Geisha House

Tried it. Should have done a better job managing expectations. Not sure why I thought a place named "Geisha House" and owned by Vietnamese dudes would be a great sushi experience.

The sake list is very nice, the GM who put it together is a Kenichi (Dallas) disciple, so that's no surprise. Unfortunately they didn't have the first two sakes we ordered, so we had Chikurin "Depth" which is a nice sake but can be purchased locally retail.

Service is sincere and friendly which is a good sign. There were a couple minor errors which is acceptable for only the second night open.

The appetizer list had a couple interesting choices, including a good sized hamachi cheek (oversauced, but cooked nicely and with a good, charred skin). Seaweed salad featured 3 different seaweeds, one standard wakame, and the two other I forget. The red (arame?) had a nice soft texture but the dressing was overly vinegary, which made it difficult to enjoy as much as I wanted to. The last (alaria?) had an interesting crunchy texture, but a dull dressing which did nothing to enhance it.

We ordered a saba (mackerel) sashimi, but it came out as nigiri. A minor error. Unfortunately, the saba was significantly over vinegared, basically pickled. This threw off the otherwise nice texture of the fish, demolished any possible flavor from the rice, and obliterated the flavor of the fish itself. Saba is typically a very accurate gauge of a sushi restaurant's quality but unfortunately it's a double edged sword that leaves you disappointed far often than not. There's a reason many people say that they don't like mackerel sushi - and it's not that the fish is bad.

We also ordered otoro sashimi, a tataki. A decent value at $20 for 6 pieces (plus a small bonus piece!). Again the dish was marred by a lack of expertise. The toro was just not that great, less than perfect texture and flavor, and to compound the middling quality of the fish, there was a thin strip of connective tissue down the middle of each piece which is somewhat jarring while trying to appreciate the texture of otoro sashimi. A small thing that average people probably wouldn't notice or care about I guess.

We also ordered hirame (flounder) and tuna (akami) nigiri. Both ok, neither great. I've had better (and worse) flounder nigiri around town in terms of flavor, same with the tuna, although I don't know that I'd call it "granular" which was how my dining companion described it. The sushi rice was slightly overcooked, underseasoned, and packed too tightly. Which is to say, standard Americanized nigiri. Wasabi was a reconstituted paste (not worth bothering with). No hot towel to start the meal off with (since the best way to eat nigiri sushi is with your fingers, it's nice to wipe them off before eating). Another companion ordered the udon, which had the nice 'universe in a bowl' look and nice thick udon noodles which I did not try. The broth however was lacking, pretty much a straightforward holder of ingredients, rather than a deep or complex masterpiece which you may hope for in a $17 bowl of udon. The list of entrees focused mainly on teriyakis and wasn't particularly interesting.

Service was acceptable and pleasant (and cute!). The decor and set up were very nice, creating a pleasant, comfortable atmosphere. There was an outdoor patio which looked like a good place to enjoy a bottle of sake and maybe a roll of cream cheese and tempura bits, if you're into that sort of thing. Prices were comparable to Kenichi (that is to say, fairly expensive) but the quality of ingredients and level of execution weren't commiserate imo.

I don't want to sound like I'm knocking the place or anything. Anybody, in particular women, who "omg love sushi" or have ever had a roll that's "to die for", could probably have a great experience there. So please don't let my comments sway anybody from trying it.

thanks for the help TG