Review: Sushi O (Midlothian, Virginia)
Below is the text of a review I originally posted to Yelp.com, and it relates to a dinner experience on my girlfriend's (age-redacted) birthday. She loves sushi, and I'm happy to oblige her at the local "bait shops." People do crazy things for the people they love.
Before reading the review, note that I have no relationship with Sushi O, its employees, agents, its competitors and/or competitor employees/agents. Further, I do not hold, nor held, any ill will toward Sushi O, and the details relayed below are an honest accounting of my experiences and should be interpreted strictly as personal opinion. Further, I intend no harm to the Sushi O organization, its employees or agents.
And as one should surely expect with any review, your individual mileage may vary.
-------------------------
Original review appears here: http://www.yelp.com/biz/sushi-o-midlothian#hrid:DJcKaea6ExXfMLqcAvuEmg
It appears that I will be the first to review this restaurant at any level short of perfection; indeed, my experience at Sushi-O (Midlothian, Virginia) was certainly less than perfect, and I take no pleasure in what I am about to report.
We arrived roughly 90-minutes before closing time (10PM on Weekdays) and were seated promptly in an empty dining room. At that time, there were a few bar flies drinking and watching basketball on the bar's 40" LCD, but my girlfriend and I were otherwise alone. And as the boyfriend to a woman who greatly appreciates sushi, I've eaten in all of the sushi establishments in Richmond, and VERY few are THIS quiet. The lack of activity here certainly doesn't indicate a rosy future for this establishment, which is unfortunate for the owners, but also could be seen as an indicator for the quality of the food and the relative pricing thereof.
Let me state up front here -- Sushi O is expensive, and a quick glance at their menu will show their pricing is between 20-50% higher than equivalent sushi restaurants in our area.
Generally speaking, consumers can accept some hike in price when it can be attributed to a restaurant's atmosphere and hard-working wait staff, but that's a stretch here. In the latter respect, we report that we did have much trouble attracting the attention of the wait staff during our meal -- Why? They were all gathered at the bar, watching basketball on the TV. Now, perhaps the basketball game on the TV was a nail-biter, but its hard to excuse a wait staff from their responsibilities to paying customers on the account of basketball, particularly at a restaurant where the entrees can cost upwards of $30/plate. Really, watch the game on your own time and dime, and at least present the illusion that your customer's are worth your efforts by filling their water glasses occasionally. Poor form.
I also report that the food at Sushi O is somewhat lacking.
Priced at the lower end of Sushi O's available options ($16), my girlfriend ordered "Second Base" (oddly, this is absent from the restaurant's web site); the plate consisted of 3 rather diminutive rolls: 1 California roll, 1 Spicy Tuna roll, and 1 Vegan Roll. And as a woman who does NOT enjoy heavy spicing, my girlfriend inquired about substituting the included spicy tuna roll (individually priced at $6) for salmon ($4.50) but was told that there would be an additional charge of $2-3 for the downgrade substitution. Considering that the roll she desired was *cheaper* that the included roll, this seemed an unusual charge -- and she elected to keep the original setup.
When the sushi arrived, she noted that the rice was old and had become pasty, almost like half-dried Elmer's glue. As an explanation, I suppose the restaurant had held off on cooking additional rice that evening on account of the slow dining room; again, this is rather hard to excuse.
For my entree, I decided to order the chicken Teriyaki, priced at $16. The low-brow "sizzling" platter on which my meal arrived was reminiscent of the same one might find in an Applebee's or low-cost Mexican establishment, and was unexpected from a restaurant of Sushi O's presumed stature. Further flogging my senses and expectations was an obviously store-purchased 6-oz chicken breast fillet so horribly overcooked to the point of requiring a steak knife to consume. Also included were 5 broccoli florets and two carrot slivers, over which at least 12-oz of Teriyaki sauce was applied. It left the meal and my mind swimming: did I order soup?
Moreover, I was left searching for the value in our experience. The quiet dining area was appreciated, but the same attribute can be found elsewhere in Richmond, and in locations in which the wait staff is attentive and the food properly cooked. Portions seemed small, given the pricing, and not up to the "fine dining" taste Sushi O is apparently attempting to produce.
In the end, the capstone on the evening came at the conclusion of our meal, when our waitress presented a bill for my signature, along with a pen advertising another of Richmond's restaurants (Can Can). I can only assume that this gaff was a will-intended attempt attempt to do us a service by subtly inviting us to take our business elsewhere next time.
Indeed, we will.
Before reading the review, note that I have no relationship with Sushi O, its employees, agents, its competitors and/or competitor employees/agents. Further, I do not hold, nor held, any ill will toward Sushi O, and the details relayed below are an honest accounting of my experiences and should be interpreted strictly as personal opinion. Further, I intend no harm to the Sushi O organization, its employees or agents.
And as one should surely expect with any review, your individual mileage may vary.
-------------------------
Original review appears here: http://www.yelp.com/biz/sushi-o-midlothian#hrid:DJcKaea6ExXfMLqcAvuEmg
It appears that I will be the first to review this restaurant at any level short of perfection; indeed, my experience at Sushi-O (Midlothian, Virginia) was certainly less than perfect, and I take no pleasure in what I am about to report.
We arrived roughly 90-minutes before closing time (10PM on Weekdays) and were seated promptly in an empty dining room. At that time, there were a few bar flies drinking and watching basketball on the bar's 40" LCD, but my girlfriend and I were otherwise alone. And as the boyfriend to a woman who greatly appreciates sushi, I've eaten in all of the sushi establishments in Richmond, and VERY few are THIS quiet. The lack of activity here certainly doesn't indicate a rosy future for this establishment, which is unfortunate for the owners, but also could be seen as an indicator for the quality of the food and the relative pricing thereof.
Let me state up front here -- Sushi O is expensive, and a quick glance at their menu will show their pricing is between 20-50% higher than equivalent sushi restaurants in our area.
Generally speaking, consumers can accept some hike in price when it can be attributed to a restaurant's atmosphere and hard-working wait staff, but that's a stretch here. In the latter respect, we report that we did have much trouble attracting the attention of the wait staff during our meal -- Why? They were all gathered at the bar, watching basketball on the TV. Now, perhaps the basketball game on the TV was a nail-biter, but its hard to excuse a wait staff from their responsibilities to paying customers on the account of basketball, particularly at a restaurant where the entrees can cost upwards of $30/plate. Really, watch the game on your own time and dime, and at least present the illusion that your customer's are worth your efforts by filling their water glasses occasionally. Poor form.
I also report that the food at Sushi O is somewhat lacking.
Priced at the lower end of Sushi O's available options ($16), my girlfriend ordered "Second Base" (oddly, this is absent from the restaurant's web site); the plate consisted of 3 rather diminutive rolls: 1 California roll, 1 Spicy Tuna roll, and 1 Vegan Roll. And as a woman who does NOT enjoy heavy spicing, my girlfriend inquired about substituting the included spicy tuna roll (individually priced at $6) for salmon ($4.50) but was told that there would be an additional charge of $2-3 for the downgrade substitution. Considering that the roll she desired was *cheaper* that the included roll, this seemed an unusual charge -- and she elected to keep the original setup.
When the sushi arrived, she noted that the rice was old and had become pasty, almost like half-dried Elmer's glue. As an explanation, I suppose the restaurant had held off on cooking additional rice that evening on account of the slow dining room; again, this is rather hard to excuse.
For my entree, I decided to order the chicken Teriyaki, priced at $16. The low-brow "sizzling" platter on which my meal arrived was reminiscent of the same one might find in an Applebee's or low-cost Mexican establishment, and was unexpected from a restaurant of Sushi O's presumed stature. Further flogging my senses and expectations was an obviously store-purchased 6-oz chicken breast fillet so horribly overcooked to the point of requiring a steak knife to consume. Also included were 5 broccoli florets and two carrot slivers, over which at least 12-oz of Teriyaki sauce was applied. It left the meal and my mind swimming: did I order soup?
Moreover, I was left searching for the value in our experience. The quiet dining area was appreciated, but the same attribute can be found elsewhere in Richmond, and in locations in which the wait staff is attentive and the food properly cooked. Portions seemed small, given the pricing, and not up to the "fine dining" taste Sushi O is apparently attempting to produce.
In the end, the capstone on the evening came at the conclusion of our meal, when our waitress presented a bill for my signature, along with a pen advertising another of Richmond's restaurants (Can Can). I can only assume that this gaff was a will-intended attempt attempt to do us a service by subtly inviting us to take our business elsewhere next time.
Indeed, we will.
posted by Brent | 10:51 AM
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