Yamazato — Restaurant in Bailey's Crossroads

We were there last week for carryout. We live about an hour away, and we're coming back from Virginia and decided to stop. There were no other customers, which was a little concerning, considering it was nice inside and in a busy area. But it was late, and a Wednesday, so we didn't think too much of it.

We probably stuck out a bit, and requested to order carry-out. It took us a long time to order, and my bf looked up many photos of the rolls, so I'm guessing we looked like we wouldn't know about better...?

Anyway, we drove almost an hour home with our order. We got two cocktails while we were waiting, and the bill was around $150...

First bite of the salmon (sake) sashimi... It was smoked. We placed several orders for sashimi and nigiri sake, and every single piece was basically lox. I'm not sure if they were trying to get rid of it, or if they didn't have actual sake at that point in the evening, and thought we just wouldn't know any better...? I have no idea. Looking at the menu, I see that smoked salmon actually costs more than raw, which makes zero sense to me, as it will keep longer when it's cured and it's not uncommon for sushi places to do this if they feel their fish isn't quite "fresh" enough for sushi, but it's not spoiled.

One roll we got had some actual salmon sake in it, and it was fairly decent. The other rolls were surprisingly disappointing... The fish just wasn't fresh tasting at all. I was hoping that because rolls are just... Often junky... Using fillers, covered up with sauces, etc... That the sashimi and nigiri would redeem the rest, but when it was all smoked... Ugh. We paid SO much money and it seemed they were trying to pawn off their end-of-day trash on us.

Did they really think we'd not notice cured salmon?? Including pics for proof. Clearly you can even see that it's been cured. Every single piece.

Absolutely inexcusable. I'm thinking their high ratings and awards are old and they just are relying on those to get by and are now going downhill and cutting corners, thinking people won't notice.

Gross and...

Loved it BUT!

I was a virgin in the restaurant.

CUSTOMER SERVICE:

AMAZING! The greater was a bit serious but tried to make jokes. So I really appreciated his failed efforts because he understands customers!

Our Server was in the top 5 of servers I have ever had. She should teach how to provide outstanding customer service and care.

She was extremely knowledgeable, personable and caring. Made us feel welcomed and the feeling that she appreciated our business. In addition, she is just great.

MENU:

I tend to critize restaurants with large or having very different cultural foods because you tend to fall in the realm of master of none...

But this restaurant, at least regarding my dish has changed a bit my mind. ONLY THIS RESTAURANT!

FOOD:

Teriyaki Steak. I know you shouldn't eat well done steak, but I am hesitant to eat meat undercooked at a restaurant that I visit for first time.

Taste almost perfectly balanced. A tad on the sweet side.

The asparagus was missing something. It had a deep earthy taste. Not well balanced.

The miso soup simple but one of the best I've had.

Salad was fresh and the dressing "ooh la la".

That's what I like, simple but greatness within.

Sushi

Great BUT....Sadly a but.. If there is a sushi dish that is dangerous the server should ensure to advise about the issue. When my partner was eating one of the sushi, she got a lot of tiny bones (see pictures). When I asked the server about this she gave a reasonable explanation, it's impossible to get all the bones out of eel.

Well, if you the restaurant know about this potentially life threatening hazard you run the risk of potential legal actions.

SUMMARY:

The potential hazard, the asparagus and the teriyaki being a bit on the sweet side is the reason for not 5 stars.

RETURN FACTOR

100% WITH CAUTIONS. Ask the server which sushi dishes are potentially hazardous by containing bones.

RECOMMEND FACTOR 100% With same cautions to anyone the restaurant is...

This is a place that I have frequented for years. Their food has always been a bit hit or miss, but usually the staff is nice enough to address the issue. Last night we ordered a platter of sushi, the eel rolls and the eel nigiri tasted off. I told the waitress and manager at the time. This morning everyone who ate the eel had severe stomach problems. I called the restaurant around 5pm to alert them to the fact that this happened. I was told that the manager would call me back. At 9pm, the manager "Steve" called me back. He was combative, rude, and basically told me to not blame his food, because, in his words "none of their customers have EVER gotten sick" - I told him I was a customer and both my husband and I did get sick. He said to prove to him that it was the eel, I should have gone to the hospital to get a toxicology report (which is laughable) - as a doctor I told him this would be useless and he should not throw around terms he didn't understand. He told me that he did not want to continue this conversation with me and that I should go do whatever I wanted. As per his request, I am leaving a review here. The manager and the establishment seem to be unable to admit to any of their shortcomings, "Steve" was needlessly rude and combative (I was not asking for anything, I was simply calling them to inform them), they did not wish to be informed that their food can cause severe GI distress. This is a shame as it used to be a decent sushi place, but clearly, they are resting so firmly on their Zagat ratings that they feel like they can insult and mistreat their customers. Bottom line, I will be looking for better places to eat sushi where I don't get treated in such a disgraceful manner on top of the day long stomach issues. Yamazato should be ashamed of their performance and...