I wanted to try something different this year for my birthday dinner; I was craving sushi, but couldn't decide on which restaurant. After looking through a multitude of Yelp reviews I decided on Bayridge Sushi based on their positive reviews, menu offerings, location, and overall beauty of the restaurant.
We were heading to Bayridge around 6pm on Wednesday. I called to book a reservation for two and the hostess explained there was no wait, so no need for a reservation. When Nancy and I arrived, we were greeted promptly and seated at one of the booths near the center of the restaurant.
Originally, I thought Bayridge was much more expensive than two of the other restaurant options on my list; however, when we arrived and looked the menu, I noticed some of the pricing was lower than what I was finding online so kudos to Bayridge for being competitive in their market.
We started our experience with the Scorpion Lovers Bowl ($19). This is a concoction of Bacardi Superior Rum, Gin, Amaretto, Apricot Brandy, Myers Rum, OJ, Pineapple Juice, and Grenadine. The drink is large enough for two to share and when delivered comes with a flaming shot in the center; a great way to start the party. There are also cocktail swords with orange slices and maraschino cherries floating around in the mix. Funny my dad always used to give these little swords to me when I was a kid and I would incorporate them into my GI Joe battles, good times.
For dinner, my original plan was to order one of those huge sushi boats, because this was a special day; however, I realized we could maximize our dollar and quantity received by ordering two sushi/sashimi combo plates instead. We decided on the Sushi & Sashimi Combo ($31.95) which comes with a choice of soup and a small salad with ginger dressing. We also ordered a bowl of seaweed salad ($5.95) to share, that we requested to delivered the same time as our meal.
Our soup and salads arrived quickly. Nancy chose the onion soup, which also has mushrooms in it, and I chose the Miso. Both soups were excellent, but I have to say the onion with mushroom was the winner for us. The salads were also delicious and were served a little heavy on the ginger dressing, which I am ok with because in my opinion most sushi restaurants never provide enough.
Our main course took about 20 minutes to prepare and was served on these huge decorative plates; absolutely lovely! All of the fish was exceptional. No weird smells or anything questionable. You can tell this was the good stuff. The combo comes with the 15 pieces of the chef's choice of sashimi, 7 pieces of sushi, & and a spicy tuna roll (8 pieces). I was completely satisfied with my meal, everything was delicious!
Nancy on the other hand is not a huge raw fish fan, so I am sure her review will differ. After seeing the huge specialty rolls other guests ordered I knew she would have rather have ordered two of those, sorry honey!
We finished our meal with fried cheesecake and ice cream ($7.95), which was delicious and plenty enough for Nancy and I to share. The staff were wonderful, as they all sang happy birthday to me, which really made this experience special.
Our server, Aaron, was friendly, upbeat, attentive, yet forgetful at times. I have to give him credit for trying hard to make my birthday meal special, but he dropped the ball at bringing out the seaweed salad, and our condiments nearly 10-min after our main course was dropped off. We were quite hungry and were disappointed that the most important items to compliment our meal were delivered so late.
The restaurant is gorgeous and you can definitely plan a romantic date night here. Everything was clean, and organized. Even if you do not have to use the restroom, be sure to stop in just to wash up because the black ceramic toilets, urinals, contrasted against the grey and white tile is a site to be seen. Very cool!
All-in-all Bayridge Sushi was an excellent choice for my birthday this year and I look forward to returning to try some of their other offerings soon. read more