really unfortunate. you would expect that a restaurant that just opened would be trying to make a good first impression. you would think that if it was a completely empty monday night, they would work hard to give their only two guests a positive experience. and you would think that the wait staff would have been trained at least a little, say, to know what "nigiri" means. unfortunately, on our first (and last) trip to pinto, none of these was the case.
we started with the rainbow tartare. it's not clear why it's called a "tartare," since it is not finely chopped (do the owners think tartare just means raw/), but we were prepared to like it anyway. the fish quality was good. other than that, there wasn't much to like about it. the "tartare" itself came with a very light, somewhat bland sauce. it was sitting on a bed of completely dry, raw greens. they were not dressed. it indicated a lack of effort that would continue through the dinner.
next, we got the medium omakase. the fish was decent. the highlight was a couple beautiful pieces of hamachi. other parts were disappointing. the red tuna was bland, mealy, and slightly grey; it seemed like it was left over from the weekend. the salmon roe was congealing into a gel, as opposed to consisting of individual bright, pops of flavor. surprisingly, the halibut (or was it flounder?) tasted better than the snapper, which also seemed like it had been sitting out for too long.
i don't know if they had white king salmon that night, but it didn't make it to our omakase. this is a little funny, in light of the fact that we paid $35 for the medium, and afterward i added up the prices of the individual pieces--if we had ordered a la carte, the same selection would have been $31. not exactly what you expect from "omakase."
the most dismal part of our meal came at the end: we finished with the garlic and pepper chicken. first, it came hilariously on a huge bed of bland, unseasoned roasted carrots and broccoli. even that was easily forgivable if it had been good at all. it wasn't.
the worst parts were the two main components: the chicken and the sauce. the chicken was just badly prepared. it had no texture left to it. it was simply mushy. the sauce was also amateurish. it had no depth at all. it was completely one note, and that note wasn't even garlic; it was a bland reminder of what garlic might taste like. we left over half the chicken on our plate.
it's just another example of the owner/manager not caring. they don't care about food, and they don't care about dining. so many of us work hard in life; i don't know why we shouldn't expect the same of others. sure, it takes a lot of effort to keep a restaurant consistently good for years, but wouldn't you be at your best so soon after opening?
it's clear what will happen to this place. right now, they are trying to seem somewhat upscale (especially for their location on broadway). the prices are a bit higher than the average north broadway denizen is willing to pay for frequently. if the food and service were actually good, they would be able to develop a loyal following, and the restaurant would draw people from other parts of the hill.
but given the complete sense of apathy emanating from everyone who works there, this won't happen. instead, they will realize that rents and ingredient prices are costing them too much; so they'll start buying cheaper fish, cheaper wines. the prices will drop to reflect this, and the food will get even worse. they might be able to just scrape by on this model for a year or so before eventually closing, probably with the owner having accrued a significant amount of debt in the process.
you just can't serve bad thai food on broadway and make it. and you can't serve mediocre sushi in seattle and make it. if you're hungry for some thai at the same prices, i recommend rom mai thai on the other side of the street.