Hibachi & Sushi Supreme Buffet

I was unaware we were reviewing this place. Hm. Ok. I thought we were just being fatties after we dropped our foster kittens off at their adoption event. From the outside this place looks like your typical strip mall Asian Buffet. On the inside, it was a wonderland of tasty delights. Yes, tasty delights.

This restaurant is huge. Several buffet stands full of food (everything from your expected sesame chicken to RIBS and mashed potatoes with gravy, oh yeah, and sushi). We were a little overwhelmed at first.

I asked Dave what our criteria would be for rating this place, and this is what we decided on.

• 
  
  Quality of food (like did the chicken wings have chicken hair on them)
• 
  
  Taste of food
• 
  
  Age of food
• 
  
  Americana buffet (do they have it just to have or does someone back there know how to make ribs)

In the end, everything was so delicious that our rating system was pretty much moot (by the way, someone back there DOES know how to make ribs and they are fall off the bone goooooood). The only thing that I tasted and did not like was the crabcake. Sesame chicken: good. Stuffed Scallops on a half shell: delicious. Lo Mein: soooo good and so on and so on.

It was all pretty fresh. Nothing had been sitting out for too long. It was all flavored wonderfully and was just great. The staff was friendly and quick. We had a great time. In fact, this will probably be a Drop Off The Foster Cats and Eat at the Buffet ritual.

5 noms

Dave's 2Cents:

As my wife had mentioned, this place looked like every other buffet around the country. A big sign promising greatness, in a strip mall with a at least a dry cleaner and possibly a nail salon.

Walking out of the pet store, I pointed the buffet out to Jenn. She looked at me in question as I said, "...but the sign says Supreme Buffet. We've never been to one of those before."

So she agreed and we went in.

This place is very nice inside. I am unsure if it used to be a steakhouse, but it had that feel. Lots of wood, lots of light. (I didn't see any burnt out bulbs either).

The 1st food item i saw was the seafood section. Crawfish, Clams on the shell, full sized crab... GOOD LORD SUPREME GOODNESS!

I then looked for the sushi. In the back was a 20+foot bar of about 15-18 different styles of sushi and shashimi. Next to the sushi bar was the hibachi grill. Definitely a lot smaller than Columbia's Mongolian buffet, they still had a lot of the basics there. I would also like to note that the raw meat was beautiful. The Beef was steak, still in steak shape, as were the chicken breasts. The scallops were huge as well. I enjoy seeing what my food looks like before chopped up into little bits.

Walking to the salad bar i noted on the back wall jugs of soup. On further inspection, it was a soup buffet! NOM!

For the non Asian loving eaters in the family, there is also an American buffet. Beef roast, pork ribs, mac'n'cheese, mash taters, etc...

Someone in the back knows how to do ribs. They were fall off the bone, luscious.

I defiantly give this place 5 noms. If I had to say something negative about 1 thing, it would be the seating. It looks like someone came in and slashed almost all the booth bench seat. Weird.

Yuki Sushi

We spent Saturday in Owings Mills because our foster kittens were at the PetCo at an adoption event. Remembering the Restaurant.com certificate we bought for a sushi place there, we headed to Yuki Sushi for lunch.

On a side note, our Westie's name is Yuki which translates to "snow" in Japanese, or "snowflake" if you want to tease Dave about 1. buying a tiny white dog and 2. naming said tiny white dog officially "Hana tusu yuki" which means "snow that is like flowers". So, we bought the certificate because the place was named after our dog.

We always have such high hopes for sushi. It so easy to make, and so easy to screw up. Well, ok it's not easy to make exactly, actually it's pretty effing hard. It's easy to throw together the flavors in it to make it taste GOOD I should say. Unless you're using rotten fish or something, in which case your sushi will taste like rotten fish.

It took us awhile to figure out what we wanted because we didn't get a check off sushi menu so we had to remember what we wanted. The prices here were pretty standard for the Baltimore area, the more "plain" rolls were actually pretty inexpensive (ranging from $5-$7) and then the specialty rolls racking up to $15 which is the norm. I went with a Raven Roll (shrimp, mayo, cucumber and topped with avocado) and a Boston Roll (shrimp, mayo, lettuce). Dave ordered a Dynamite roll (salmon, asparagus, crab mix, deep fried) and hibachi steak and shrimp.

Dave started to pick up on some "abruptness" from our waitress early on, but it took me a bit longer to notice it. Then when I asked if they happened to have shrimp sauce or "yum yum" sauce (not every place in this area has it, but a few rare gems have so I always ask) she gave me this look that was like "WTF are you talking about?" said "HUH?!" then stared at me until I said "I was just checking. Nevermind." and then she shook her head and walked away. Then she started slamming cokes onto our table and I'm actually quite surprised Dave was able to finish his meal. He was really disappointed that she said he couldn't use the certificate towards the lunch boxes (bento box lunch specials) even though it didn't say any such thing on the certificate according to him, but he relented and chose the hibachi meal instead.

As for the food, it was good. The sushi was really tasty, fresh seafood, it was made really well so the insides weren't coming out (I really hate that when it's rolled too loosely and all the goodness flops out onto the plate). The flavors of the Raven roll especially worked really well together. The Boston roll was alright, definitely get this as a starter roll to share. It's really kind of bland to just eat the whole thing. Dave hibachi meal was really good. Plump shrimp, tender pieces of beef wrapped up in warm noodles. I was satisfied with the food portion of our experience.

I give it 3 noms.

Dave Says: It's amazing how much the service influences the whole dining experience. I wish I could contact the owner and let them know, but I doubt they care. She's probably their daughter/niece, anyway.

Ra Sushi

Ra Sushi Bar Restaurant
1390 Lancaster Street
Baltimore MD 21231
410-522-3200
Happy Hour 3-7 p.m. daily

"Best Sushi in Baltimore's Harbor Area" - CharmcityNoms

Now, we know that we said that we were going to avoid reviewing chain places, but Ra had to go on the blog because we just love it so much. This place offers a great happy hour with 1/2 off a good selection of sushi rolls, some sashimi and apps, as well as steep discounts on well drinks. This is an excellent place to go after work. We admit, the music is a little loud but the waitstaff is always accommodating when you ask for a "quiet" booth or table.

Our favorite rolls here are the Viva Las Vegas roll, Tootsy Maki, California, Spicy Tuna and the Shrimp Tempura roll. These also happen to be on the 1/2 off list for happy hour.

I'm also a huge fan of the Lobster Spring Rolls, which are crispy on the outside, gooey melty and flavorful on the inside with just a hint of sweet. Stuffed with hunks of lobster, cream cheese, red pepper and mango, the flavors all blend together so well, and the mango dipping sauce is a wonderful complement as its somehow very bland on its own but when paired with the spring rolls just brings out the best flavors of both.

The food is always so effing pretty. It comes to your table with fanfare and flourish, and at first there is a pang of guilt for disrupting the perfect harmony of the plate. It's easy to get over that, though, and then you're face deep in sushi and really, is there anything better?

The Viva Las Vegas roll has a tiny kick to it, so if you can't do spicy then stay away. The Spicy Tuna roll is the same (obvs, it has "spicy" in the title). If you're mild tummy-ed like me, stick to the California, Tootsy Maki and Shrimp Tempura, they'll be gentle. These have milder flavors to them, but a calm creaminess as well.

Here, the waitresses have always been great. Of the several times we've been we've never gotten bad service. The sushi comes out quick, and rarely all at the same time, it arrives as it's finished so if you're really polite and want to wait, it can be difficult.

As with most sushi places the kitchen and the sushi bar run independently of each other so kitchen food and sushi will not arrive simultaneously. This can bother some people but we're the laid back type.

Also for dessert you have to try their fried ice cream. It's like baby Jesus on a plate. Cinnamony sweet, creamy and crunchy and drizzled with all sorts of sugary goodness.

Just look at the pictures. How can you not want to go?

5 NOMS

Dave's 2 Cents:

yea yea, I know. No chain restaurants. But here's the thing, I couldn't tell it was a chain! I was super surprised when I found out yesterday. Well, not a typical chain (100s-1000s of stores), but it does one store per major city.

I am not going to bore you with semantics. All I will say is, if you love sushi and are in the Inner harbor area, go here. Period.

Milan

Let me start this by stating that this is an accidental review. I had no intentions of reviewing Milan until my experience there was just too hilarious not to share with the interwebs.

I'd been following the blog of the Groupawn since he started his gig a few weeks ago in hopes that he'd find his way to Baltimore. Knowing the awesomeness that is Groupon, I felt it would be just as awesome to meet someone who was literally living off of them every day for the next year. Also, he loves food, and we love food, so really how can we NOT hang out? Yeah.

So, the Groupawn had a groupon for Milan and was heading there with another couple and after a day long texting session, I decided to join them and have a dessert. The four of us were seated at the bar and the three of them had already been there for about 45 minutes by the time I arrived and were just finalizing their orders. Josh grabbed a chair for me and I sat down just in time to be completely ignored by the bartender. Seriously, he took their orders, skipped over me and then wandered away. So I waited for my next opportunity to grab a menu and a Coke, and when it finally presented itself (about 10 minutes later) my wishes were fulfilled. Sorta.

See, I got my tiny Coke but it took the guy probably another 10 minutes to find a dessert menu and then it took about another 10 minutes for me to be able to order from said menu. I got the Torte di Fromaggio which was...well, it was unbelievably delicious. A hearty slice of honey ricotta cheese cake infused with a light lemony flavor decorated with fresh cream and a sprig of mint and balsamic strawberry compote. I shared bites with the group so that they too could enjoy the cool creaminess of this cheesecake.

Josh, the Groupawn was kind enough to share a piece of his crabcake with me and I must say that it's one of the better ones I've had. It was well seasoned, presented beautifully and actually had big pieces of crabmeat in it unlike some you get where it's just like a ball of breaded nothing. The tangy orangey sauce that came with it was a very nice complement.

The four of us had such a good time talking and sharing stories that I didn't really notice that it had taken a little over an hour for an incorrect order of raw, rose shaped fish to be delivered to the other three.

I'm sure Josh will write more about the experience in his blog, since the things that happened to him and the couple were just downright hilarious they were so terrible. As we were trying to cash out and go, it seemed there was some confusion about the groupon use, whose bill was whose and then some general douchebaggery from several members of staff. I'd heard that this place was over-priced with an air of snobbery but that the food was delicious if not pretentious and I have to say it's all pretty much correct. The restaurant is gorgeous, elegantly designed and looks somewhat like you're dining in a private mansion. The food is always presented as if it's art, yet it all tasted wonderful. I'm pretty sure that several members of the waitstaff got their start working for Abercrombie and Fitch because they seemed to be pros at ignoring you and looking perfect.

Now, I will not say you should not go to this restaurant because it definitely was a unique experience. However, I will leave you with this thought: it is an Italian restaurant that serves sushi and turns into a nightclub after 10 and their motto is "Where Food Meets Fashion", but they are located about three blocks from the projects in Baltimore.

Milan, I will give you 5 noms because your food was delicious, but -3 noms because your staff is...pretentious. Grand total of 2 noms.