We have been looking for a sushi joint a little closer to my place in Tempe that is a little more convenient then our favorite place (Shimogamo in Chandler).
As we walked in we heard the men behind the sushi bar yell something out (they did this to everyone) and were quickly seated by some other staff. We chose to sit at the bar which is a good way to feel out a new sushi spot.
It took us quite a while to get our drink order in even though a guy was directly in front of us the whole time. He seemed to a hired gun that only dealt with fish, not customers. Eventually we got our orders in and were promptly served. Much of it was quite good but I was disappointed with the Spider Roll. They did not use an entire soft shell crab and it didn't seem freshly made. It looked only like a leg (which was way too long) and just didn't match the texture I am used to for that type of crab or that roll. They liked using a lot of heavy sauces which I am not used to either. I prefer to let the fish be the centerpiece and on some rolls it seemed to be drowned out.
The plain sushi was decent. Not the best, not the worst. Will I go back again? Probably, but I am still going to try some other places out before settling on a regular spot. One cool thing about the place is that they have a large collection of chopsticks kept for regulars to use when they come in. I have not seen that before and on the surface, it makes the place look reliable due to the # of regulars.
I felt the rolls were a bit pricey. Most were in the $14 range. They did seem to have some very original looking rolls at that price, but I didn't notice the traditional rolls being significantly cheaper. They like to sprinkle macadamia nuts on top which is something I am not familiar with. It seems to add to the clutter moreso than add to the flavor. I want the fat of the fish to provide the flavor, not the fat of a nut.
I'll give it another shot, but after hitting up my favorite place again last night, it confirmed that they are in an entirely different class. Nothing stands out about Sushi Eye, but nothing stood out to keep me from going back.