Kamehachi of Tokyo

11/05/09

Still open. Still pretty good.

by MealSchpeal com at Citysearch

How does a place remain open for years and years when fewer than 10% of its tables are ever filled and dining room ineptitude can hold its own with LA’s laziest? Several ways:

1.) Brand-showroom – OK with losing money

2.) Money-laundering front

3.) Successful daddy schooling loser sonny

1: brand-showroom works well for Nokia and Levi’s but not too many people go to a restaurant to browse. 2 and 3: it’s kinda hard to launder in the days of credit cards and given how long Kamehachi Old Town has been around, I’d say the offspring are either entrenched or homeless. Whatever. Kamehachi Streeterville is here to stay.

Upon entering the restaurant, one detects a faint trace of a disagreeable odor that seems like a mixture of spoiled fish and industrial cleaning solvent. Not good for a sushi restaurant. Getting seated can take several minutes and having a waiter notice can take multiples more. In all fairness, today, the waiter was prompt, polite and attentive and did an overall excellent job. However, considering that I used to work a block away and spent a fair number of lunches waiting on the waiter I can safely tell you that this experience is atypical.

When Kamehachi Streeterville first opened, getting a sashimi plate could (and did) take 45 minutes+. My party walked out before. Now, getting sashimi, 6 pieces of nigiri and 4 rolls took less than 15. Yes, nothing says PIG like when they slide over the table next to you so everything can fit. For two people. Shut up. The point is that it came, was timely and above all, GOOD! With a major exception. The tuna sashimi sucked great pacific garbage patch.

Dear Kamehachi, when one orders a sashimi plate, please do not think that you will make up in quantity what you lack in quality. Mind you that all I know about this I read in Sushi Economy but the closer a cut gets to the tail, the more of those icky white sinews and tendons one has to chew. Fish gristle is not a good thing. Tuna should melt in your mouth. I looked at the beautiful, deep red cuts of tuna nigiri at the table next to us and drooled. Why not use such cuts with ours? Would this refuse not be better camouflaged in a spicy mayo roll than a sashimi platter? You bring great shame to your family Streeterville-san.

So as not to end on a bad note, the summer rolls with spicy chili oil are the best rolls on the menu (the best of many menus) and shrimp tempura is battered and fried all over not leaving you with a raw tail to swallow like at some places. (Yes, of course I eat the tails and so should you.) And the rest of the sashimi was good too. If this experience is now the norm at Kamehachi Streeterville then I guess I can start coming again. Just get rid of that strange smell.

• Pros: Summer Rolls. Chili oil spice, sushi boads
• Cons: Slow service, inconsistent food, strange smell

10/17/08

Amazing Customer Service

by chang21 at Citysearch

We walked into this restaurant craving oysters on a whim. It was near closing time and the restaurant was almost empty but we were seated by a polite waitress. She was attentive, friendly and even asked us for another glass of wine when it was clear the cleaning staff had performed their last duty. Japanese restaurants are not known to have oyster plates, and we had called ahead to make sure they had oysters. Even though they only had oyster shooters on their menu, they accommodated our request for an oyster plate. It was delicious. The manager graciously gave one of our orders of oysters on the house for the misunderstanding. The customer service at Kamehachi was refreshing and one of the best I've received in a very long time. They know how to treat their customers.

• Pros: Customer service
• Cons: closes at 11:30pm

09/03/08

Skip it

by sleepybuggy11 at Citysearch

If you like mediocre over-priced Japanese food, try this sushi place. My husband and I were excited to have a nice sushi/sashimi dinner in Chicago. We read a few reviews and decided to dine here. We should've left when we didn't see a single Japanese person eating here. We were greeted by a hostess, and immediately seated by the sushi bar. The sushi chefs were all non-Japanese which should've been clue #2. The warm sake wasn't that warm. The rainbow rolls were pitiful. The rice was cold and soggy and the fish was not fresh. The portion was small. The miso was pretty good. I have to admit.

We ordered the sushi deluxe dinner. It was non-eventful. What a forgetful night. We wanted to hurry and pay for the meal and leave. Our check came up $65.00. I think you should try another sushi place.

I do not recommend this place. I'm Asian and expect better sushi.

• Pros: Prompt seating.
• Cons: The food!