This is our fourth visit to Nakato's and this time we were mostly pleased with our meal. Previous visits have been hit and miss. This visit was more "hit" than miss.
For appetizers, we started with miso soup and baked scallops. To not be jumbo scallops, they were quite pricey, but the flavor was good. We got 3 scallops for $4 a piece. That was a bit high.
Next, we had the Gyoza. The Gyoza could either be pan fried or deep fried. The waiter didn't ask which my husband wanted and they just brought deep fried which he thought were "ok". We ordered the baked mussels which were good, but my husband didn't care much for the mayo topping.
Next, they brought our sashimi plate and a spider roll. The mackerel, eel, hamichi and salmon were fresh and we were quite pleased. The sashimi was the highlight of the evening. However, the spider roll was smaller than we expected. The size was not what we had in the past.
Lastly, I ordered a small shrimp hibachi plate with vegetables and garlic noodles. The vegetables were lukewarm and it was as though the plate sat for awhile before it was brought to the table. I probably will not order that dish again.
We like Nakato's. It's a good spot to go to when you want some good sushi in the University Area. The sashimi is fresh and the presentation is somewhat artistic. Some menu items are just "ok" and others are a bit pricey for the amount that you do get.