Last night, Nicki and I dragged our tired ol’ asses down the road to Kanji Sushi for their official launch party. (Though, they did open about three months ago.) I’d yet to have the chance to check it out, but I’ve been seeing the socialistas updating their Facebook statuses with duck-faced pics sitting alongside the chevron bamboo walls. So clearly, you’re not in for your typical sushi experience…
Kanji Sushi is one part sushi bar and one part… uh… ‘bar’ bar. It really hits that midpoint that could deem it a proper supper club style joint. (Very few spots in the city actually do this right.) While I didn’t partake in any of the special cocktails – I’ve never been a fan of waiting for booze and the room was sufficiently packed with good-lookin’ guys and gals who appeared parched and famished – the idea of a Wasabi Caesar certainly incites a raised brow.
The lineup for the sushi samplings was about 25 minutes, give or take. Again, having an aversion to waiting for anything, Nicki and I ended up squeezing in with Vicky (aka Mom Who Runs) as she approached the final stretch.
The sushi on slate to load up your plate was mostly standard fare. (Really though, they couldn’t be pumping out their deluxe options fast and well-executed given the size of the crowd.) Luckily during the battle for bites, servers passed around some tasty and teeny gyoza, tempura shrimp, and chicken katsu to quell the masses.
After the ladies were done with the line – I had already perched a spot and figured it best if I observe traditional roles and let Nicki (woman) bring food to me (man) – we drank our wine and noshed on the li’l bites. The sushi tortilla was rather interesting, mixing the sensibilities of Japanese cuisine with the building blocks of, essentially, nachos. Same goes for the spicy tuna on Pringles; I liken it to redneck sushi.
While the experience at the launch party was likely only half of Kanji’s true form, it definitely left us thinking a return Friday night visit is totes in order. Because, really, what other Westend sushi house lets you rock and have rolls…?