Sushi Ran - 2006.05.12 -- **

A split restaurant, bar on one side, food on the other. Bad sign 1. The sign reminded me I've seen this restaurant's chain in Tahoe. Full of trendy white people, no japanese insight, almost no asians, bad sign 2. First page menu displays drinks and cocktails. Bad sign 3.

Separate menu for sushi recommendation and cooked stuff, with separate chefs, and in fact coming out of separate restaurants. Cooked stuff has little or no japanese style, flavor, or root; and as far as white food goes, pretty average. The "kobe beef", an american production, tasted no different than regular beef despite the pretty marbling. Seared scallops, squid salad that was a poor thai imitation, baked hamachi roll that was perhaps a bad choice to order period.

On the sushi side, just got the chef's selection of sashimi. 5 types, 10 pieces. Extremely average maguro; somewhat interesting japanese grunt texture-wise but not really taste wise; bonito, which I would not consider a fair choice for 28-dollar "chef's selection"; monkfish pate which were fine but dull; and lastly "ocean trout" (which I suppose meant adult version of a specise of trout that goes to live in the sea), the only gem of the night, with marbling and taste like that of salmon, yet a tad less oily. However the slices were thin and I do not consider quite appropriate for the fish.

After that we were in no mood to eat desserte. The place was happening, the food came out beautifully, service was typical. Admittedly we ordered more cooked food because my friend was not readily sushi-inclined. But at least from my sampling of what was supposed to be their top offerings, did not convince me as such. Final tab with tax and tip $98 for 2.