Joa Joa Sushi — Restaurant in Town of New Windsor

I'm adventurous - I like to try new things, especially exotic cuisines. This has resulted in some pretty exciting discoveries, including my newfound love of Korean dishes and specialties. Jjajangmyeon, Tteokbokki, Bibimbap and Japchae - I love it all. So imagine my delight when my wife told me that a Korean/Japanese fusion opened up near her in New Windsor. I knew we had to go, and so we did. The interior is gorgeous - lots of wood, natural 'neutral' tones, and delicate lighting. The bar looked stunning, and the sushi counter is immaculate. There are plain tables and then 'special' tables, where guests can essentially experience the magic that is Korean BBQ. We took a seat and scoured over the menu - which is a mix of mostly simple dishes, such as fried rice, noodles, sushi and tempura, with a small but tasty offering of more traditional Korean faire. We started with Gyoza - which my wife likes. I would have ordered the Mandoo, traditional Korean dumplings usually filled with pork, kimchi and vermicelli rice noodles and spices, but we kept it simple. Then we ordered two sushi rolls, an octopus roll and a sweet potato roll. For our mains, she ordered the cheesy tonkatsu (which I've never seen on a menu before here stateside... we'll get back to this later), and I ordered the Japchae. The gyoza were good. Juicy, nicely seasoned. A good start. The sushi, however, was a bit of a let down. My biggest sushi peeve is unseasoned rice. And you guessed it, the rice desperately needed seasoning. Negative points. Onto the mains - the Japchae was excellent. Good flavor, a little spicy, chewy texture and slick with just the right amount of spicy oil. But the star of the day was that cheesy tonkatsu. This was worth the price of admission. Cheesy, ooey, gooey. The gravy sauce it was marinated in was sinfully good. I could have eaten two helpings. It was superb. Where the restaurant lacks is the service. Our waiter wasn't particularly very observant to our needs - several times we tried flagging her down and several times she biffed us off. Disappointing. Filled our water glass once, and that was all the water we got. Fortunately I had a water bottle with me, but it was particularly distressful that she was so aloof. A second waiter came around and brought out our mains and cleared our appetizer plates. She asked if we needed anything and my wife asked for a fork. That was the last we saw of her. We ended up stealing a fork off the neighboring table. All in all, the food and atmosphere are excellent, and I'd go back just for those - but the service was lackluster, and frustrating. I will go back, and hopefully will have a better service experience. If the service is still lousy, that could be a 'make-or-brake' moment for me for a third future visit. Only...

We tried this restaurant last Friday night, early around 5ish...we won't be returning.

The decor and atmosphere is very charming and unusual. But that's the best part.

We sat at the bar, which was not crowded. The bartender was somewhat slow, but pleasant. We ordered two drinks with Tito's vodka. We immediately noticed the drinks tasted odd...Tito's fans know that this vodka has a unique flavor. Mine was a martini, so no, there was no mixer to change the taste. A second round of the same drinks yielded the same result. The taste was not bad, just not like Tito's. My partner and I both watched the bartender pour from the Tito's bottle, but we swear it was not Tito's.

Almost immediately after sitting down, a server kept coming up to us asking if we wanted to order food. Every 5 minutes this server returned, same question. We judge he came up to us about 7 times. We realized that if you sit at the bar to eat, the bartender serves you drinks, but not food...that is done via a separate person. Odd. However, when we finally did order, it took quite a long time to get our food. Still, the place was not super busy.

The food was the biggest disappointment. My partner had three sushi rolls. The sushi was warm, and the rolls contained far more rice than we've had elsewhere.

I had the Bi Bim Bap. This dish was NOT hot like it is supposed to be, the bowl was not even full, and it was mostly rice. The selected protein was tuna, and it was a skimpy portion. The tuna was sliced so thinly, I initially thought they mistakenly gave me chicken.

Cost for two drinks apiece and two entrees: $150 with tip.

We would not recommend this place. Like others, we note that the sushi at QQ down the road is much tastier, not overloaded with rice, and...

What a great addition to the neighborhood! Went on a Tuesday and was promptly served by the attentive wait staff. We ordered the sashimi appetizer and the bulgogi and galbi BBQ. I also inquired about any soju cocktails which were not listed on the menu but the bartender created a special soju caipirinha which was bright & tart.

The rice for the sashimi fell apart easily which probably means they didn’t cool it enough before adding the vinegar etc., but the fish was quite fresh. The neighboring patrons who ordered the sushi/sashimi seemed to enjoy their dishes - so I’ll definitely go back to try more of those dishes.

As for the BBQ, it came with a steamed egg (jjim) and corned cheese -both of which were quite delicious and complimentary (FREE!) they were out of the chadolbagi but I definitely recommend the bulgogi over the galbi, which was more like a marinated sirloin rather then the traditional Korean cut. The side dishes or banchan were fresh, namely the kimchi (which is how I judge the overall quality of a Korean restaurant).

I’ve heard mixed reviews but the service for us was fantastic. Very friendly, attentive and prompt. I like to grill my own BBQ but the initial efforts from our waiter was much appreciated and a proxy for the overall attentiveness.

The ambience was beautiful, modern, warming and transported me outside of New Windsor.

Overall, I am quite pleased by my dinner and want to encourage you the reader to support local and to step outside your comfort zone to try something...