Arigato Sushi and Hibachi Offers Big Lunch Value for a Little More $
Japanese food, like things in Japan, is usually a bit more expensive than other lunch choices. Yesterday we parked ourselves in downtown Amherst and discovered what you get for this slightly higher price.
It turned out to be a good value at Arigato Sushi and Hibachi, at the top of North Pleasant St. Our table afforded a great view of passers by, as we tucked into three small courses of our lunch.
Though they don’t mention it in the menu, our sushi lunch included miso soup and a small salad. Miso is the ultimate healthy food, it always tastes great and to some it is indeed medicine. Arigato’s was home made and had a delicious aroma. The small salad was dressed with a light vinegret and was another nice touch.
The restaurant wasn’t crowded on a Friday, and our waitress brought out our sushi plates. One thing about Japanese cuisine is how nice it always looks on the plates. Truly, these chefs realize how important the eyes are to tempt the palate. Carefully arranged slices of red tuna and seared eel, topped with dainty strips of dark nori, seaweed.
Another favorite part of sushi for us is the heat. That wasabi just gives you a lift that nothing else can touch. Your sinuses get that clearing out, and mixing it with the salty umami of the soy sauce, it’s the perfect place to dunk that luscious piece of raw fish. My eel combo included a six-piece roll, three pieces of grilled eel and three eel sushi for $11.95. Ed enjoyed his tuna combo with his request for added shredded ginger. His only complaint was the chopsticks…they were difficult to use since they were flimsy. We agreed on a three-star review out of five. Our bill was $19 and $17 each with a pot of green tea.
Yelp reviewers for the most part haven’t been kind to Arigato recently. Three of them complained about frozen sushi and many others said that their service was terrible. Out of 15 reviews, the average was just 2.5 stars, they definitely didn’t like the place as much as we did.