/05

Tasty sushi & sashimi, but extremely loud and, on our first visit, extremely slow service (we decided Oyaji is an acronym for "Once You Arrive, Jump Impatiently). After a 20-minute wait while we stared at several un-bussed empty tables, we were seated. Another 10-15 minutes passed before I managed to flag down a server to take our order.

We decided on a plate of fatty blackfin (I think) tuna sashimi ($28 - ouch), scallop nigiri, a pair of non-traditional maki rolls (I forget which, but both were very good), skewered pork (more fat than I'm used to, but well-flavored), and tempura vegetables and shrimp cakes. The fatty tuna was tasty, with an almost creamy texture to it, but one of the pieces had some unwelcome membrane in it. We chalked this up to a too-drunk sushi chef, as the two fellows behind the sushi bar were drinking nearly as much as the patrons (this is really saying something, as many folks were slamming bottles of sake and doing shots of whiskey).

The noise level progressed from a dull roar to I-can't-hear-myself-think as the evening progressed and the alcohol consumption increased. Two customers brought in a bottle of Cutty Sark for the chef, which was brought around to select (frequent?) customers by the elder sushi chef. Perhaps it was because we'd never been there, or perhaps because Sarah & I were eating quietly rather than part of a large group, but we wouldn't have minded a shot ourselves.

They forgot our order of tempura vegetables and shrimp cake (which was tasty and unusual when it did arrive), and it took some effort to get the bill. The consensus seems to be to arrive early, before the crowds and while the chefs are sober. This was borne out on a return visit in April '05 - we were seated quickly, and served well. The specials of sardine nigiri and live scallop were both mouth-wateringly-good, particularly the scallop, which had a wonderful buttery note to it. Sarah's ramen soup was decent, but not great.

I'll leave my rating as a 6.5 due to the variability of the place, but when they're on, they're pretty darned good, and offer many items not often seen elsewhere.