Hanami Sushi

Perfect for date night, exceptional sashimi (BYOB)
Hanami Sushi is a very welcome new addition to North Center's quickly growing options for excellent dining. The atmosphere is intimate, the artwork appealing and relaxing. There were not many people there on the Sunday night when we went (which I suspect will change as the word gets out), so it was perfect for a date. The service was very friendly and exceptionally good (which I guess is not surprising on a quiet night). Between the miso soup/seaweed salad and main dish, we were surprised with some warm, complimentary edamame that was, in my opinion, perfectly cooked. I'm a finicky sushi eater--I eat it without soy or wasabi--so the quality is essential for me. I asked what the freshest catch was, and I was treated to some very creamy salmon sashimi that had just come in. The super-white tuna was also very fresh, creamy, and buttery. The maki was also good--the Passion on Fire Maki was an excellent combination of flavors that I have never had before. It was slightly over-flavored, but the taste was appealing, so I didn't mind a little extra richness--definitely worth trying; I'll probably make it a regular order. The Mixer Maki was slightly less satisfying--it's a combination of spicy tuna and spicy salmon, covered with tuna and salmon sashimi. The top fish were fine, but the roll itself was neither flavored very well nor spicy, somewhat of a disappointment. This is probably a difficult issue for sushi chefs though, since most people immediately dunk it in soy with a ton of spicy wasabi--If I had done that (which I actually did for the third piece), it probably would have been fine. No real complaints though--I'm just splitting hairs. At the end of the night, we were again treated to a complimentary dish, this time mango and green tea ice cream balls. A very tasty end of the night. The restaurant is currently BYOB, which saves money--our entire bill for two was $43. If you forget alcohol, it's not a problem--just visit the new Bottles and Cans boutique wine and beer store 2 blocks north on Lincoln (I just discovered it today as well). On the whole, Hanami was an excellent experience that I highly recommend. I'd probably rate it 4.5 stars, but since it's a new neighborhood business, I'm rounding up...

Food was 4 stars, but the service was slow.  Great rolls, and a fantastic Ramen.

Tried Hanami yesterday night after a long work week.  Since I like to eat dinner early, I wasn't surprised that we were the first couple there on a Friday night.  There were 4 servers standing around and after a few pauses, one of them finally invited us to pick any table.  Our server was very nice and friendly, but definitely new to the job, which she told us up front.  I had barely taken off my coat and pulled out the chair before she asked if we wanted any appetizers to start the meal.  When we were actually ready to order, she was unfamiliar with the menu and took a while to take our orders.  

Then we waited.  And waited. And waited.  None of our food arrived until at least 30 minutes after we ordered.  At least the sushi was decent, which was the only redeeming factor in our dining experience here.  We started with the Yellowtail Sunomo, which was good.  Then we waited for another 10-15 minutes until the rolls, nigiri, and hamachi kama arrived all together.  Initially, we were missing a pair of ebi shrimp nigiri, but the server said they were still preparing it.  I thought that was odd since I'm used to having all the sushi presented at the same time (or at least all the similar types of sushi in groups).  Seriously, how long does it take to make ebi nigiri?  The rolls were pretty good: we ordered the Spicy Crunchy Tuna and the Caterpillar.  The best was the hamachi kama, which was tender, fell right off the bone, and was not over salted.

By the end of the meal, our meter had already expired, and so had both of our patience and tolerance.  At least the food was decent and the server remained enthusiastic, even when she was oblivious to what was going on.

I'm disappointed given the higher ratings.  If we ever try this place again, perhaps we'll order takeout; it'll probably take just as long if not longer to get the food!