momiji

birthday dinner. went to check out the new momijirestaurantfor my husband's birthday. beautiful place , loved the japanese style garden in the middle but the food fell short of my expectation. cilantro and onions in my chirashi? really?. miso shiru with hardly any taste at all and served with a chinese soup spoon? $12.00 for a glass of wine...should i keep going.? not what i expect for a japaneserestaurantin any price range. as a japanese person, i was very disappointed that these kinds of dishes are being passed off as "japanese" food.

if you're craving something a little on the lighter side because you've been eating too many christmas cookies, then sushi is the perfect choice. we tried momiji on capital hill during happy hour for our latest night out without the kiddos. the surrounding restaurants and bars looked pretty empty but when we walked into momiji, and without a reservation, the small lobby was filling up fast with people waiting. luckily for us, the wait was only ten minutes and before i knew it we were seated in the dining room. i was happy to see that the happy hour is available throughout therestaurantand not just in the bar area. the space was dark with an upscale and classy feel. the service was fast and accommodating. they have a courtyard behind glass walls in the center of therestaurantthat would be great for hanging out at in the warmer months.

good food, way too noisy. the food was pretty tasty and nicely presented. therestaurantinterior looked beautiful, but the noise level was actually painful. i could not enjoy the food or the conversation and felt quite exhausted by the end of the meal—like i feel when i get that seat in the back of the plan by the engine. not a single surface has any sound absorptive material, so the decibel level is really high. my cell phone alarm rang for five minutes during the meal and i did not even hear it. if you like noise, this could be therestaurantfor you, but i will not be going back.

decent new japanese place. in the end, this was a pretty decent restaurant, a nice mix of cooked/izakaya style japanese food and lots of crazy sushi rolls. we had a couple of dishes from their seasonal kaiseki menu, a "008" roll and various other dishes. at first i was a little put off by the high prices since i was expecting tiny plates/portions, in the end, we actually ordered slightly too much food (always a good thing). the highlights were the hamachi jalapeno sashimi with ponzu sauce, the sauted mushrooms, the spicy tofu. the enormous roll (hence the high price) easily double most typical rolls were ok, it would be better if the rice wasn't so mushy.

cat didn't like the chawan-mushi as much, and the kakuni was not so good, not soft enough, not enough of the fatty pork shoulder.

i would try this place again, happy we tried this tonight. therestaurantis surprisingly large.