There's a feeling you get when someone less intelligent than you is trying to talk down to you; it's this weird admixture of irritation and amusement with a mild sense of impotence because one isn't sure how to respond to the insult without debasing oneself more thoroughly.
that, in a nutshell, is the experience of dining at saketome, the restaurant where the name itself tells you more or less everything you need to know about what you'll experience there. the adage "when someone tells you who they are, believe them" comes to mind when you see that name: confusing, pretentious, and, ultimately, just cynically and unduly impressed with itself.
let's start with the decor: from the weird art (orientalist, racist and confusing portraits of women from various Asian countries? why are there PANDAS on the wall of a "Japanese" restaurant? bill murray? because "lost in translation?") to the insanely busy, insta-friendly interior design, this place is a slap in the face to the very concept of japanese cuisine, which prides itself on restraint and dignity. I wanted to write "picture guy fieri extruding a spicy tuna roll from a caulk gun" to give you an idea of the ethos of this place, but honestly, Guy would never do you this dirty, dear reader. With Guy, what you see is what you get. Saketome is just trying to distract you with shiny BS, hoping you'll miss how underwhelming their food is.
It's never ok when a restaurant this expensive phones in their food, but to do so with sushi in particular is embarrassing because it's simply too hard to hide- the elements at play are too few to smother with a dash of sriracha mayo.
The very concept of sushi, in its brilliance, lies in the subtleties of its construction: the rice must be perfectly cooked and seasoned appropriately; the fish should be handled with the utmost respect, aged, seasoned, cut and prepared with delicacy and humility. Of course, none of this Is present at Saketome. The rice was gluey, overcooked and flavorless; the toro sashimi I ordered arrived in a pile looking as though it had been cut with rusty shears; everything was either over or underseasoned, and presented with little to no consideration for appearance.
I'm actually not a snob. I buy grocery store sushi all the time, I adore a gas station burrito on occasion. what I can't stand is the sort of cynicism and pretension of places like this. It's clearly a cash grab more interested in selling liquor than with any dedication to or respect for its craft, with zero respect for its clientele and probably less for its staff, who seemed tired, harried, and out to lunch (I had to ask three times for my check, two items were forgotten). I've been here a handful of times, repeatedly disappointed after giving it the benefit of the doubt, and will never go again.
If you're set on sushi for dinner, do yourself a favor: go to the fresh market, grab a couple clamshells of their deli sushi and a six pack and go enjoy them by the river. Saketome thinks you're a gormless moron with no self respect. don't give them the satisfaction of your attention. It's more than they deserve. The read more