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Kotobuki, MacArthur Boulevard - Chef Hisao Abe's Value-Priced Sushi in Palisades


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The negatives are irksome because Kotobuki is my neighborhood go-to...

Kotobuki is not Kaz or Sushi-ko or even Matuba...I think it needs to be stop reviewed as such places. It is an affordable, eat and GO- they only have a few tables.. and it is a quality sushi dinner. However, to be fair, their toro is hit or miss...sometimes it will be amazing, other times really tough..and you won't find your tempura battered whatever here but the sushi is great and simple. That is what they do. The on going Beatles soundtrack also adds character. You go to Kotobuki when you don't feel like getting "dressed" for dinner or spending a lot of money. The ankimo here is also fantastic. There may be a wait down the stairs, but they turn the tables really quickly and it's in and out anyway! I don't know how they would make any money otherwise with their prices. Go to Black Salt and sit at the bar for dessert if you need to..(they do have plum wine though) You can linger there and not feel guilty! Especially after paying $15 for a glass of wine.

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The negatives are irksome because Kotobuki is my neighborhood go-to...

Kotobuki is not Kaz or Sushi-ko or even Matuba...I think it needs to be stop reviewed as such places. It is an affordable, eat and GO- they only have a few tables.. and it is a quality sushi dinner. However, to be fair, their toro is hit or miss...sometimes it will be amazing, other times really tough..and you won't find your tempura battered whatever here but the sushi is great and simple. That is what they do. The on going Beatles soundtrack also adds character. You go to Kotobuki when you don't feel like getting "dressed" for dinner or spending a lot of money. The ankimo here is also fantastic. There may be a wait down the stairs, but they turn the tables really quickly and it's in and out anyway! I don't know how they would make any money otherwise with their prices. Go to Black Salt and sit at the bar for dessert if you need to..(they do have plum wine though) You can linger there and not feel guilty! Especially after paying $15 for a glass of wine.

I'm not sure why it is so irksome to you that people give honest, positive/negative comments about Kotobuki. It is what it is, and the folks who go expecting to get high-end sushi at dirt-cheap prices, or a wide variety of Japanese food ought to know what it is and is not. I end up at Kotobuki oftener than I would if it were not in my neighborhood--for the very reasons you enumerate above: it is walking distance from my home, casual, quick and relatively cheap, all qualities which are appealing to my husband. If I had my druthers, we would eat sushi in DC only at Sushi-ko or Kaz. Great is not an adjective I would ever apply to Kotobuki sushi. I am glad when it is adequate. I love toro, but I will not order it at Kotobuki after spitting out too many sinewy pieces. And after all of the years of daily repetition, the Beatles CDs are wearing thin. Come to think of it, I haven't been to Sushi-ko since the last time my husband was out of town. I may need to plan a girls' night out...

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I'm not sure why it is so irksome to you that people give honest, positive/negative comments about Kotobuki. It is what it is, and the folks who go expecting to get high-end sushi at dirt-cheap prices, or a wide variety of Japanese food ought to know what it is and is not. I end up at Kotobuki oftener than I would if it were not in my neighborhood--for the very reasons you enumerate above: it is walking distance from my home, casual, quick and relatively cheap, all qualities which are appealing to my husband. If I had my druthers, we would eat sushi in DC only at Sushi-ko or Kaz. Great is not an adjective I would ever apply to Kotobuki sushi. I am glad when it is adequate. I love toro, but I will not order it at Kotobuki after spitting out too many sinewy pieces. And after all of the years of daily repetition, the Beatles CDs are wearing thin. Come to think of it, I haven't been to Sushi-ko since the last time my husband was out of town. I may need to plan a girls' night out...

Agree about the toro, I usually skip it now. I have also tried tro chew my way through a few sinewy pieces. If I didn't live in the neighborhood, I probably would not make it a destination too often either. When they opened, before they made it into the Washingtonian, I would go there and there would be hardly anybody there. It is nice to see the hard work of the sushi chefs and waitstaff (struggling with an empty restaurant in the beginning) pay off.

The walk-to factor always gives an otherwise average place a boost..I think we tend to favor our neighborhood restaurants. I still think the Beatles soundtrack is kitsch, fun and something that is their own. Haven't grown tired of it yet. If i want hi-end, I will go see Nori at SEI, or go to Sushi-Ko. I guess I just appreciate a place that offers up cheap and easy dinner and that is what they do, so I still think it should be evaluated that way. Not saying high-end, but good.

also-for your girls night, get dressed up and go to SEI. I don't know if you've been yet,but the sushi really is fantastic (and that cod dish too..) and it's very chic. But not cheap...

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Take out from Kotobuki was good, but not great, last night. Nothing really worth reporting except it is worth noting that they appear to have significantly streamlined their menu. Just sushi and easily heated items (e.g., edamame, shumai) now. Best I can tell, the kamameshi that Don wrote about above is no longer on the menu. Not sure when they made the change.

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Best I can tell, the kamameshi that Don wrote about above is no longer on the menu. Not sure when they made the change.

NNNNNOOOOOOOOO!!! I confess, I go (er, went) to Kotobuki more for the kamemeshi than their sushi (much better sushi is available to us without having to drive clear across town). But we found nothing that compared to a steaming pot of Kotobuki's kamemeshi on a bitter cold night. Crap!

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NNNNNOOOOOOOOO!!! I confess, I go (er, went) to Kotobuki more for the kamemeshi than their sushi (much better sushi is available to us without having to drive clear across town). But we found nothing that compared to a steaming pot of Kotobuki's kamemeshi on a bitter cold night. Crap!

It was still there a couple of weeks ago and is still on the website:

http://www.kotobukiusa.com/speciality/speciality.html

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It had been a while since I'd had lousy sushi.  After last night's take-out from Kotobuki, I unfortunately can't say that anymore.  Generally soggy--though it was the best of the bunch--salmon skin. (And, it didn't sit long, so I don't attribute it to the take out.)  Fishy-tasting yellowtail.  And a spicy scallop roll that was a total fail - with the spicy sauce they use not at all complementing the scallop; though perhaps, given every thing else, maybe the scallop wasn't worth complementing.  And note to sushi chefs everywhere: your customers don't want to hear about how you've had a cold for the last five days.  Well, at least this customer.  Overhead one of the sushi chefs talking about his illness, in some detail, with another (apparently regular) customer who'd been fighting something as well.  If I hadn't paid already, I would have considered turning around and heading out the door.  I don't expect Sushi Taro or Sushi Ko when I go to Kotobuki.  But I expect better than Kotobuki delivered last night.

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Yeah, I know you all don't want the secret out, but shouldn't the proprietor deserve to make a decent living on his $1 scallop sushi (the best in all of Washington), $1 flounder (the best in all of Washington), ebi, eel, and his $1.75 uni, toro (some of the best in all of Washington), fatty yellowtail (some of the best in all of Washington) and his rolls ranging from $2.55 to $3.00?

Remember all the excitement about Kotobuki ten years ago? Well, it's not as exciting now - it hasn't changed much, and prices have doubled. Granted, they've pretty much doubled at most places, but going from $1 sushi to $2.25 sushi is particularly noticeable.

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While still inexpensive, it's not the raging, no-brainer bargain it once was.

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Remember all the excitement about Kotobuki ten years ago? Well, it's not as exciting now - it hasn't changed much, and prices have doubled. Granted, they've pretty much doubled at most places, but going from $1 sushi to $2.25 sushi is particularly noticeable.

While still inexpensive, it's not the raging, no-brainer bargain it once was.

We used to go all the time years ago but, sadly, have to agree with the above. The local market has passed them by, though they maybe facilitated that by also slowing their pace. Sakuna on P in DuPont near Pesce was another value sushi spot with value pricing but haven't been there in years either so can't say. Aren't Kotobuki and Makoto the same owners?

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