A mod sushi lounge in Penn Quarter.
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I'd been to Sei once before and very much enjoyed the food. So I thought I'd take my husband there. It was a bustling Saturday night but we were lucky enough to get a seat in their lounge area. Sadly, we waited for over 15 minutes before anyone even brought us menus. After another 15 minutes of no one even taking our drink order, we left. Really bad service, even by DC standards. Very disappointing.
Had dinner at Sei last night, even though I was wary after reading other reviews. It was early so the noise wasn't a problem yet, but with such low ceilings it should be expected. Sake was marked up more than other places, but I thought the quality of the sashimi was far superior to every other sushi place in the area, including Kaz, Sushi-Ko and even Oya. The portions were small and the price big, but the quality will keep me coming back.
I am a huge fan of Tom Sietsema's, and almost always agree with his reviews. I think he was totally off base on this one. I was so excited to go to Sei, especially because I have been enjoying the sushi at Oya for years. The sushi was mediocre at best, certainly not deserving of the high price tag. The dining room was one of the loudest I have been to in a long time (it makes Rasika seem like a spa-like setting). My friends and I were forced to scream across the table in order to hear each other. And our server was inattentive and annoying (e.g., trying to upsell a $7 glass of sake to the whole $55 bottle instead). There are so many other wonderful restaurants in DC -- I will not be going back to Sei.
i went with high expectations based on Sietsema's review, and I was seriously underwhelmed. The pluses--the space is beautiful, and the bar area is great. The drinks are creative and delicious. It's definitely a great place to meet friends. The minuses--it's LOUD. I mean, really, really loud. Also the food is completely unremarkable. The sushi was only OK, and the small plates were hit or miss. The service was a bit over-attentive. I felt like I had to sit with my elbows close by my sides or I'd get clipped by the many black-clad waiters zooming by. Attentive service is one thing, but I felt rushed. It wasn't horrible, but I'm not going back.
The only disagreement I have with Tom's review is over the creme brulee. Tea may not be an improvement over vanilla (but hey, this is an Asian place, right?), but it is not a distraction, and the custard is *fresh*, not day-or-two old and microwaved. Hooray for fresh creme brulee! Regarding the noise level, the staff did their best to seat us away from a particularly noisy birthday group. Once that group left, the place seemd very quiet by comparison. I'd go back and recommend Sei to anyone.
I went with a friend to eat at the bar after we were treated rudely at Rasika (which I otherwise love). The service was excellent, extremely attentive but managed not to be intrusive or stuffy. We felt welcome and comfortable. Drinks were great. I recommend the Silver Samurai, which has a great cucumber flavor. Sun-dried tomato roll was a fun bite. Other rolls good, too. All in all a great experience. It is certainly not a particularly cheap restaurant, but the food is interesting enough that you probably don't want to just eat a ton of it and the place is nice enough to enjoy for special occasions. Will definitely be back.
Although the food was good there were many flaws. First the portions were absolutely tiny and extremely expensive. 6 little pieces of sushi was $8.00. We ended up going to nearby Rasika for more food because we were hungry. I would not rush back.
Husband and I ate at Sei last Saturday night. The service was warm, informative, and attentive. Pacing of the small plates was perfect - we were able to enjoy our meal at a leisurely pace. The food was amazing! My two faves were the wasabi guacamole and the eel roll. The sake mojito was delish, as well. I was very impressed with the noise level. Even though the dining area was packed, we were still able to carry on a conversation without raising our voices. We ended our fantastic meal with an additional maki roll in lieu of dessert...it was THAT good! I can't wait to go back.
I checked out Sei with a friend last week and we had a great experience! We had very attentive and friendly service, for a start. We shared a carafe of asian pear sangria (delicious, but possibly deadly), edemame, and an assortment of sushi rolls. We though the fish-n-chips roll was fun for the novelty, but the eel and the spicy yellowtail were the real stars.
Sei had me from the start because its service is good. I think DC has service that is not as good as in other cities, but SEI's service was excellent. I sat at the bar and had the grilled tofu and edamame. The guys at the bar were attentive and friendly. I will definitely go back.
My boyfriend and I just had dinner this past Saturday night at Sei and loved it. The service was attentive and helpful without being overbearing. The layout and look reminded us of Morimoto in Philly. And the food! We had an array of Nagiri and Sushi rolls (including the award winning Fish and chips)all the flavors were well balanced and complex. Two of our other highlights were the Kobe beef rolls and the pork buns. They have an amazing sake selection and are very helpful in selecting ones that complement courses. We are looking forward to our next trip.
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