RIP Imari- SushiHouse Takes Over

Lady Steakhead and I decided to meet for lunch yesterday at our favorite Sushi spot- Imari on Peachtree Rd. in South Buckhead. As soon as we walked in, we realilzed something was amiss. The walls had been painted a dark red, the furniture seemed new, and there was the thumping club-like music playing. Was this Imari- a place that would win no award for its simplistic, white interior design? Apparently, it was not. Imari had closed, and SushiHouse, an Orlando-based sushi bar, had taken over.

I was devastated. Imari not only served excellent sushi (and in my mind, the originators of the best spicy tuna roll in Atlanta), it was also one of the most reasonably priced sushi bars in town. This new menu, however, is adorned with numerous accolades annointing SushiHouse as the best sushi place in Orlando, so maybe all was not completely lost.

Well, that was wishful thinking anyway. SushiHouse does offer a lunch menu, but it completely misses the mark. The only sushi available on the $10 menu are rolls. If you want Nigiri, you have to move to the standard menu. There is a sushi combo plate with Nigiri, but even at the lunch time $15 price, it is no bargain. We substituted the California Roll that came with the combo for a Spicy Tuna Roll. What a disappointment. The tuna had little taste, completely overpowered by a huge chunk of cucumber, that was so cold, it may have just come out of the freezer. We also sampled one of their signature rolls- the Happy Sumo. This was a warm roll with avocado, cucumber, crab, tuna, salmon, cream cheese, and fried tempura style. This was good, no argument there, but its certainly isnt the kind of roll that would make me want to make a special trip. And that really can be said for the sushi itself. Okay, but in a town with so many good sushi bars, nothing stands out here, with the exception of the price. Two $15 sushi plates, one $10 roll, no drinks (not even a Diet Coke), and add tip and tax, I spent over $50 for lunch. Ridiculous.

Imari did it right. Forget the clubby atmosphere and fancy decor. They served very good sushi at a very good price. You will be missed. SushiHouse- no thanks. Taka may have just moved up to #1 on my list.

Steakhead Recommends: No
Price: $$-$$$