Has anyone been to Ginza lately?

[Robin Garr]

I was eager to check out Ginza ever since seeing a number of you speak very well of the place, and for whatever it's worth, it seemed to fill the CJ guy all full of warm fuzzies.

But we got over there the other day and were profoundly disappointed, in ways that just didn't seem like "bad day" but "systemic issues." The only thing I can think of is that maybe the sushi chefs show their best with the fancy rolls and skilled cutting at the sushi bar, while if you sit out at the tables and order from the menu you're dealing with the second string. Or something.

Any thoughts on this, from Ginza fans or anyone who's been there lately?

We ended up there the other night after i posted the sushi thread on here.

We ordered a ton of different sushi rolls and everyone seemed to enjoy them. My buddy did say he liked Sapporo better, but i don't think anyone was disappointed. We also had a Rocken shrimp appetizer which tasted like the bang-bang shrimp at bonefish grill, but they were larger and done tempura style. I had a General Tso's for dinner. Both were pretty good.

I would say that we would return, i think it is a good addition to Middletown. I don't think the food blew anyone away, but I could see putting it on the rotation esp since my wife likes sushi but they have other options for myself who is not as big a fan. I like the atmosphere too.

I will say that service was abysmal that night. Our server had like 2 twelve tops and 3-5 other tables, she just couldn't keep up although she did good for as much as she had. Luckily we were drinking beer and in no hurry, but some other tables might have not been so thrilled with the wait for their food. They better get some more help in there if they plan to be busy.

Also...to clarify...Robin you may be much more of a sushi expert than anyone i was eating with. So we may have just enjoyed the second string sushi which you thought was underwhelming lol.

However the general consensus I got was it was as good as some of the other places around town like Hiko-a-mon, Sapporo, etc.

[Robin Garr]

Also...to clarify...Robin you may be much more of a sushi expert than anyone i was eating with. So we may have just enjoyed the second string sushi which you thought was underwhelming lol.

No way, Jason! Your opinion counts! We were much more disappointed with several poorly prepared items from the menu (why, no, I don't care for chicken sushi, thank you very much!); but one of our sushi choices stank of over-ripe salmon, and as those who remember how outraged I was with a Bardstown Road sushi joint for selling bad fish will know, that is a deadly sin for me with sushi.

I do think they probably do best with the fancy hand-made sushi dishes made at the sushi bar, though, and that's what I'll probably recommend folks try.

We went over the Holidays and really enjoyed the place, but didn't eat sushi. I had the Basil Duck and the wife had some kind of Americanese dish (Generals?). Both were great, especially the Basil Duck.