R-23

What an excellent place for sushi!

We went there for lunch. We ordered omokase and we were treated to maguro, toro, hamachi, aji(spanish mackeral), sake(salmon), and tamago(egg). But the menu doesn’t have too many non-traditional items like dragon rolls. If you like the more modern sushi rolls, this might not be the place for you.

A couple of tips; enter on 2nd St. is easiest and look on your right hand side after passing “Megatoys”. Also, get there early since the kitchen closes at 2:00 PM.

Highly recommended for traditional sushi.

Thanks to a couple of the awesomest “dining companions” for providing the booty list below. My commentary is provided at no extra charge.

BOOZE:
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Kirin Light $4.50 – Light, refreshing, but I should’ve stuck with the regular.

Echigo $8.50 – Available only in one size (500 cc); tasted clean and ricey.

Asahi Select $5.50 – Never saw this one before. Think of a red label Asahi with an amber color and extra bite. Good, but I wouldn’t get this on my own.

Harushika (Junmai), Large $35 – What the heck…I thought we were going to get a bottle of this stuff. Instead, the sake was served in a small glass decanter with a hollowed, concave center which accommodated a glass sphere of ice. Whatever. The sake was good, but not worth $35 for the pitiful quantity.

Grüner Veltliner, Leth, Steinagrund, Austria 2007 $38 – A dry and crisp white – thought this added a nice and classy touch to the mediocre dinner.

FISH:
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Spicy Tuna Roll $6 – YAWN. Booooring. I’ve had better for less at crunchy-maki-yaki-type places. A sloppy presentation with too much rice (which was on the soggy side) and wimpy nori.

Tuna/Maguro $6 – Hands down, the ruby reddest flesh I’d ever seen. There was no correlation between its gorgeous gem-like hue and unmemorable, almost absent, flavor.

Halibut/Hirame $6 – Good effort, had a pleasant snap.

Salmon/Sake $6 – THIS was unusual, in a good and unexpected way. Salmon typically melts in my mouth, but this baby required some heavy mastication. The texture was closer to a hearty snapper rather than an oily pat of butter. I enjoyed this.

Red Snapper/Tai $8 – No soy. Dressed up with a dash of yuzu and sea salt. Tasty.

Spanish Mackerel/Aji $8 – Unusually buttery – the aji literally fused into the pores of my tongue. Chewing would’ve been optional had it not been for the rice accompaniment.

Jumbo Clam (Geoduck)/Mirugai $10 – dry and plasticy. I enjoy a good mirugai, but this one was too leathery with the consistency of tarp (yeah, that’s what I said).

Needlefish/Sayori $8 – This was the least fresh of the bunch. No distinctive flavor other than its slight hint of fishiness which I attribute to lack of freshness.

Scallop/Hotate $4 – Flabby little globs of scallop served in the style of a typical “spicy scallop nigiri” but without the spicy. Serving size was stingy – my scallops didn’t runneth over the nori border.

Salmon Egg/Ikura $8 – SIGH. This wasn’t good. The egg balls were misshapen and didn’t burst into an ocean of salty briny love upon mastication. These eggs came out of a white plastic jar…looked pretty cheap and old.

Sea Urchin/Uni $10 – Had almost a radioactive orange hue. Flavor was good; not offensive by any means. I’ve certainly had better, but this was passing.

Fresh Kumamoto Oysters $12 – Good but not great. Served with a wedge of lemon and a side of bland cocktail sauce.

Ankimo – Steamed Monk Fish Liver with Spicy Ponzu Sauce $10.50 – I enjoyed this. The ankimo had a nice, smooth pate texture. The liver is not available as nigiri, but you can order as an appetizer from the kitchen.

Fresh Water Eel/Unagi $6 – Decent, a bit firmer than what I’m used to. The sauce had a thick consistency akin to tar and a rich maple syrup color. Anything beyond its small strip of application would’ve been sugar overload.

Beef Sashimi $15 – BLAH! This was definitely the worst of the worst. My “dining companions” thought this was a decent dish, but I was almost compelled to fling the meat back to the kitchen and demand more tender cuts. These strips tasted like well-done sirloin pieces served beneath a deceptive cloak of rare preparation.

Japanese-Style Ceviche $14 – Very good, but I imagine this dish is hard to screw up. I regret that the liberal application of cilantro and lime juice ousted any semblance of Japanese-ness, but life goes on. Served on a crispy rice bowl (reminded me of a Taco Bell taco salad tortilla).

Egg Cake/Tamago $4 – No thank you. No natural eggy flavor and a bit on the firm side. Overpowering sweetness that seems to originate from a man-made source (e.g., high fructose corn syrup, aspartame, etc.).

SUMMARY:
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I wouldn’t return and I definitely would not recommend R23 to my friends. For its hype (and a solid 26 Zagat food rating), I expected much more. Don’t get me wrong – the ambiance is quite lovely and a hip/elegant spot for a date, but don’t come here expecting great sushi.

One of my favorite sushi restaurants!!! Love to go there before a show or an opening… It feels like Soho.

Top notch sushi…helpful staff…great chefs…nice atmosphere…

Cooked dishes are tops also…try the Lobster Tempura!