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 The Albany Sushi Meetup Group
We’ve been here before and the members who came have begged that we come back, so here we are. This unique restaurant under the leadership of our host Frank, has presented delights unknown to other Sushi locations. If it’s not on the menu, ask. If you like surprises, just ask the chef to surprise you.
I had lunch at Shogun recently with a colleague who came from Schenectady to enjoy sushi that I had highly recommended. He asked why I liked the place and I called Frank over. I asked Frank for a Roll that was not on the menu. Mike loved it and promised to return. His paralegal joined us on the spot and many of you will be meeting her soon.
Frank is again offering a 10% discount on the bill.
Those members who have been there will surely sign up and those who haven’t had better get on the list fast. We have a limit on this Meetup that is pretty much sealed in stone. So keep your RSVP’s current and if you have signed up and can’t make it, change the RSVP to make room for someone on the waiting list.
If it is warm, we will enjoy our sushi dinner on the covered patio.
Delmar, NY 12054 – USA
Thursday, September 30 at 6:30 PM
Attending: 12
Details: http://www.meetup.com/sushi-121/calendar/14564507/
The Albany Sushi Meetup Group
This delightful place is located on Union Street. We’ve been there. We’ve loved it and we’re going back.
Mr. Wasabi is offering a buffet at the price we have become accustomed to seeing. Tax, gratuity and meal is $25.00 and, as usual, the drinks are on you.
Summer has resulted in very low turnouts, and once we had to cancel because of lack of RSVP’s. Now that Autumn is upon us, let’s get those numbers back and start filling our RSVP limits.
Schenectady, NY 12309 – USA
Wednesday, September 15 at 6:30 PM
Attending: 13
Details: http://www.meetup.com/sushi-121/calendar/14428103/
 The Albany Sushi Meetup Group
Hiro’s has been around since before sushi became a craze. In the Capital District, if you wanted Sushi or Hibachi, this is where you went. Look what’s out there now.
Our Assistant Organizer, Josie, lives very near Hiro’s and recently called me to join her for dinner. This is where we went and as a group we haven’t had the pleasure yet. So we’re changing all of that.
Hiro’s manager is offering a Sushi Buffet for $30.00, tax and gratuity included. Drinks, as usual, are extra. The manager also asked me to check with the attending members to see what the favorites might be so they could be ready with a few specials. So when you RSVP YES, add a comment telling us what your FAVORITE Nigiri or Maki might be.
Hiro’s was here first. We’re here now. Let’s fill all of the slots and get ready for a night of fun and great food!
Colonie, NY 12205 – USA
Thursday, July 15 at 6:30 PM
Attending: 9
Details: http://www.meetup.com/sushi-121/calendar/13783338/
The Albany Sushi Meetup Group
What is old is new again! The Albany Sushi Meetup group was founded on September 5, 2007 by Andrew Badera. The very first meetup took place on September 20, 2007. There were 11 members in attendance – including Ed Haddad, Andy, Zac, Jessica, Meg, CelinaBean, and a few others who are no longer members. As we revisit this group’s roots, we invite these inaugural members back to Sushi Tei to renew our vows – to sushi that is!! Everyone is invited of course. We’ve been back once before (March 11, 2009) and the reviews that night were superb (See Last Sushi Tei Visit)
Our gracious hosts offer a buffet, however, they open the entire menu to us, meaning that the expensive rolls are available to us for the asking. We have negotiated a price of $30 which includes tax and tip. This is reasonable, considering your bill at Nikko is about $28 when you factor in tax and tip.
Here is your sushi meetup organizer reading the minds of your servers at Sushi Tei. According to Ed, they are thinking … "We will serve you tasty, fresh sushi and we promise that you won’t have to wait forever to get it!"
Albany, NY 12203 – USA
Tuesday, June 22 at 6:30 PM
Attending: 22
Fee: Price: USD 30.00 per person
Details: http://www.meetup.com/sushi-121/calendar/13658619/
This just came flying through my inbox from the Albany sushi meetup group…
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James Chen from Kitsu contacted us to let us know that he is hosting an All-you-can eat $19.99 sushi feast at Kitsu today. (no discounts) Kitsu is located at 218 Central Avenue in Albany. I have posted the menu for this event below. You get to order whatever you want, but no leftovers or takeout! No need to RSVP, just show up whenever you like and enjoy!! We all remember how good the food and service is at Kitsu. This should be a delight.
Menu – http://files.meetup.com/665037/allyoucaneatmenu.pdf
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So what are you waiting for!!! Get thee to Kitsu!!! NOW!!!!
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The Albany Sushi Meetup Group
What is old is new again! The Albany Sushi Meetup group was founded on September 5, 2007 by Andrew Badera. The very first meetup took place on September 20, 2007. There were 11 members in attendance – including Ed Haddad, Andy, Zac, Jessica, Meg, CelinaBean, and a few others who are no longer members. As we revisit this group’s roots, we invite these inaugural members back to Sushi Tei to renew our vows – to sushi that is!! Everyone is invited of course. We’ve been back once before (March 11, 2009) and the reviews that night were superb (See Last Sushi Tei Visit)
Our gracious hosts offer a buffet, however, they open the entire menu to us, meaning that the expensive rolls are available to us for the asking. We have negotiated a price of $30 which includes tax and tip. This is reasonable, considering your bill at Nikko is about $28 when you factor in tax and tip.
Here is your sushi meetup organizer reading the minds of your servers at Sushi Tei. According to Ed, they are thinking … "We will serve you tasty, fresh sushi and we promise that you won’t have to wait forever to get it!"
Albany, NY 12203 – USA
Tuesday, June 22 at 6:30 PM
Attending: 15
Fee: Price: USD 30.00 per person
Details: http://sushi.meetup.com/121/calendar/13658619/
I’m guessing that by now every sushi lover in the area has heard about Nikko’s all-you-can-eat buffet, and I wouldn’t be surprised if a good portion of that group has tried it out. After all, while all-you-can-eat sushi restaurants aren’t a particularly novel concept, Nikko does stand as the genre’s first foray into the New York Capitol Region.
I’ve been to Nikko (commonly misstated as Nikko’s) twice now – once shortly after it opened on a dead weeknight, and again a month later on an extremely busy weeknight. My feelings were similar each time and the views expressed here are a conglomeration of those two experiences. For those that haven’t been, I’ll let you know what to expect.
The nice glass mural which greets you upon entry to Nikko
Nikko is basically one big room, with a 4-sided buffet island in the middle and seating to either side of it … okay, that’s somewhat of an oversimplification and Nikko does have the appearance of a respectable restaurant, but that’s getting off the point. At any given time, anywhere from one to four chefs will be tending to the buffet from a kitchen / prep area in the middle of the Buffet Island. One side is the “raw” side – oysters and clams, little bowls with small dollops of tobiko (and, one time I was there, uni), and a few boats of sashimi. The second side is the “sushi” side, which has a selection of maki and a healthy selection of nigiri, as well as dumplings and a small section of cooked items at one end. The third side is the dessert section, and the fourth is cooked dishes (mostly seafood-based) and fruit. Separated from the island is a little table for soup. All in all, raw fish in its various forms occupies roughly 30% of the sizable center island.
The much-hyped sushi and seafood buffet at Nikko
As is protocol here, I’m only going to be reviewing things more or less directly related to raw fish. They do have a fair variety of it. In my ventures there, they had 3 different types of sashimi (both visits it was the same – Tuna, Salmon, and Mackerel), 3 different tobikos, uni, about 7 different maki rolls (mostly the same both times), and about 6 different types of nigiri (again, both times it was the same – Tuna, Salmon, Yellowtail, Squid, Mackerel, and Red Snapper). I may have accidentally left out a nigiri. The quality though…
The first time I showed up, the Tuna was on the verge of turning brown. In general, both times I was there, the sashimi looked like someone unsuccessfully tried to force it through a paper shredder. It is also cut very thin, although that doesn’t particularly matter since you can take as much as you want. As might be expected, the nigiri sometimes has a bit too much rice and a bit too little fish – not surprising for an AYCE place, and I can understand why they skimp a little, but they still skimp a little and it shows. The maki rolls are also sliced thin (again, not really mattering since you can help yourself to as much as you like) and can tend to be a little heavy on the fillers – notable is the addition of cream cheese to multiple rolls, which is just short of heresy in my book especially since the portions of it are often too large. The mackerel was somewhat fishy and the squid was a little tough, rubbery, and flavorless.
Not to say that it’s all bad. The uni was, surprisingly to me, of respectable quality. The salmon there was on par with most actual restaurants and they weren’t afraid to be somewhat liberal with it. Some of the rolls are pretty good – there was a pink lady roll one of my two times there that had three different types of fish with solid portions of each, no rice, and pink rice paper wrapping. Unfortunately the good comes less often than the good, but it can be found.
(for those who may be interested in the rest of the food served at the buffet, let’s just say that to my taste it more or less matches the sushi – it’s bad more often than it’s good, but you can find a few good things. Note that this does NOT apply to the hibachi which I have admittedly not tried. If you are interested in the Hibachi, you can get a plate of hibachi along with the buffet for just an extra $5. Considering that they have the legendary hibachi master Dannio working there, that’s not a bad deal in the slightest. Just be sure to request him.)
La pièce maîtresse
To put this all in perspective, an all-you-can-eat sushi dinner at Nikko does cost a paltry $22 (+ tax and tip). That’s not much at all, especially if you can eat as much as I can and you consider that, however mediocre it may be, you’re still dining on sushi. While the price is right, the food just isn’t, and if you’re like me and you’re more about quality than quantity, or just don’t mind spending more on food that’s genuinely good, I’m afraid to say that there’s not a whole lot of reasons to go more than once. I hate to say it, because I love the concept, but I won’t be rushing to go back. On the other hand, if you’re all about quantity, and you just want to stuff you face with sushi, then this is certainly the place to knock yourself out with gluttony.
Rating: 2.0 / 5
/CH
Nikko All-You-Can-Eat Sushi and Seafood Buffet
1893 Central Ave., Albany, NY, 12205
Tel: (518) 869-9888
No website
Eat-In only
Hours:
Mon – Sun: 11am – 10pm
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The Albany Sushi Meetup Group
A relatively new Sushi Cafe, we are trying this place on references only. Located in Price Chopper Plaza on Rt. 85 and New Scotland Road, its sister restaurant is closer to Albany Med. Slingerlands Sake Cafe has more room and we are hoping to reach our limit.
Not having actually attended the Sake Cafe I looked at their website and the reviews were all positive. Let’s all find out together.
Slingerlands, NY 12159 – USA
Wednesday, May 26 at 6:30 PM
Attending: 16
Details: http://sushi.meetup.com/121/calendar/13468315/
It’s a well-known fact among sushi aficionados that there are many species of tuna out there. It’s equally well-known that you usually don’t know what kind of tuna you’re eating at any given moment. Aside from trying to make sure you’re not eating an endangered species (which may be more common than you think), some people may be interested in how much mercury they are consuming. Actually, I shouldn’t say “may be” – some people ARE concerned about it, as indicated by people devoting part of their professional careers to finding out.
A study published in this month’s issue of Biology Letters investigated how much mercury was in restaurant tuna sushi versus supermarket tuna sushi, and correlated this to the species of the tuna via DNA barcoding. So what was the jist? Well, restaurants had far lower levels of mercury, due to them serving mostly Yellowfin Tuna, while many restaurants served Bluefin tuna, which is one of the higher-mercury Tunas. Furthermore, they state…
Our results suggest health agencies should consider adding Bigeye and bluefin tuna to mercury advisories. For instance, the mercury levels in these species are within the bounds of fish the FDA and EPA advise pregnant or nursing women and children to avoid entirely (EPA & FDA 2004), and thus these tunas should be included in the advisory. Consumers could make more informed health decisions if the FDA, and regulatory agencies in other nations, enforced market-specific names for species high in mercury.
Pregnant sushi lovers, consider yourselves warned. Everyone else, I suppose you can just consider yourselves slightly more educated sushi lovers.
/CH
The new Nikko’s all-you-can-eat sushi buffet has no website yet and seemingly does not exist in the all-powerful Googleverse, as indicated by my own research and the mass of people asking me where it is.
In case you’re one of the curious ones, you can find it here:
1893 Central Ave
Albany, NY 12205
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Now you can stuff your face to your heart’s content, all for just about $25.
Cheers,
/CH
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