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Nikko is fine for lunch but gets VERY loud at night. I went a few months back with a group of women and we could not hear each other. The sushi is good but keep that in mind. Sushi 101 is fine but not really authentic. I do like their calamari appetizer. The service at the Promenade location can be a bit of a challenge as well. I do not care for Rusan's that much but I know I'm in the minority. It's fine but not great.
Nikko is fine for lunch but gets VERY loud at night. I went a few months back with a group of women and we could not hear each other. The sushi is good but keep that in mind. Sushi 101 is fine but not really authentic. I do like their calamari appetizer. The service at the Promenade location can be a bit of a challenge as well. I do not care for Rusan's that much but I know I'm in the minority. It's fine but not great.
That would probably not be a problem for me, but my boyfriend is a mumbler. I'll keep that in mind! Unauthentic is okay.. I like my sushi fried .
Nikko is fine for lunch but gets VERY loud at night. I went a few months back with a group of women and we could not hear each other. The sushi is good but keep that in mind. Sushi 101 is fine but not really authentic. I do like their calamari appetizer. The service at the Promenade location can be a bit of a challenge as well. I do not care for Rusan's that much but I know I'm in the minority. It's fine but not great.
What is your basis for judging authenticity?
I like Rusan's for what it is. It's not a place I'd go for dinner, as there are other places I'd much rather be for a good meal. But the lunch buffet is tasy in it's own right.
...and like it very much. The food is made as you order it, and there's more nigiri variety than Rusan's. There is also more contrast in temperature; the broiled eel is warm while the rice it is on is cool. Those contrasts are part of what makes sushi interesting for me. I've had sushi that was near frozen from being in a cooler all night, and I hope to never have that again.
Yeah, it's pretty subjective, isn't it? For one, I don't think there are any Japanese people at Sushi 101. Definitely not the sushi chefs themselves. They're Hispanic and the servers are mostly Americans. It feels more like a chain than an independently owned old school sushi joint.
I've tried the AYCE at Pisces too. I like that it wasn't from a buffet. Instead, the servers kept checking to see if you wanted more then had it made fresh. The rolls were small, but they were tasty. Very cool-looking restaurant too. I'll have to take your word on the eel. It's the one kind of sushi I cannot bring myself to eat!
The vast majority of sushi sold in the USA is what some Japanese would refer to as Gaijin Sushi (more derisively starting with rolls with have rice on the outside which started because Americans balked at eating seaweed. So I don't think there really is any definition of "authentic" in this country. It's whatever the chef in the restaurant says. If you really want authentic, then you want the meat or seafood still moving or looking at you because that way it's considered fresh.
I just had lunch at Fujo (whoo hoo, free!) and it was pretty good. Though, the Godzilla Roll had a little too much sauce. I prefer the rolls to Nigri.
Fre, I don't expect that I am getting "authentic" sushi regardless of what the chef says. I don't understand why anyone in America says "oh, this is authentic" when they usually don't have any idea what authentic is or should be.
I deserved that! But cut me some slack. Go to a place like Mai on Colony Road and then go to Rusan's and tell me which one you THINK would most closely resemble a sushi restaurant in Tokyo?
I deserved that! But cut me some slack. Go to a place like Mai on Colony Road and then go to Rusan's and tell me which one you THINK would most closely resemble a sushi restaurant in Tokyo?
Sorry, didn't really mean to come off as harsh. I guess my point was I have no basis on knowing what is authentic and most people don't. For all I know, you do.
You are right, though, that there are wildy varying quality/preparation. I didn't think Rusan's was all that great but I have only had the buffet.
It's all good. I think a lot of people know an "authentic" cultural experience deep down even if only from travels, books, movies and TV. To give the discussion an Italian spin, I don't think The Olive Garden or Angela's in Mint Hill (LOVE!) is going to give anyone even close to what they'd be served in a Roman or Tuscan restaurant in Italy, but I think most folks know who comes closer.
My "authentic" query stems from an old buddy who has many people convinced he is a gourmet. He tosses around terms like "authentic" and "talented" all the time. Then he tells everyone around why he thinks it's authentic, which usually has nothing to do with actually being authentic. I've been forced to bust on him a few times when his BS gets too deep.
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