| rev:text
| - Went to Sen of Japan a few nights ago, got 6-course Omakase. They asked if it was our first time there, and we responded yes. Probably a *huge* mistake.
1. Yellowtail sashimi w ponzu and toasted garlic. Executed well but uninventive.
2. Sashimi salad - 2x tuna, 2x salmon, 2x albacore sashimi. Greens, dressing, capers. The salad and dressing were good. Tuna was tasteless. Salmon and albacore tasted very good.
3. Clam and miso soup, 2x tuna roll, and nigiri: tuna, salmon, albacore, yellowtail, fluke. Haven't we already had all of these except fluke? Salmon and albacore tasted great as before. Everything else meh. And no interesting pieces of fish. Honestly the fish at jjanga has been comparable IME and that's $25 AYCE and I get way more variety.
4. Miso black cod w wasabi aioli and eel sauce reduction. The absolute nuts. Everyone has a miso black cod, but this might be the best I've eaten. Very much the saving grace of this meal, and the only reason I'd consider coming back.
5. Beef tenderloin w asparagus and greens in a mustard sauce. Meat was barely flavored. Mustard sauce saved the day. But Jesus, good meat like this shouldn't need saving with a mustard sauce...
6. Dessert: green tea ice cream and chocolate soufflé. Ice cream was not overly smoky (a problem with a lot of green tea flavored desserts) but it also barely tasted like green tea. Soufflé was good but pretty standard.
Look, I get it: 6 course omakase for $55. I wasn't expecting Kabuto or Yui. But I felt like the offerings were completely uninteresting and for something designed that simple, every dish needs to be perfect, even @$55. This fell way flat.
Here's my real gripe:
I felt like we totally got the gringo treatment as the host or mgr continually told us how his chefs would create off-menu experiences for repeat customers. Like wtf we just dropped $180 on dinner and drinks, off-strip, and you gave us one really good and 5 mediocre dishes. So what, we're supposed to come back and do it again and hope it's better next time? I asked what would be on a sample "repeat" omakase menu, and he just said "whatever's freshest and whatever the chef thinks would be best."
Well, what the **** was the "omakase" I ordered? It's not really omakase if you give everyone the same intro-to-sushi menu. They should call whatever this was something like the "Sen 6-course prix fixe." Honestly I'd prefer it if they'd call it something that people who know good food would never in a million years order -- maybe the "Samurai Special."
I think it's a mistake to think people haven't had good Japanese food before, especially in this town.
I have foodie friends who eat there a LOT and rave about the food. And I've read a ton of reviews about the quality of their fish. But I'll have a hard time going back anytime soon when I can spend less for more at dozens of places in town. Really pretty upset in hindsight, especially since I took my wife for her birthday and was super excited based on what I'd heard and read.
Waitstaff was friendly and engaging. Restaurant was clean and inviting, including restrooms.
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