I can totally understand why people go there and have an average experience. Their regular sushi looked totally run-of-the-mill. We sat at the bar (which looked like it seats about 15 people total, though we were on the end with another couple), and I asked for omakase. The chef said that there are three standard levels of omakase; 99, 150, and 200. He could tell I wasn't digging the whole pre-fab idea so he said ""I'll make you something special."" My girlfriend explained what she liked (she'll only eat tuna and veggie dishes) and I just said I didn't want Uni. The couple sitting next to us were ordering totally average stuff that you could get anywhere, and it looked totally average. At one point my girlfriend got a roasted eggplant dish that was really good, and she said her spicy tuna roll was the best she's had anywhere.\r
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We sat down at 6:30 and by 9 we were having dessert (a chocolate suffle with green tea ice cream on the side--really good), though we needed to take off to head over to meet some friends so we felt a bit rushed because of that at the end. A couple of highlights: freshwater eel and fois gras stacked in a bowl with a kind of semi-sweet teriyaki sauce that was insane, not too overpowering. Another item of note was kobe beef tataki with ponzu sauce that was really good. Total bill with drinks and tip: $310. Fantastic evening. Do I have a burning desire to fly back tonight and eat there again? Nah. I'd go to that place at the Santa Monica airport before I'd make a special trip to Nobu again. But still, sitting at the bar was great, especially on the end like we did as we could see everyone in there.
Pros: atmosphere, service, star sightings
Cons: hard to find, parking lot fills up on weekends, bit pricey for the quality
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