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| - ???????????????Translation: "Oh, how the mighty have fallen!"
Many years ago this was a very lovely restaurant, delicately balancing good service, a casual atmosphere, quality food, and good prices, to deliver a delightful dining experience at a good value.
Not so, anymore! The prices have gone up significantly, to the point where this restaurant is priced higher than the finest sushi restaurants in metro Phoenix. The service had gone down... Lots of loud confusion from the staff, which interrupts the dining experience.
I ordered salmon sashimi, a seaweed salad, and a side of rice. The sashimi was delivered first, out of order... Why, I wondered? I'll get to that later. Then came the salad, which was small, but decent. I had to ask my server for the side of rice, which of course, should have been delivered with the sashimi.
Most condemning is the quality of the food. At the tail end of my meal, something on the wall caught my attention... Several chef's knives were magnetically affixed to the walk, which isn't unusual per se. What was unusual, however, was that none of the sushi chefs (I use the term chef generously) were using knives, and the knives on the wall were extremely dull, so much so that their lack of use and maintenance (sharpening) was visually apparent from several feet away, across the bar. I wondered... If nobody is using knives, how do they cut the fish? Not to worry, Kyoto patrons! The sashimi and nigiri is pre-cut! That way... You can be sure to get your fish as quickly as possible, even before the appetizer salad that you order with your meal!
The fish itself was bland, low quality, poorly cut, and selfishly portioned.
Shame on you, Kyoto, for allowing something good and honest turn into a chaotic mess masquerading as a Japanese restaurant. I would probably forgive the founders / original owners, because no doubt they cashed out a few years ago, selling to owners who left patrons with this ersatz sushi.
Full disclosure: the advertised happy hour drink prices appeared to be worthwhile enough to stop in here for a drink. Just do yourself a favor and skip everything else.
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