A 2ND CHANCE TO EAT FABULOUSLY..

I recently had some opportunities to relax and dine out with friends lately and try out some new restaurants. Im really trying to make an effort and take the time out to try new places and also of course the places on the uneaten paths....even the ones I havent even heard of.  So these 2 recent outings brought me to JADO Sushi, Harlem's 1st (I believe) sushi restaurant and NIKKO, a Japanese restaurant on Amsterdam Ave. Dining out literally,  just excites me. I love all of the things that go into dining out, from the anticipation of trying out a new menu, all the way  to getting the bill at the end of the meal. Usually when I step out of a restaurant Im like "Wow! That was so good and I cant wait to come back and also put my experience on the site". This reaction fabulous eaters didn't quite happen when I dined at JADO and NIKKO, and I was taken aback! Seriously, I felt slightly empty!  I posed a question on Twitter (follow me @SpeedyLVFoodie and @EatingFab) that stated .. 

How many chances should you give a restaurant before you declare its BAD? 

I didn't necessarily have a bad time but I didn't have a great time at these places either....Heres what happened...


JADO Sushi - Jado just opened a little less than a month ago, on the critically acclaimed "Restaurant Row" on Harlem's Frederick Douglass Boulevard. As soon as I saw the keyword "sushi" I already had my paycheck ready! One word for JADO, when I walked in.....SEXY. (whew!) The decor and atmosphere oozes sexiness, and to my male readers, if yall want to take me on a date (hint!) , take me to Jado!  Sleek black decor, sophisticated setting, cozy booths, and a open sushi bar, Jado's design team got this right. Even the bathroom was dark and sexy! I went to Jado a few days after their grand opening for a day time meeting, and we wanted to try this new place out. I apologize for not having pics for this post (I did) but I erased them by accident out of my iPhone.  Heres what we dined on:

~Gin Cuke - Lemon juice x Gin x Cucumber x Shiso Basil x Dry Cucumber Soda 
~ Edamame x Sea Salt 
~Glazed ShortRibs - 6hr Braised Pork Ribs x Szechuan Pepper x Shiso Basil 
~Halibut Ceviche - Halibut x Leche de Tigre x Pomegranate x Chive x Avocado x Grapefruit 
~Spicy Mango Tuna Roll - Tuna x Mango x Scallion x Spicy Mayo 

The unanimous decision amongst the 3 of us is that the food was ok. Thats it, ok. Nothing in particular to rave about, but it definitely wasn't bad. I had the tuna roll and the ceviche, great presentation, but yea nothing special. The spicy mayo was a little too spicy and the ceviche had a little too much acid. My tongue wasn't happy with this heat/acid combo. I want to go back to Jado again for a few reasons, starting with that we visited them like 4 days after there grand opening. Nothing, I repeat nothing is worked out and/or permanent in a new restaurant in 4 days. Also the menu had alot of great options and like I said, all the plates passing by had amazing presentations and the food came out fairly quickly. Also the staff was very friendly and welcoming!  I also dont drink alot and I drank all of my Gin Cuke!  I really want to go back and give Jado a strong chance, now that they have been up and running a little longer because like I said nothing was wrong at all! Date night anyone? 

JADO Sushi 
2118 Frederick Douglas Blvd btwn 114th and 115th. 
New York, NY 10026
212.866.2118 
http://www.jadosushi.com/

NIKKO - Nikko is a restaurant Ive passed by several times due to my favorite brunch spot being right across the street. Its one of those things where you pass by and make a mental note and force yourself to remember. I went to NIKKO on a saturday night with about 12 friends. The restaurant serves sushi, hibachi, and Japanese food, along with a variety of sake's. A large party of roughly 30+ guests took up both hibachi stations, so our dreams of hibachi were quickly ruined. The restaurant was fairly decent at the time of my table seating, basically they didn't have a packed house at the moment. Our server and the food were my main dislikes here. Our server was very attentive to our large table, she recited the daily specials, made sure we had everything we needed, but she kept messing up our orders. It was either too much food, too little food, or the wrong food to the wrong person,  needless to say, we received some comps that night.  Food wise, the salad was great, but the other food had no flavor. I eat sushi often and I had one of the specials which was shrimp and crab shumai and I had a Nikko signature Sweetheart Roll ( spiced tuna mixed w/ spicy mayo, salmon, cucumber, avocado, tempura, spicy aioli) and I just wasn't impressed. My food was apart of the mix up and thats not what even spoiled my meal. I am all too familiar with restaurant mix ups. It was just mistake after mistake after mistake, on top of my food being forgettable. I DO want to revisit NIKKO one more time because this large party could have been a strain on the restaurant and to the staff, and im pretty sure my table of 12 didn't help it either. 

NIKKO 
1280 Amsterdam Ave. @ 123rd street 
New York, NY 10027
212.531.1188

WHAT DO YOU THINK FAB EATERS, SHOULD I GIVE THESE PLACES ANOTHER CHANCE?