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RECENT RATING - SUSHI RAKU
Name
of Restaurant: Sushi Raku
Opened for Business: December 2009
Date
of Review:
January 8th, 2010
Restaurant Address:
3201
Louisiana (at the corner of Louisiana/Elgin, near
downtown)
Club
Review:
Our
club assembled into one of the many private booths in
the restaurant to sample the assortment of sushi before
us. As you can imagine, sampling a new sushi restaurant
in Houston (or any town for that matter) takes time.
Some restaurant focus on a great decor with minimal
menus.
 Other
sushi houses focus on 'food first.' So a group of
our dedicated sushi club members decided to throw
caution to the wind and give it a try. The
atmosphere of Sushi Raku is pleasing; It was more than
obvious that the restaurant's designer was clearly
interested in segmenting Sushi Raku into a series of
semi-private sections. An eclectic nuance.
 We
took turns sampling the various temptations from the
menu to find the fish fresh...but the sushi rice
chilled. Not a good combination. However, we must
point out that our dinner on January 8th at 8:00 pm was
held while the city of Houston struggled with 30 degree
temperatures. Could it have had an effect? Maybe. The
jury is out on that one.
 The
establishment itself is well organized - clean, crisp
and attractive. Imagine a upscale nightclub without the
reverberating music and you'll get the picture.
The restrooms were immaculate. The staff was respectful
and attentive.
Sushi
Raku sports a full robata bar, a-13 foot sushi bar and
enough yakitori to tempt any appetite. But our
biggest disappointment was the wait. After our group
sat down for the meal, our appetizers were presented 22
minutes later. Thirty minutes after that, our sushi
arrived. We ordered a second course of sushi to satisfy
our appetites. Thirty-Five minutes later, the final
course arrived. In all fairness, we began our
dinner at the height of their evening - Friday night,
8:00 pm.
 When
the meal concluded and our bill was paid, I took a vote
from the attendees. They recommended that I
consider Sushi Raku for an official sushi event provided
two issues are rectified - (1) the sushi must be
prepared 30 minutes before the event to eliminate the
threat of lag time. (2) we occupy a room capable of
seating no less than 30 people at a time.
The
sushi itself was typical of Houston-area sushi with a
few new ideas thrown into the mix. The menu was a
refreshing list of raw, cooked and better-than-average options.
Admittedly, we spent nearly 15 minutes reviewing the
appetizing possibilities before us.
So,
we will host an event at Sushi Raku in February 2010.
More
to come soon about Sushi Raku soon.....
Sincerely,
Carl |
