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Tasuma - 9.22.99
Liberty & Church
"Is Wednesday a good day to eat sushi?" Amy asked as we descended into this
basement restaurant. It looked like a basement. It smelled like a basement. Perhaps the
recent tropical storm had caused the water damage that caused the smell. But the sad
appearance of the denizens of this netherworld only worsened the impression. When the
sushi chef could not satisfactorily answer our query as to the freshness of the fish, we
bolted. Therefore, we cannot state with certainty the quality of the fare. It could be
very good. But we'd say the odds are stacked against it.
UPDATE 3/28/02: I went past this location a
few nights ago. It is directly opposite the World Trade Center and the
building that housed this restaurant was obviously heavily damaged in the
disaster. It's entirely possible that the restaurant had gone out of
business before 9/11/01. But certainly it could not have been so bad as to
have deserved this fate.
Doozo
Sushi - 6/2/99
Thompson St.
Let's start with a salad. It comes interred beneath a quarter inch of a grainy orange
dressing sharp enough to gut a fish. When asked why the dressing was so far deviant from
other dressings, we are told, "It contains more ingredients."
Edemami arrves next, mushy from overcooking and tasting, well, not like edemami. The
second bowl arrives properly cooked but with the oddest hint of old butter. Can sea salt
go bad? The rolls arrive, unremarkable, but brutishly insistent in their mediocre taste
and form.
A compromising staff soothed the offended palette, but the companionship of fruit flies
ensured this would be a meal remembered for the conversation and not the venue.
Kokura - 4/20/99
19 South William St.
This cubic zirconium tucked into the Wall Street district charges 5th Avenue prices for
sushi that wouldn't pass muster in Peoria. The blandness of the traditionally bland salad
was the central theme of the meal. This was carried out, it must be said, to perfection.
We couldn't be sure there was a staff, but we could be sure of this - Kokura is a place
that will leave you hungry for more... at some other restaurant.
Amazing Thai - 1/29/99
Thompson St.
The first time Amy ate here, it was a revelation of lovingly prepared dishes and royally
attentive service. Of course the first time she was there, she had friends from Thailand
in tow.
On our visit, I had friends from Philly along and Amazing Thai lived down to the occasion. The
wrong dishes were served; their replacements arrived, still wrong. The staff showed no
shame for their continual incompetence. They might have done well not have served anything
at all. Anything fried was fried hard, anything fish was dried out. Dinner came to an end
when we were rushed from our post-prandial to make room for a party that had not yet
suffered.
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