Bloofin

I wanted to give this new place a try after they had some time to settle in.  Came in on a quiet Saturday at lunch.  The restaurant is very classy inside, with a beautiful floral (chrysanthemum) ceiling hanging.  Very comfortable seating with lots of dark wood.  I think it successfully overcomes the boring architecture of the Grand Parkway Marketplace.

There seemed to be plenty of staff on hand.  I was quickly and politely served. The server said she liked the beef, so I ordered a sushi and beef teriyaki bento box, which came with the usual salad with carrot-ginger dressing and miso soup.

I'm not a huge fan of either carrot-ginger dressing or miso soup, so I won't dwell on them--they were very normal, not better or worse than average.  I'm all about the bento box.

Unfortunately the bento box was kind of the lowlight of the meal.  I had a beautiful one in San Francisco many years ago--it looked like a gift package, and every item had some kind of aesthetic enhancement.  I didn't recognize most of the items, but I didn't care--it was like eating a work of art made just for me.  This was closer to the other end.

It looked like it was prepared very quickly and was a little sloppy, even though the kitchen would not have been rushed.  No garnishes to speak of.  The food was edible but not a lot more--beef was a bit overdone, tempura tasted ok but was not real crisp, sushi was very plain, white rice was just dumped in.  The sauce was nice though, very flavorful and went with everything in the box.

I would have ordered dessert but when I came back from visiting the rest room (very clean and ready) my table was cleared.  I felt kind of funny going back to a clean table.

I think one might do better ordering sushi at the bar and getting something special.  Dinner perhaps better yet--they have an extensive wine and cocktail list.

For bento boxes, so far the best value in the area would be Ming's, and Shogun is good also.  Bloofin has good local support so I believe they will work this out.