Sawa Sushi Bistro — Restaurant in Town of Bethlehem

Finally, Friday lunch! I was happy to find I could once again sit at the sushi bar of a US sushi restaurant– it’s been over a year since Masa in Columbus Circle. But it would be unfair to compare Sawa to any but local Capital region restaurants, especially after all the changes in the last 18 months.

This brand new restaurant in a strip mall is off to a good start, with relatively muted sea-blue-green décor, with 2 giant flat-screen sports TVs facing the 15-seat bar (more full bar than sushi bar), and additional seating in another dozen or so booths. The 50-wine-bottle wall display, disappointingly, did not highlight any sake, although warm sake was available from a 10L box / dispenser/heater machine.

The host/ server was polite and helpful, but most of my interaction was with the chefs. Unfortunately, toro is only available on weekends. So, I ordered a selection of maki and nigiri, to allow the chefs to demonstrate their abilities. After receiving the order, one chef prepared me a quick amuse-bouche of shredded surimi atop asparagus and covered with fired salmon. Not bad, but a little unwieldy for just a single bite, once the server brought me a cloth napkin, fork and disposable hashi. Surprisingly, neither the server nor the chef suggested sake with my relatively large order. I assume the paper napkins were reserved for the “Lunch Special Only” crowd.

The miso soup and iceberg salad, standard fare for a lunch special, were unremarkable. For the main, the 10 nigiri and two maki were well presented, except the saba and unagi seemed a bit uneven (photo). The remainder were very good: the hotate and hirame, and tamago, the classic method to evaluate a chef. The two simple makis were part of a lunch special, but well prepared. I was eating at the sushi bar, but I was only able to have a few words with the three chefs, as they were quickly and efficiently plating their preparations, and easily outpacing the servers – at one point seven beautiful plates sat atop the sushi cooler, waiting to be served (photo). For a restaurant that was only 25% full, this surprised me, but they are only in their second month.

Sawa is still in the process of ironing out a few small problems, and it appears that will be done very soon. I’ll have to return...

I recently dined at Sawa Sushi Bistro and had a mixed experience. The food itself was fresh, but both the Sesame Chicken and Orange Chicken were a bit too sweet for my taste. On a brighter note, the Avocado Salad was absolutely delicious.

The service was where things got a bit off-balance. The staff seemed to work as a group, which led to a somewhat rushed and impersonal experience. It was a bit overwhelming to have multiple people coming to the table frequently, but then after the food was served, we didn't hear from anyone until it was time to clean up.

One thing that detracted from the overall experience was the TV in the dining area, which was tuned to news and political topics. In times like these, it can create unnecessary tension. When dining out, it's nice to have a more relaxed environment.

Overall, while the food had some high points, the service and atmosphere could use some improvements to make it a more...

My friends live in the Hudson Valley area in NY, and we were celebrating their anniversary. The staff were kind and efficient. They even adjusted the music as different customers arrived. The decor is beautiful, comfortable, whimsical, and surprisingly quiet. Everything we ordered was fresh, unique, and delicious! I ordered the steamed seafood platter with steamed veggies. It was colorful, full of seafood, and fresh with just the right textures for the steamed veggies. I had the largest seaweed salad ever and very shareable. My friends ordered sushi rolls, which were fresh, preparedby the chef quickly, and a delight for the eyes! The garnish was edible flowers! My friend said it's the best sushi she has had on the East Coast! Everyone left satisfied. We can't...