Tamashi — Restaurant in Albuquerque

We entered the restaurant around lunchtime on a weekday to find there were no tables available except for one that was right next to a large window which had no blinds. My husband and I had been planning a sushi outing for a few weeks and we drove a long way to get to this restaurant, and we were very much looking forward to having a great time. He chose to sit across from me so that we could look at each other and have a conversation. However, the sun was shining in his eyes, and we realized if we placed one of the cloth napkins on the iron bar above the table it would block the sun, and we would be able to have a relaxing lunch together without him being in pain from the blinding sun (he has glaucoma). Before we placed the napkin on the bar, we asked the bus girl if she minded - she looked at us like we were crazy and immediately said “we don’t do that here” and “he needs to move over next to you”. I felt like I was being reprimanded by an angry schoolteacher. She really made us feel like we were children, and I found her tone extremely offensive and rude. We thought to test the water so when our waitress came to the table, we asked her the same question and right away, she said sure, no problem. This seemed to anger the crazy-eyed bus girl, who later brought us a plate of food and slammed it on the table without saying a word and walked off. I was beside myself with confusion because I’ve never seen a bus person have so much anger, especially over something so trivial as blocking the sun from coming in the window. This place isn’t a 5 star restaurant, it’s a small, simple, plain dive and no one would have cared if the napkin was there for 30 minutes. I’ve waited tables for years and have a career in customer service - I understand when I’m being given rude and unprofessional attitude in a restaurant setting. This bus girl obviously has some serious mental and emotional issues at hand and was taking them out on us. We decided to put the cloth napkin on the bar on the window anyway and carried on with our lunch spending over $100 on several different types of sushi. At one point the bus girl brought us our check and made sure to tell me I need to “take the napkin down” before we leave. She really was obsessed over this napkin. The situation was so weird, but it was also hurtful and it was very rude and for this, we will not be returning to this restaurant. I did ask to speak to the manager before we left to inform her of how we were treated, and the manager , covered in spider tattoos, seemed confused and said she would talk with the bus girl and try to figure out what happened as if what I was telling her was not what happened. It is very clear that this Manager is out of touch with her staff especially if she is allowing people who work for her to treat her customers so badly when they are spending so much money. Also, why are there no blinds on these windows? The funny part is as my husband and I were walking out of the restaurant, the crazy angry bus girl yelled at us from all the way across the restaurant to go back to the table and pull the napkin down…like, really? The manager of this restaurant must be very out of touch with her staff and her client base and should reconsider being a manager if she can’t figure out how to train her staff on the idea of proper customer service - also, order some blinds lady. The sushi itself was subpar. I have had sushi in almost every state in the West Coast of the United States. This one takes shortcuts on ingredients and the presentation was very sloppy, the chefs, who looked like a bunch of teenagers, obviously don’t care. My spider roll crab was covered in a strange batter I have never seen and the taste was bland. The spicy tuna just looked like a pile of mush. Also, they are charging $15 for one small bottle of sake (wow). Needless to say, we definitely will not be returning for more abuse. To confirm, this is the location on...

The food and service were both good, but they tried to kill me, so I docked them one star. They had grilled meat and rice dishes, sushi rolls, salads, and a really nice sushi bar. They have an indoor bench waiting area for if they get too full. The miso was good and the teriyaki beef was sliced thin like shabu-shabu, a little too fatty for me, but tender and flavorful and tasty when wrapped around the rice with your chop sticks to make a little "roll". I ordered a custom roll, which was reasonably priced comparable to other rolls which is great that the sushi chefs can make what you want. When I asked for crunch on top, it was different than what I'm used to (it was more like the little asian chips you get on asian salads), but they were EXTREMELY generous with the crunch! Everyone working there that I interacted with spoke English very well. I loved the modern interior design. It was done really well. It was sleek and modern, but did not feel quite as fancy at the Azuma nearby (which I also love), so it would be nice to stop in for lunch or dinner without feeling like you need to change before dining. It wasn't unbearably freezing like Azuma either, which is a plus, and it did not smell fishy at all. It's everything you look for in a casual dining sushi place. This town is in desperate need of more Asian dining options and so far so good!

Now the story of how they tried to kill me through negligence... I was so excited for this place to open, that I would periodically stop by to check and they finally put the NOW OPEN sign out, so I parked and went to the door. I had my Allergy Alert Service Dog with me for my egg and sulphite allergy (who has a vest that Says, "Allergy Alert Service Dog, No Touch, No Talk, No Eye Contact" on one side and "Epipen Inside" on the other side's pouch) and stayed outside the door reading the menu. I know Asian cultures are not big fans of indoor pets, so even though it would have been totally legal to take my service pup inside, if anything, I thought I would be respectful and just place an order to go. At that point a man, presumably the manager, came out and asked me some questions about my dog and I explained she was a service dog and I asked if they offered take-out which they do! Awesome!

I went in to the hostess and ordered teriyaki beef and a custom roll, because almost the whole menu had egg (usually in mayo or spicy tuna/salmon) or potential sulphites (in some types of vinegar) in a sauce which I'm allergic to. I explained my allergies and asked if they used whole crab or mayo mixed with crab. Since they mix it, I proceeded to order a simple roll of just salmon and avocado with salmon and crunch on top. About 5 minutes after placing the order, the manager came out again to clarify my roll order and I went over the whole allergy thing again and kept it simple. Then I paid and took my meal home. I ate the roll first which was perfect and just what I asked for! Then I opened the beef teriyaki and there was a huge scrambled egg as one of the sides! SERIOUSLY, after all that!?! Luckily, it was not ON TOP OF the beef, but I was still a little nervous eating it, so just took...

[UPDATE Aug 2023] Under new management? I revisited Tamashi during a trip to Albuquerque. The hard metal chairs were gone! The decor changed slightly, but more importantly the food was terrific. Great change since my last visit! Rating updated accordingly. Thank you for the great service and hospitality.

Do you remember your first impressions about a new restaurant and adding it with anticipation to your mental foodie list for later visits?

Tamashi is one of these places for me since its opening several months ago. Getting straight to the point, while they do a nice job in presentation of American-style Japanese cuisine, I've noticed a slight decline in the quality of food preparation over the last couple of visits. Such examples would include under cooked noodles (doughy) in the Spicey Ramen dish and over cooked (or fried) fish and chicken in other offerings; C+

In reference to the atmosphere and decor, I give Tamashi a B+. Hint: Not all butts find the hard metal chairs and benches appealing throughout the duration of a standard 1 hour visit; something soft would be great! The decor was well planned and thought out given the limited amount of space in a store front venue. Streaming sports and other variety shows fill the visual senses during the wait.

On topic of the wait staff, they are friendly and patient. All of my questions were answered with a smile and pleasing disposition, even in the busiest of times; A+

However, it is understandable that all new restaurants have a period of time for adjustment to new staff, patron flows, and maintaining supplies while building a returning customer base. With that being said, given some of the more critical points of this review, I believe that once this fine restaurant moves closer to center point on achieving balance, expectations will remain constant.

I wish this establishment well and hope for a better experience in the...