Expensive But Not Worth It
The solid green doors weren't exactly inviting, and the place looked empty, but we went in anyway. It was empty, it turned out - nobody was even there to greet us, but we waited and a few moments later a slender young woman in a long Japanese print dress seated us. No a la cart menu at the table, so my dinner companion got up and retrieved one from the sushi bar. I opted for the pricey ($25) bento box, thinking the banana tempura sounded good, and looking forward to the variety of foodstuffs. While we waited, we were brought miso and salad; the usual fare. The salad included soft steamed broccoli, which seemed odd, and the dressing was laid atop in a thick blob that lacked the pep of ordinary sushi shop salad dressing. The soup was good, and included a variety of mix-ins.

My box arrived quickly, and thinking this speed the product of an empty house, I waited patiently for my partner's food to arrive. Strangely, her shrimp tempura roll, spicy yellow tail, and Philadelphia rolls didn't come as fast as my box, with its tofu teriyaki, thick sesame noodles, seaweed salad, avocado rolls, and banana tempura. After a while, I dipped into the seaweed salad. It had the right texture, but something was off. I tried adding the cucumber slices that were in the same compartment, and found they had been steamed, or at least, they were very soft and warm. This didn't taste fresh at all, but it went down a little better. I shared some with my partner, who agreed it didn't taste right. Her food finally arrived, and I blundered on through the box. When eating something as oily as sesame noodles, you hope to get a light, sweet reward. These were unpleasantly greasy, with nary a sesame seed in sight. I normally finish everything on my plate, but I stopped halfway through the noodles, and decided against coming back to them.

The tofu teriyaki was fine, but then I proceeded to the avocado maki rolls. The avocado was not at all firm, and tasted, like the seaweed, not at all fresh. I worked my way through it anyway, trusting that nothing could go wrong with a vegetarian plate, especially when zapped with the (liquidy) wasabi. The banana tempura, on the other hand, was crispy and carmelized.

My dinner partner said the spicy roll had a unique flavor and was good and spicy, but the fish was obviously old (salmon was more brown than pink, she said).

Our conclusion: the bento box had been under a hot lamp in the back, which is why it was so quick to arrive; if you choose to eat at Genji, choose a la cart sushi, and don't be foolish like I was: if you don't like your food, send it back and demand better! I felt guilty for paying for my dinner - don't let this happen to you.

To finish, no orange slice or hot towel - instead, we were presented with moist towelettes in long narrow plastic bags that made them look like tampons.

Genji's decor includes cute fish and squid shaped chopstick rests, yellow stucco walls, and dangling, home-repaired electrical cords powering wall-mounted track lights that illuminate...nothing. The one-man sushi bar was open, but a Japanese steakhouse style area with cooktop-equipped tables was dark when we visited.    [20 Jun 2006 22:53:58]

Food:    Service:    Ambiance:    Overall: 
Recommended Dishes: Banana Tempura is Nice

     ­Anonymous