Ginza

sapphirerose · Post by **sapphirerose** » Tue Nov 08, 2005 11:10 am

I ate there Sunday...had the Alaskan maki roll....was $7.95....miso soup came with my order and with my drink it came to $10 and some change. Nice atmosphere.....very friendly staff....first conveyor belt sushi bar in Knoxville ( not all of it is on the conveyor belt, but what is there is cheaper...around $2 or so). This was the first place that I've went for sushi where the server pulled a chair out for me. Not many restaurants do that.

Ginza just opened (last week I think). The restaurant is located next to Downtown West movie theater.

Onibubba · Post by **Onibubba** » Tue Nov 08, 2005 12:16 pm

Been meaning to give this one a try. I love conveyer sushi. You are always able to order just enough.

junkie christ · Post by **junkie christ** » Tue Nov 08, 2005 1:02 pm

Onibubba wrote:Been meaning to give this one a try. I love conveyer sushi. You are always able to order just enough.

we need to go.
seriously.
haha.

junkie christ · Post by **junkie christ** » Sat Nov 12, 2005 5:52 pm

really fucking cool place
highly enjoyed it
great soup
sushi was huge and tastey
really great staff, really great food
but cold as fuckin ass in that place

Zeo · Post by **Zeo** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 10:33 pm

Man, it sucks. All the good Japanese places in Knoxville close at 3:00 pm and don't open back up until 5:00 or 6:00 for the dinner crowd. I so wanted sushi last week and ended up showing up at the wrong time.
Sounds good though. Think I'll try and hit it this weekend.

judas gnb · Post by **judas gnb** » Fri Nov 25, 2005 1:01 pm

some of you that stop at that place could then come see me as my house is like within walking distance from ginza

sapphirerose · Post by **sapphirerose** » Fri Nov 25, 2005 6:09 pm

hey now judas....i did come by once last week. You weren't there though.

OK....to stay on topic...for those who do not know this already:

MIDNIGHT SUSHI now at Ginza's on Friday and Saturday nights until 3 am !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hardcoregirl · Post by **Hardcoregirl** » Fri Nov 25, 2005 10:16 pm

Hmmm...it is late, I'm hungry, and the boyfriend who doesn't like sushi is already asleep....hmmmmmmmm

sapphirerose · Post by **sapphirerose** » Sat Nov 26, 2005 3:39 pm

I went to Ginza last night with R to celebrate my birthday. We were there from 1:45 - 3:20am. I found a new fav. maki roll.....the super crunch. mmmmmmmmm The Devil Roll is pretty good too. The BBQ eel is expensive but its worth it. Good size cuts of eel and there is about 10 pieces....maybe 12. I had sake last night so kinda hard to remember. =P

Also, the cut of the maki rolls are larger than Tomo's and Wasabi's.

Jack · Post by **Jack** » Sun Nov 27, 2005 5:25 pm

Word on the street among the cook circuit is that, like all the "Japanese" places in Knoxville, this one is rife with poor-quality food and low health standards.

The only one I go near is Shono's, which is very simple food but very good, like one would actually get in Japan. As opposed to, say, Miyabi, which has literally zero Japanese cooks (they're all from Micronesia).

sapphirerose · Post by **sapphirerose** » Mon Nov 28, 2005 1:20 pm

Not sure about 'the cook circuit' ,but I know the sushi chefs at Ginza.
If it wasn't good, I wouldn't eat there.
As a side note, they have all went to culinary school.
The manager at Ginza's is Japanese and he oversees all food preparation.

They have not done well with advertising, not sure if its the location or if some just find it too expensive.
And actually, the only all-Japanese staffed restaurant is Gohan-ya's.

Tomo's is not all Japanese-staffed. Plenty of people seem to love the sushi there.

Neither is Nama's. They are pretty crowded too.

It is true that there are people from many different parts of Asia working in Chinese/Japanese/Thai restaurants. So what?
In Knoxville podunk Tennessee....it is going to be difficult to have every single restaurant staffed all Japanese, or all Chinese, or all Malaysian.
As long as the food is good, I don't care where the chefs are from.
If someone truly desires authentic, then a trip to Japan is in order.
But don't expect to find a 'California Roll", "Caterpillar Roll" or any other specialty roll.

Russo · Post by **Russo** » Mon Nov 28, 2005 2:15 pm

Yeah, I don't really care if the chef is a black midget from Iowa; if it's good sushi, it's good sushi.

I had a chance to eat at Ginza last night, and it was pretty good. The decor is very nice, and not crowded at all. But then again, we went around 10pm on a Sunday. Our waitress was missing in action for a while, but I figure she was in the back getting ready for closing, so I cut her some slack. I ordered a tempura appetizer, which was very good; not as greasy as some places. The tempura shrimp rolls were okay. I think the strange colored sauce drizzled on top made them look unappealing, but they tasted fine. The last rolls I ordered were called 'Hi-Life Rolls'. These are rolls filled with salmon and cucumber and topped with sour cream and Pringles. Yes, the sushi came with potato chips. This *sounded* good when I ordered it, but by the time they arrived, I was already full and they were just too rich for me to stomach. Maybe I would have liked them had I ordered those first.

So, overall, Ginza gets a 3.5 / 5.

Jack · Post by **Jack** » Tue Nov 29, 2005 4:01 pm

sapphirerose wrote:As a side note, they have all went to culinary school.

If you do know chefs, then you know that whether one has been to culinary school or not actually has almost literally zero bearing on whether or not they make good food or have good health practices.

But, maybe I'm wrong about Ginza. I doubt it, because all I expect it to be is decent sushi and overpriced un-authentic entrees, just like Tomo and Nama.

I'm not saying that's bad, if you're into that sort of thing. I just don't see how it's any different from going to crap places like Copper Cellar, which are barely a step up from an Outback or Calhoun's.

Coor · Post by **Coor** » Tue Nov 29, 2005 8:47 pm

Actually the guy who owns Calhoun's owns Copper Cellar as well.

Russo · Post by **Russo** » Tue Nov 29, 2005 9:05 pm

Jack wrote:But, maybe I'm wrong about Ginza. I doubt it, because all I expect it to be is decent sushi and overpriced un-authentic entrees, just like Tomo and Nama.

Most Japanese resturaunts in America alter their recipes in order to please the American palate. Just like most American resturaunts in Japan change their formula. So what if it's not exactly authentic? It's still good food.

Also, I've found that Knoxville has above "decent" sushi. I've had better rolls and nigiri at Tomo than I have in Boston, San Fransisco, and New York.

Hardcoregirl · Post by **Hardcoregirl** » Wed Nov 30, 2005 12:20 pm

I went to Ginza last Sunday and it was awesome. Some of the staff is Japanese, and some not. Our chef was from Indonesia. I personally don't care.

I got a bento box that had vegetable tempura, crab and avocado rolls, seaweed salad, terayaki beef, some fruit and came with a ginger dressing salad and miso soup. I had some green tea with it all. My boyfriend had the steak and shrimp and all of it was DAMN good. I was sooo stuffed.

Yeah, I don't think their are any asians working at Nama, but the head Chef Jay went to culinary school and trained the chefs and I think their sushi is awesome.

Tomo. the last few times I have gone has been going downhill...again, few asians.

I don't think it really matters as long as someone has gone to school to study it....

I mean, I make avocado rolls and they are pretty good and I have no asian in my blood, lol.

I would recommend going to Ginza to anyone, I hope that after its open for a while it doesn't decline like many asian places around...

Jack · Post by **Jack** » Thu Dec 01, 2005 8:22 pm

Coor wrote:Actually the guy who owns Calhoun's owns Copper Cellar as well.

Which makes my point even more, uh, pointed.

To me, eating at Outback or getting Teriyaki meat or seafood and fried rice for $15 are like paying $5 for a bag of Doritos. Sure, Doritos are tasty, but come on.

sapphirerose · Post by **sapphirerose** » Thu Dec 01, 2005 9:30 pm

"But, maybe I'm wrong about Ginza. I doubt it, because all I expect it to be is decent sushi and overpriced un-authentic entrees, just like Tomo and Nama.
I'm not saying that's bad, if you're into that sort of thing. I just don't see how it's any different from going to crap places like Copper Cellar, which are barely a step up from an Outback or Calhoun's."--Jack

~~~ok Jack, I see your point with expensive chain restaurants.
Even though Tomo's, Nama, Ginza and Gohan-ya's are not chain restaurants.
But the whole point behind this thread is reviews/experiences at Ginza.

" If you do know chefs, then you know that whether one has been to culinary school or not actually has almost literally zero bearing on whether or not they make good food or have good health practices. "-Jack

~~~My friends at Ginza would warn me if the food wasn't fresh.

pss/Sorry, the quote button wasn't working for me.

junkie christ · Post by **junkie christ** » Sat Dec 03, 2005 7:34 pm

Hardcoregirl wrote:Tomo. the last few times I have gone has been going downhill...

no shit. i dont go there anymore after the last time.

food was as fresh as a 90 year old mans nut sack

Coor · Post by **Coor** » Sun Dec 04, 2005 3:18 pm

Jack wrote:
Coor wrote:Actually the guy who owns Calhoun's owns Copper Cellar as well.

Which makes my point even more, uh, pointed.

To me, eating at Outback or getting Teriyaki meat or seafood and fried rice for $15 are like paying $5 for a bag of Doritos. Sure, Doritos are tasty, but come on.

No, it is actually a small resturant chain...which was started by the one guy who either owns it now, or his son does. It started with one store and he put in like 60+ hours per wek to make sure everything was perfect. I've met the owner several times as he is a god friend of my fathers. Since you are a cook you should know how difficult it is to keep a resturant from P&L's, Food Cost, and the ungodly Labor. It's hard shit...and Corporate resturants have it even harder...Don't dis on corportations because they are succesful...It takes a lot of time and money to make things the way that they are...and the cost of a Filet at Calhoun's is over $9 per steak. That's about the higest fucking qulity on the market outside of going ot a private butcher. But I'm sure you already knew that.

Look, I can run through numbers all day, and counter act anything you say about the resturant buisness...Which I find more than a little sad...but growing up around a small resturant that was built into a corportation and looking at all of the time, money, cost, and worst of all staffing issues...I know this shit. I know what it takes to run a successful resturant, and the majority of the time...The biggest problem that any resutrant has is staffing, and the staff wasting or stealing food. Yes, they make money and over charge their cost. But look at what all they have to pay...

Satalite Radio...
Labor...
Food Cost...
Cleaning supplies...
Maitence...which adds up really fucking quick
Beverages...oh god and don't get me started on Liquor and all that comes with it.
Rent...
Electric...
Cable...

That's a lot of fucking money. My Dad's lot was over 5,000 a month just in rent. Imagine the cost of Calhoun's on the River.

All I'm saying is look at the big picture...it's like any other buisness...and there is profit to be made...but quality and service speaks to people.

Just look at Chili's. There sales were half of what they predicted...Caused a masive fall in the company's stock, and the public's number one complaint...Service.

Now how is some shitty server the corporation's fault? Calcualte how many stores there are... At least 20 servers per store. That's a lot of shitty service.

Staffing is always the biggest problem.

Ginza

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