Steve "Steve Ganz" G.'s Profile

It's been over a year since I moved from the 'burbs of Northern California to the 'burbs of Northern Virginia and one of the biggest differences between the two is how far you have to travel to get decent sushi. Over the past year I've tried many a suburban sushi restaurant here in Loudoun County and had previously settled on Tokyo Sushi in Ashburn before discovering Noku right here in my back yard. It's nice that my new favorite place to get sushi just so happens to be the one I can walk to.

I am a confirmed and unapologetic sushi snob and while Noku serves up a fantastic selection of creative rolls, traditional nigiri and sashimi is what I come here for on a weekly basis. I've learned to stop asking "Is the X good today?" or "Is the Y fresh?" a while ago. Everything is fresh and everything is good. Jake, the proprietor, wouldn't serve it otherwise.

Led by Tricia, the service at Noku is attentive, warm and friendly. The staff makes a genuine effort to get to know you and will go above and beyond to serve the needs of their loyal customers. If there is something you want that is not on the menu, get to know Jake and he will go the distance to accomodate you. These are good people and have become great friends over time.

When it comes to sushi in the 'burbs, this is as good as it gets (hence the 5 star review). If you live in Loudoun County and you are a sushi aficionado, this is the place to go week-in and week-out. Noku is dependable, consistent and getting better all the time.

Go for lunch, sit at the counter and get to know Jake and Tricia. You'll become a regular too.

I'm not sure what happened to this place but it's gone steadily down hill over the past 6-8 months. My guess is it's the woman working the hostess stand our past two visits for dinner. At times she's been rude, indifferent and just plain strange.

What used to be a once a week visit has now trickled down to once every couple of months out of disdain for having to deal with her again. Too bad because we really enjoy the entrees here.

As a recent transplant from the San Francisco Bay Area I'm used to  exceptional sushi being relatively easy to find. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said out here in the 'burbs of Northern Virginia. The best fish I've had since relocating is all the way in D.C. at Kushi and I'm not going to be making the trip out there very often.

I've been searching high and low for somewhere I can go for lunch or dinner on a weekly basis. So far, Tokyo Sushi is at the top of the list.

While their selection of fish is rather pedestrian, it's not bad in terms of freshness and preparation. I was pleased with their sashimi lunch, but underwhelmed by the sashimi omakase at dinner time. The rolls are good and I really enjoyed their hamachi kama.

The service really sets Tokyo Sushi apart from the others in the area. They chefs take pride in their work, the waitress is genuinely friendly and they are all grateful for your business.

I'll be back often.

I went for the tri-tip and will go back for the chicken. Without a doubt, El Pollo Norteno offers the finest Santa Maria Tri-Tip I have ever had. I ordered the #5 combo plate and was blown away by the incredible mesquite grilled chicken as a bonus.

If you're traveling between Los Angeles and San Francisco, make this your half-way stop. You won't be disappointed.

Warning: Keep your eye on your credit card statements if you ate here in May of 2008. Two friends and I had our credit cards skimmed and saw  unauthorized charges appear between June 25th and June 29th, 2008. We believe that the skimming took place during our visit here on 5/16/2008.

It's a shame this happened, because we all enjoyed the dining experience and would like to return. I'll just be paying with cash next time.

UPDATE: I have since been contacted by Ginseng management with their sincere apology. This was just as much of a shock to them as it was to the victims of this crime. We've been assured that the perpetrator no longer works at Ginseng and it is once again a safe place to enjoy some tasty Korean BBQ.