Sunday, April 3, 2011

Tsunami- Take 2-The Final Chapter

When I wrote about Tsunami recently, I told you that it was ok overall and that I'd go back.  Well, I did.  But, I won't again.


Neil and I went back yesterday to use another Groupon.  This time we sat at a table in the dining room.  We had a pleasant waiter and I must say that the food service was very quick and courteous.  Once again, the food was good and warranted pretty much no complaints.  We started with the shrimp shumai.  They were very tender and had a nice soy dipping sauce.  The dumpling filling could have used some salt though, in my opinion.  I ordered the "My, My, Mai" roll.  I loved it.  The one misstep was that when I read the menu, I overlooked the "krab" component. I would have told them to hold that...I just can't understand any sushi place serving fake crab.  Why friggin' bother?  Who really wants to eat that?  Anyway, the roll was quite good...tempura shrimp, spicy mayo, cucumber, cream cheese and topped with baked salmon flakes and caviar.  Nice.  Neil ordered the "Heartbreaker" roll...spicy tuna, avocado, cucumber.  It was billed as "hot" but as you can imagine, it didn't even register on the Neil Akre hotness scale.  Neil also ordered the beef spring roll.  We both agreed here...awesome.


So, what is it that will prevent me from going back?  Once again, I ran into trouble when it came time to pay.  This time our waiter wasn't intimidated by the Groupon.  He handled it without batting an eye.  BUT, we were charged for two vodka tonics but only actually had one.  AND I noticed that the two martinis that we ordered had a $1 "martini upcharge" tacked on.  Assuming they are actually using vermouth, it's only a  minimal splash necessary for a good martini.  I seriously doubt that any martini I've ever had in my life would have contained more than $.25 worth of vermouth.  And I don't believe that I need to compensate the establishment a dollar for shaking up some liquid and pouring it in a glass.  Frankly, "upcharging" your clientele is just plain bullshit.
You wouldn't like me when you "upcharge" me!


So, Neil and I left and decided that although we had a good meal and an overall pleasant experience, that we wouldn't be back.  Smooth service is particularly important to us and B.S. when it comes to the bill just makes me insane.  


I still have one more Groupon, so if anyone out there is a Tsunami fan and wants to use it, please let me know.  I'll be happy to let you have it and hopefully, your experience will be better than mine. 

Tsunami Japanese Sushi Bar on Urbanspoon

3 comments:

  1. I have yet to trust Groupon as a real deal. I think the stores simply over inflate their normal price and trick you with their 50% off coupon.

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  2. I have no problem with Groupon. Most restaurants only honor it for food, not booze. So, this upcharge on martinis is just plain gouging. Unfortunately, John Q. Public thinks anything in a martini glass is "faincy" and they don't know any better. It's probably the most minimalist cocktail known to man!

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  3. Elizabeth, try Wasabi on Hardscrable Rd. It's out of the way for most people in Columbia, but the sushi is the best anywhere that I've ever been. The owner, Son, is the former owner of Saki on Fort Jackson Blvd. After eating at Wasabi, you'll never have a good experience anywhere else--no kidding. Nothing compares. It's that good. Give it it shot.

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