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Izakaya Seki, U Street Corridor - Chef Hiroshi Seki and GM Cizuka Seki on 11th and V Streets


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We had Ten Qoo brand farm raised blue fin up in NYC at Inakaya which was fantastic. They had a special whole tuna cutting event for the North American debut of the product and it just happened to be the day after a wedding we attended up there. The akami was like chutoro.

We will be doing a whole tuna butchering (dinner AND a show!) on our one year anniversary.  It'll be a yellowfin though because they're smaller.  I'll announce closer to the date but you heard it hear first.  xx

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I post this monthly information on my facebook page but I'll post it here too because I understand that facebook is lame and you're all much cooler than that:

Happy another year of Independence, America!! It's July and here's a list of the best seasonal seafood we'll have circulating on the menu this month:

abalone: awabi (鮑)
young japanese amberjack: inada (イí

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Thank you, I appreciate the offer. :) I plan to, happy hour or not, just waiting for a free Sunday! In Philly this wkd, staff mtg at the winery next, yada yada. :P

Wednesday, July 15th17th., 5-7 PM. I'll be announcing next week (everyone save the date - it's a special occasion).

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Wednesday, July 15th., 5-7 PM. I'll be announcing next week (everyone save the date - it's a special occasion).

This sounds really intriguing. However, July 15th is a Monday. Don, do you mean Weds, July 17th? Or, Monday, July 15th?

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From long ago. Or, at least 9 or so months ago:

Just to keep expectations in order-- there's no sushi here. Indeed, Chef Seki insists that he is decidedly not a sushi chef. (his St. Louis restaurant served sushi as a concession to the market there.)

And, more recently or two days ago:

I post this monthly information on my facebook page but I'll post it here too because I understand that facebook is lame and you're all much cooler than that:

Happy another year of Independence, America!! It's July and here's a list of the best seasonal seafood we'll have circulating on the menu this month:

abalone: awabi (鮑)
young japanese amberjack: inada (イí

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Cizuka--very cool to have you here on dr.com! I've been in many times but not in the past few months. Wondering whether there's now more emphasis on sushi than before given the above list? I don't recall there ever being that kind of variety on the menu before? Either way, looking forward to getting back in...soon!

I think the relevant distinction here is sushi vs sashimi, not raw fish vs no raw fish. I've never seen sushi here, even recently, but have always seen sashimi (but not this variety! Can't wait to visit in July.)

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Exactly the point I was trying to make nine months or so ago -- some of the very best sashimi in town (and plenty more seafood besides) . . . but no sushi.

I doubt that all the fish Cizuka lists are available as sashimi. The Ayu, for instance -- grilled? Can't wait to try that.

I think the relevant distinction here is sushi vs sashimi, not raw fish vs no raw fish. I've never seen sushi here, even recently, but have always seen sashimi (but not this variety! Can't wait to visit in July.)

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I think the relevant distinction here is sushi vs sashimi, not raw fish vs no raw fish. I've never seen sushi here, even recently, but have always seen sashimi (but not this variety! Can't wait to visit in July.)

Absolutely. What I should have written to be more accurate. Thank you.

Also, MartyL, I'm sure you're right about some of the fish listed being cooked but given the sheer length of it, I was prompted to ask since I don't recall that much variety in fish varieties, winter and spring.

Looking forward to getting back to IS soon also! With all the new Japanese/pan Asian opens, this place still fills a definite niche and does it well/better.

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Finally got a chance to try out Izakaya Seki and very happy we did. Ordered a variety of dishes which came out in the following order more or less.

Gyutan/cow tongue - Wow, never had tongue that was so tender. The yuzu miso dressing had a nice little almost spiciness to it as well. Kids loved it without the sauce.

Kaki/oysters fry - perfectly fired with nice amount of panko on the outside. Both kids loved this though without the sauce, which both my wife and I loved.

Somen - Obviously a favorite for the kids. The tsuyu tasted great. Nice good dashi flavor. Shiso was somethjing I had never had with somen, but will have to do at home from now on.

Grilled squid - Wow, that was a lot of squid. The one dish we could not finish. Our son preferred to just suck the sauce off the legs. Also nice with the yuzu to sprinkle over the squid, rather than a lemon that so many other places might do to save cost.

Scallop with carrot sauce - Most interesting of the dishes we got. Carrot sauce was a very nice combo with the scallops. Sweetness of the carrots really came out in the sauce well.

pork belly kakuni - Perfect for another meat dish. Generous serving of pork belly in a nice broth. 1 piece of tofu was appreciated by the kids.

Sashimi - I think we got the matsu platter which was around $38? Nice assortment, though a little heavy on the tuna. Would have preferred a little less tuna with another kumamoto oyster sicne there were two of us. Also the waitress when going through what was on the plate said it was amaebi, but was actually just a regular boiled shrimp. Also only one of those. Waitstaff should probably communicate to the kitchen on something like this so that for a couple ordering this, they might be given smaller portions of some fo the fish to give duplicates of other things. Highlights of this plate though were the otoro, hamachi and kampachi. All three were some of the best we've had in a while.

Onigiri - these were for the kids, and ofr $3.50 each, a great deal. Daughter inhaled hers with kombu filling. Our son was a little less enthusiastic, so we ended up finishing it for him. Salmon filling on his was quite generous.

Overall, a very enjoyable meal and the pacing on the food coming out was just about right. Would have been nice to have the sashimi earlier in the meal but otherwise so much better than Kushi, though I've not been there in a long time so maybe they finally corrected their pacing issues, though I doubt it. Drank mostly water but we split a Sapporo recerve can which was just about right. Price was probably about right for the amount of food we got. We probably don't need to get as much food next time, though the only leftovers were the squid.

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This might be an extraneous and borderline insulting clarification for the thoughtful readers of this forum but I added a comment to the Young & Hungry piece stating:

POSTSCRIPT -- We are offering this exclusively to thank all of OUR *WONDERFUL* REGULARS who come from near and far (including as far as St. Louis and beyond) and for those who enjoy my dad's handiwork with a well honed blade.

The blade he uses to butcher a tuna is BIG.  and it will be a special opportunity for anyone who is interested in watching a true craftsman at work.  ヽ(´ー`)ノ

... God forbid this comes across as an opportunity to fill your mouths from an all-you-can-eat food trough of tuna .... (; ̄□ ̄)!!

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A warning: Izakaya Seki filled up at 5:15 today, and at 5:45, there are 40 people on the waiting list. Enjoy your $15 tuna trough, friends!

So, how was the tuna?

I got there just at 5 hoping to beat the crowds and pop in for a quick snack...needed to be out by 6.  But the place was already full.  Sorry I missed the party, but most importantly, congratulations Izakaya Seki for a great first year, and a huge thank you for bringing this gem into my neighborhood.

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So, how was the tuna?

I got there just at 5 hoping to beat the crowds and pop in for a quick snack...needed to be out by 6.  But the place was already full.  Sorry I missed the party, but most importantly, congratulations Izakaya Seki for a great first year, and a huge thank you for bringing this gem into my neighborhood.

Beats me - I ate at William Jeffrey's Tavern (of all places) today; I merely heard the news about Seki from some street urchin, and thought it would be in people's best interest if I passed along the warning.

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So, how was the tuna?

I got there just at 5 hoping to beat the crowds and pop in for a quick snack...needed to be out by 6.  But the place was already full.  Sorry I missed the party, but most importantly, congratulations Izakaya Seki for a great first year, and a huge thank you for bringing this gem into my neighborhood.

Rhone1998 -- I'm so sorry we weren't able to seat you :-(  i was naive -- who knew free tuna would bring out the masses like this.  we had a line at 4:30pm of 20 people and it just didn't end...it's still not ending...but thank you for the nice words and i hope you'll be around again soon.  I will post an update on the status of our tuna stock.  i believe we'll still be able to offer the special tomorrow as well.

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I received another very constructive Yelp review from a very discerning patron that I thought would help DR.com readers to decide whether Izakaya Seki was worthwhile.  *Please note that the underlined text is mine.

From Mei M

was overpriced for the quality.
i went here on a sat evening- arrived 7:30; party of 2 no reservation.  was seated immediately on the 2nd floor.  which is the usual western type seating arrangement- it felt very un-japanese (i lived in japan for 4 adult years of my life).  while on level 1 i noticed all of the cooks were NOT japanese.   the waitors/waitresses were not japanese as well (this is not a problem however they clearly were not trained on how to serve and interact towards customers in a japanese WAY which would make the experience more authentic.  when i lived in japan i lived in a traditional hamlet type neightborhood and each area has it's own IZAKAYA where usually local men over 30 go to talk and drink.  I visited several and it was a very traditional japanese experience (this place in DC was not) I will list what I had and what I thought of it:

UDON-  it tasted like something i can get at COSTCO
RICE ball withCodRoe - you can get better ONiGiri at a japanese convenient store
Sashimi Plate_- WAS NOTFRESH...  It has that unfresh slime on it.
KALBI-  Very good
Calpico Chohai - I asked for light ICe and my drink was extrememly Icey
Waitress-  She assumed we did not knw anything about japanese food and over explained everything-  also she pointed at my food very closely and talked over my sashimi plate (breathing hot air over my raw fish)  thisbothered me.

I had several other small dishes that are not at all worth mentioning.  We were a party of two and our bill w/o tip came to 100$.

I would NOT recommend this place to anyone.

TOKI underground feels more authentic and fresher food.

FURTHER NOTES:

**WE DO NOT HAVE LONG LINES ANYMORE!!

***We have immediately addressed all hot breathing issues with staff.  Mei accurately points out that not all of our cooks or servers are Japanese and I do not have them trained in the Japanese WAY.  I would argue, however, that our udon is decidedly not from Costco and our sashimi is very fresh.  and personally, i think that spending $100 for a sashimi platter and 3 dishes and an unmentionable number of small plates, plus at least two drinks is not that bad in this town....unless you also expected to be culturally transported to another country....which leads to:

****YOU WILL NOT BE  IMMEDIATELY TRANSPORTED TO JAPAN WHEN YOU WALK THROUGH OUR DOORS.  You will still be in the United States and we are fully aware of and embrace this technical issue.  there are, however, many local men over 30 who come to talk and drink, if that's what you're looking for.

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I will be looking very carefully for these unjapaneseities when I visit this establis-ment next. I undertook to go to many japanese places in japan during my adult life, so I will have very excellent idea of what should be happening with my raw fish and will take immediate umbrage if there is any HOT AIR.

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I received another very constructive Yelp review from a very discerning patron that I thought would help DR.com readers to decide whether Izakaya Seki was worthwhile.  *Please note that the underlined text is mine.

From Mei M

 I visited several and it was a very traditional japanese experience (this place in DC was not) I will list what I had and what I thought of it:

UDON-  it tasted like something i can get at COSTCO

RICE ball withCodRoe - you can get better ONiGiri at a japanese convenient store

KALBI-  Very good

TOKI underground feels more authentic and fresher food.

Unfortunately I did not experience the Hamlet Izakaya experience with 30 something men hanging out. Mine was pretty much with Japanese college students in Tokyo. Hmm, perhaps there are different types of Izakaya?

Can't figure out how to split the quoting up, but just wanted to respond to a few lines in this one.

If this person is such an expert on Japanese food, the remaining quoted lines would refute that premise.

Costco Udon? Who the hell gets their udon from Costco if you really care about the quality of your udon. Do you also eat Maruchan ramen for $.10 a pack?

Convenience store onigiri - Yeah, this was what I ate as a study abroad student. If you were eating this regularly as your version of onigiri, you don't know onigiri. They are cool from the aspect of how they package the nori though so it is fun to get for the kids.

Kalbi - So your favorite food was Korean food?

Toki - I haven't been there since long lines are not conducive to a 4 1/2 year old who really wants her ramen now, but I heard it was Taiwanese style ramen, not Japanese.

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Exceptional service and meal at Izakaya Seki last night. We were a large, slightly boisterous group, and we arrived a bit late, worried we might have lost our reservation on a busy Friday night. Instead, we were welcomed in graciously and never rushed despite our leisurely pace.

We hardly looked at our menus, as we were happy to let our server guide us through a variety of courses. As such, I don't even know the proper names for most of the dishes, but here are the highlights as I recall: monkfish liver, jaw of some fish (tuna?), and short ribs - all amazing. The sashimi special was good and generous for the price (including toro, etc).

My favorite sake was the Narutotai Ginjo Namagenshu - a cask strength, unpasteurized Ginjo. Very expressive and full-bodied. I am not qualified to say if it was lacking for subtlety, but I did enjoy it immensely.

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QUESTION:

I received a direct email from a very unhappy person this morning.  Here's the background:

1) we don't take reservations for parties of less than 5;

2) we were CRAZY busy from about 5:30 onward, and the first nine diners sat at the counter so the bar was full from the moment we opened.  We had plenty of seating upstairs until about 7:30 pm when some reservations arrived and we quickly filled up there too;

3) if there's a wait, we try out best to estimate the wait time but it is STRICTLY an *estimate*.  if there is a wait of 30 minutes or more, we encourage patrons to grab a drink nearby and we call them when their table is ready.  we have to do this because there is no waiting area at the restaurant.  we also encourage patrons not to call or come back before we call them BECAUSE IT MEANS THERE IS NO TABLE AVAILABLE YET.  and showing up and calling does not seat you any faster (although calling can give more current information about the wait, to help you plan - this is fine!).  also hovering over a table does not get you seated any sooner either.

4) i am always available on the floor as the GM to discuss any concerns or frustrations with the food or service.

so, with all that said, here's the email:

Seki-san,

I am writing to express my very deep and sincere disappointment at the extremely inconsiderate treatment we received last night at your restaurant. It was not our first visit and we all knew before arriving that the downstairs seating is very limited

[there were about 10 seats available on the 2nd floor when these three patrons arrived but they insisted on waiting for counter seats -- where we only have 11 seats and 9 or them were taken.]

However, after waiting futilely for over an hour and a half, needless to say we gave up.

[this party left to get a drink.  we called them to provide an update as soon as we realized that the initial estimated wait time was incorrect.  we offered table seating again, which they refused.  again. the point of us calling with an update was to give them the option of continuing to wait or to change their plans.  we did not call them to tell them their table was ready but they returned anyway and hovered over diners at the counter].

Again, we understand perfectly well that there are only a small number of spaces at the counter downstairs. However, for at least 30 minutes of the time while we were standing in the front waiting patiently, there actually were 3 spaces free at the counter -- the only problem was that those seats were separated by a party of 3 men who sat at the corner and showed no signs of leaving. I don't think it would have been too much for the hostess (who frankly was utterly incompetent) to ask if they might move over one seat to allow the 3 of us to take the open spaces.

[this is partially true.  we could've made people move down in order to create three seats in a row  -- however, all diners were well into the middle of their meals and i thought it would be disruptive to ask a bunch of parties to move over.] 

Instead, the hostess ignored us completely and seated a couple who arrived well after we had already been standing there for 45 minutes.

 

Then, when the lone woman at the left end of the counter departed, the hostess was able to immediately seat another lucky couple who had just arrived.

During the entire time we stood there waiting, we were only offered 2 (!) small glasses of water -- which honestly tasted as though the glasses had not been properly cleaned. Maybe sometime around the 45-minute mark, I believe after the first "lucky couple" had been seated, one of the waitresses offered to take drink orders for us.

 

 

 

It would have been more appropriate if she had instead offered us a round of drinks on the house for our patience. [this is my main question for you -- if you want to be sat at a particular table and refuse all other available options and it turns out that you have to wait for longer than we estimate or than you would like, do we owe you free drinks???] 

 

Or if you might have offered us some small snack -- edamame or something -- while we stood there like idiots. [from my perspective, if it's your choice to be a passive-aggressive idiot, should i offer you free food in the name of good service?]  

 

Though I know you were busy preparing food for your customers, there is no way you could have missed the 3 of us standing there waiting in vain to be seated. Shame on you, Seki-san. [honestly, i know i should write this complaint off as baseless based on this line alone....anyone who expects for the chef to handle front of the house matters in the midst of our peak dinner hours is completely off-base.  i dont know why this guy addressed his email to my dad instead of to me, the GM.]

I must say that the greatest insult of all came after we had left for the second and final time, when your completely useless hostess decided to call us once again to let us know that the party of 3 men were paying their bill. Did she honestly expect that we would rush back? [this was actually me calling.  it was not to be insulting but i figured they like to know that we did finally have seats available.  i wasn't bitchy or catty.  i can, however, understand how it came across that way...]  By this point, it was nearly 2 hours after we first arrived at your restaurant, and no doubt half of the menu offerings were already gone.

Although I am copying my friend on this e-mail message, I can only speak for myself in saying that you have lost me as a customer. We were treated like utter garbage by your hostess, and also by you. As the owner of the restaurant, it is your responsibility to treat customers with respect, which was nowhere in evidence last night. And a look through some of the reviews that you have received on Yelp, clearly we were not the first customers to feel that they were treated poorly by the service staff there. Frankly, you should all be ashamed of yourselves, and you in particular Seki-san need to re-evaluate the way you and your staff treat customers.

In disgust,

[Name Withheld]

 

SO, I would genuinely welcome your feedback.  my main question is highlighted above....this is really the first direct complaint i've encountered regarding our service.  I'm very new in my capacity as GM so I have A LOT to learn and obviously want to implement best practices.  i'm more than happy to offer complimentary drinks or food if we make a mistake.  but i'm not sure how i feel about doling out free food or drinks just because a patron is unhappy for reasons beyond our control....what do you think???  or should i have asked diners to move during the middle of their meal to create three seats even while a long list of diners were in line?

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Seki-san: You've learned the very first lesson of "hospitality." There are unreasonable people out there who won't be satisfied until/unless you bother your other customers in their favor. Some people can't/won't be satisfied, no matter what you do. I imagine that even if this party were allowed to be seated as they wished, they would have found something to complain about. Just be glad that most people aren't like this and write it off to "entitled twits"--which they are.

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I look to the writer's intention on this one...

This individual did not write with the intention of helping you remedy a deficient business approach.

This individual wrote in an effort to shame you.  They wanted what they wanted when they wanted it, and woe be to whoever got in their way.

As GM, it is absolutely your call whether to slide parties over to accommodate an additional party.  It's a judgment call every time.  Shoving people together who don't want to be together has the potential to derail several party's meals, it's not always beneficial to everyone involved.  You communicated what you were doing and why you were doing it, and you also gave them multiple opportunities for an alternative seating choice.  This lost patron's reaction is unnecessarily caustic and irrational.  Free drinks or apps should not have been expected because this person's experience, as a result of their own choices, was not unreasonable on a busy Friday night.

The writer's intentions are not problem-solving, they are self-serving.  This individual is in search of a free meal or some other reward.  They were also aiming their text towards a high-five from the friend they copied.  You owe this person nothing.

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As someone who requested two spots at the downstairs counter on our visit, I found the staff very understanding and accommodating with the request. My wife and I waited patiently near the window for over a half an hour and did not find it an imposition especially since the upstair places were offered numerous times. Our time at the counter was exactly the experience we wanted, and the evening's food was very enjoyable.

The complainer as Barbara and Kmango mention, does not write with the intention of helping any future understandings rather to shame you as they say. It sounds like a personal swipe.  The main problem does seem to be other customers, 2 and 1, were seated before them.  Perhaps in the future explaining what you will do with an odd number of people might offset any potential situation. I do think queuing in Japanese culture is important so that may have played an additional role in the situation.

As to the main question, no you do not owe a customer a drink for accommodating their requests.  If anything perhaps its time for you to consider a premium for sitting at the counter downstairs, something like a paying 3 course amuse bouche for $10.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hamachi_-_amuse_bouche.jpg

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I agree with the responses above, Cizuka -- judging from the email, you don't owe the patrons anything and should not regret the manner in which you tried to accommodate them.  Moreover, for whatever it's worth, I'm happy to attest here that, in our view, you and your staff are extraordinarily accommodating -- and very honest and straightforward when, for practical reasons, you can't be -- and you collectively (including your father!) set a perfect tone for what has become one of our favorite spots to dine.

But the incident does raise one question of practice as to which I'd be interested in hearing others' reactions.  You indicate that you are reluctant to ask a party to move down one seat apiece at the counter in order to squeeze in a waiting party, especially if the first party is in the middle of eating.  Sounds as if, for instance, during some of the wait in question, there were two seats empty on either side of the seated party of three, which you filled when parties of two arrived, rather than asking the seated party of three if they would scoot over to make room for the party of three that had been waiting.

I think that policy is completely justifiable.  After all, you hardly want to antagonize the party that's in the midst of eating.  Still, if I were the seated party of three in question, and I saw the other party of three waiting, I would have voluntarily moved down in a heartbeat to make room for them -- I do it all the time, and have had many others do likewise for me.

That doesn't answer the question, however, whether the proprietor of the restaurant should politely ask the seated party to move down.  I've seen many cases where it's done, and just as many where it's not.  I think both practices are eminently justifiable.  Any advice for Cizuka on which she should follow?

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But the incident does raise one question of practice as to which I'd be interested in hearing others' reactions.  You indicate that you are reluctant to ask a party to move down one seat apiece at the counter in order to squeeze in a waiting party, especially if the first party is in the middle of eating.  Sounds as if, for instance, during some of the wait in question, there were two seats empty on either side of the seated party of three, which you filled when parties of two arrived, rather than asking the seated party of three if they would scoot over to make room for the party of three that had been waiting.

I think that policy is completely justifiable.  After all, you hardly want to antagonize the party that's in the midst of eating.  Still, if I were the seated party of three in question, and I saw the other party of three waiting, I would have voluntarily moved down in a heartbeat to make room for them -- I do it all the time, and have had many others do likewise for me.

That doesn't answer the question, however, whether the proprietor of the restaurant should politely ask the seated party to move down.  I've seen many cases where it's done, and just as many where it's not.  I think both practices are eminently justifiable.  Any advice for Cizuka on which she should follow?

THANK YOU for your feedback.  *thank you all for your feedback*

When it comes to asking guests to move, I make a call on a case-by-case basis.  There have been plenty of times when I've asked guests to move over one seat and 90% of the time, they are understanding.  (We've even had to ask guests to move from the 2nd floor to the counter because of a seating mistake we made and in that case, it was very natural and obvious to treat the party to something because WE f'ed up.)  If the diners are particularly conscientious, they think to do this themselves.

In this particular case, for various reasons, I chose to not ask the diners to move over.  They might've been accommodating but based on the moment, it just didn't seem worth it.

All this said, most of our diners are AWESOME....which is why I get unduly ruffled when they aren't.  It's lack of experience and *coolness* on my part, I guess.  In any case, I'm quite relieved to hear that this might be an incident I should not take to heart and just recognize as a learning experience for me and my staff.

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Situations like these really hammer home why I'd be terrible at your job.

I suppose the key issue is balancing the interests of this party and those already seated.  If you had chose otherwise and asked the party already there to shift down, you could very well be facing an angry e-mail from them.

I echo the others in thinking the person who sent the e-mail seems very entitled and mean-spirited, an outlier rather than the average diner.  I don't think you did anything wrong.  In fact, I think the level of transparency and feedback you offered them is admirable - most people would find calling with bad news too uncomfortable and not even make that call.  You should be lauded for that, rather than what you received.

The one suggestion I would make - although i don't think it would have helped with this person - is make sure he or she knew that it was not your policy to ask guests to shift down, as many find that an intrusion to their dining.

Really though, this person was going to be upset no matter how you dealt with this.

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Cizuka, I feel for you.  I do volunteer work for a large and diverse club that involves an expensive hobby and a lot of very passionate people, and I can tell you from years of experience that you simply cannot make everyone happy.  All you owe these people is common courtesy and a modest effort to please them.  It sounds like you made an exceptional effort and were beyond courteous.  Don't beat yourself up about it.

As my father always said, "illegitmi non carborundum".

Now if I could just take my own advice...

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Great dinner the other night. Fantastic o-toro if you like the really fatty stuff. Nice sanma, which apparently according to my father is in short supply in Japan right now and more than double, nearly triple, normal prices.

Another plus was the background music sounded like they were playing straight from my ipod.

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A fantastic deal at Seki.  Apparently it's often on the specials menu, but not always:  The broiled "ara" -- cheeks, belly, etc; the bony parts of the fish that Chef Seki uses for sashimi.  Last night there were five or six good-sized pieces, of salmon, kampachi and sea bream.  All delicious.  And all for only $12!  Can't imagine passing this up again if it's available.

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I've never been particularly fond of Japanese food (other than ramen), and Mr P has always claimed to hate it (except tempura), so we rarely eat at Japanese restaurants.  But last night we went to Izakaya Seki with two friends and ate our way through maybe half the menu.  Afterwards I asked Mr P "so, do you like Japanese food?"  And his answer was "yes!".  Especially the scallop carpaccio.  What a charming little restaurant.

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****YOU WILL NOT BE  IMMEDIATELY TRANSPORTED TO JAPAN WHEN YOU WALK THROUGH OUR DOORS.  You will still be in the United States and we are fully aware of and embrace this technical issue.  there are, however, many local men over 30 who come to talk and drink, if that's what you're looking for.

This is my favorite thing that I've read so far today.

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I can't believe I've not eaten everything on the menu yet. When we went with our neighbor, we ended up having the new-to-us tongue and the slow-braised pork (both delicious)-- and then we had the spinach the other night and then promptly had to have a second order because of delicious reasons.

I really just need to go and make an evening of everything I *haven't* had yet, except I can't quite bring myself to do it. Baby steps.

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So glad to have finally introduced myself to Cizuka tonight, after many visits.  I told her what I've said here, which is that this place is really a gem, and how lucky we are to have it close by.  Tonight we stuck mainly with seafood and vegetables, which didn't disappoint -- the fish was impeccably fresh tasting as it always is -- a small chef's choice sashimi, grilled oysters, grilled eel -- and I've always loved how flavorful the vegetable dishes are here.  Tonight it was marinated Okinawan seaweed, spinach with sesame seeds, another type of seaweed with some sort of sweet potato maybe(?) in it, and a daikan and carrot salad. Loved every one of them.  Thanks for making this place possible!

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Went to Izakaya Seki last night for one final great meal before heading off to San Diego for Christmas. My boyfriend and I have been to Izakaya Seki several times before and it is one of our favorite places to dine. Last night's meal was a great send off.

We started with our usual medium plate of sashimi, an order of tako wasa (wasabi and octopus), and the trio of vegetables (cucumber with chili oil, spinach and sesame seed, and lotus and burdock salad. The sashimi plate was fantastic as always but the highlight was the cuttlefish which was extremely fresh and soft. It just melted in my mouth. Honestly, I can just have a large plate of sashimi and my own order of tako wasa and die happy.  But then I'd also be missing out on some other very good items on the menu.

We also ordered the chicken meatball which was also a treat. We forgot to ask this time but you can also ask for an egg yolk on the side to dip the meatball in, which is definitely worth it. Chef Seki, seeing that we had enjoyed the tako wasa so much, suggested a trio of cured fish for us. We also enjoyed this, but my boyfriend more so than me. Finally, we ordered the baby octopus kara age, which was a special. This is a whole baby octopus lightly battered and lightly fried. It was amazing. We enjoyed it so much that after I plopped the last octopus in my mouth, my boyfriend suggested we order another plate which I was totally on board for. We can't help ourselves sometimes.

What a great meal to send me off to San Diego. Thanks to Chef Seki and to Cizuka for a wonderful meal all around and for a wonderful restaurant. I always look forward a dinner at Izakaya Seki and the place always delivers.

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Real Japanese amberjack (BURI) is only available in the winter months.  They're the big brother to yellowtail (HAMACHI) and a relative of kampachi and hiramasa.

In Japan, this fish has different names based on its maturity and size.  From small to large, the names change from Mojako --> Wakanago/Wakashi/Inada --> Hamachi  -->  Mejiro --> Buri.   Names can also vary depending on the region so there are really about 10 other names for the same species.

In English, there's just amberjack or yellowtail and no distinction based on size or origin.

We got a lovely 10kg guy from Nagasaki Prefecture in this morning.  I love it simmered in dashi with large slices of daikon radish (which is also best in winter) but when it's this fresh, it must be served as sashimi!!

#sashimibreakfastformeeeee

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post-8854-0-33132800-1388172525_thumb.jp

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We got a lovely 10kg guy from Nagasaki Prefecture in this morning.  I love it simmered in dashi with large slices of daikon radish (which is also best in winter) but when it's this fresh, it must be served as sashimi!!

The Buri sashimi was, indeed, delicious.

Head's up -- Seki is serving a 21-item osechi box for New Year's Eve (until midnight, I believe), that is said to be enough for two people, perhaps even more if slightly supplemented by regular menu items.  $110, which is approximately one-third of the price of the osechi box at Taro (http://www.sushitaro.com/OSECHI_poster_2014.pdf) (which I'm sure will also be great, but way out of my price range).

If I didn't have longstanding dinner plans, I'd definitely be there!  If you go, please report back here.

Happy New Year, Cizuka and Hiroshi!

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