Sushi (omakase)

by Celia Sin-Tien Cheng
October 27, 2005

SUSHI OF GARI
402 E 78th St
(1st & York Aves)
New York, NY 10075
212-517-5340

You know how there are some experiences that are just so painful that you desperately try to suppress them in the attempt to forget? Well, this is one of those experiences, except that I really can’t and won’t forget.

I had reviewed Sushi of Gari back in March of this year. That was my first time at the restaurant and I not only had a good experience but was also with good company, which I’m sure made things even better. Since March, I’ve been back twice, including once trying Gari on the UWS. Gari tries too hard to be a chic/trendy restaurant in contrast to its hole-in-the-wall older brother, Sushi of Gari, but the food is still decent.

This was my birthday dinner and disappointment and anger doesn’t begin to explain how I feel. The service was beyond rude, especially from the only waitress (the rest of the staff were male) working there that night who behaved as if she were some bratty guest and we were the ones who should serve her. We had a party of three and asked to be seated at the counter, which was empty. But they declined and told us it was booked. The counter stayed half empty the entire time we dined at the restaurant. Strike one.

We ordered the omakase as usual. I’ve had several discussions with friends about the sushi here, and the debate about smothering fish with sauces or other ingredients always comes up. I feel that if there is a good balance and it enhances the flavor of both the fish and the embellishment then it’s justified. There are purists who believe that fish should not be accompanied by anything else. This time, I better understood my friends’ point of view as I found only one of the onigiri’s to have good balance: the maguro with fresh tofu cream on top. Everything else seemed heavy-handed to me. Strike two.

I also started to feel that the fish itself was not of top quality since the fancier toppings could cover it up. What tipped the balance for me was a serving of seared scallop with ponzu on rice. The scallop was small and completely cooked through. It was horrible. We then proceeded to ask for hotate (scallop) sashimi, which is really one of the best things one could ever eat raw. They responded that they don’t serve scallop sashimi. It didn’t make sense since they serve it seared, but then I understood. The quality of the scallop must not be good enough to serve raw, hence why they cook it. That is just disgusting! If you do that you should not be allowed to call yourself a sushi restaurant. Strike three! You’re out! Just on the merit of this last point alone, I will never eat there again.

Looking around, I was troubled by what I felt the first time round but decided to ignore. Most of the diners at the restaurant eat here because Sushi of Gari is their neighborhood Japanese restaurant. The crowd was a bizarre mix of people and the most common orders looked like teriyaki and salmon rolls — American-adapted Japanese food. There are some people who come for the more exotic sushi but they were the minority that night. If you take a look at their menu, it’s hard to tell the difference between Sushi of Gari and somewhere like Japonica — I can hardly find a worse insult.

Did I mention that it was my birthday dinner?! What a way to turn 32.

Also in Japanese, Seafood, Sushi, UES