Dorothy Ingram
I reserved for my daughter’s birthday and while we didn’t get a window seat as requested, you still have a really unfettered view of the city from the first floor. It’s worth going anytime, but had an especially nice ambiance at night with the city all aglow for the holidays. Angela was our server and endeavored to not only answer any questions, but to make the dinner an experience. She is a consummate professional, giving just enough attention to your needs/questions without being intrusive on your meal. I also appreciated that she asked about any food allergies and tailored her presentation for both of us, based on our preferences. She helped guide instead of pushing, so we were getting what we wanted/liked. I’ve never been terribly fond of raw fish and now understand that what I’m really not a fan of is mid or bad sushi/nigiri. I opted for the Black Miso Cod with that distaste in mind, and while it was incredibly delicious, after trying two pieces, I really think I could have eaten nigiri all night. To say the fish is “fresh” is an incredible understatement. This is how fish should actually taste - not the frozen/thawed, refrozen fish typically being served in landlocked areas. You can tell the care, attention to detail, and quality that you are receiving. Everything is delicately balanced and layered with often delicate flavors. I wish I had taken more pics to share here but we were having such a good time and enjoying the dishes so much that I only took a few. The presentation is as tasteful as the dishes themselves. Highly recommend the Sakura Samurai and lychee martini, although the sake paired with the experience was carefully curated and absolutely some of the best sake I’ve ever had. The “experience” is course after course of really lovely and unique sashimi, nigiri, and other dishes that I’ve never seen or tasted before. My descriptions won’t really do it justice as I’m a novice to the cuisine. But as a consummate lover of exquisite flavor profiles, the “experience” delivers. The tiramisu and matcha ice cream were a pleasant surprise, as they were also excellent. Overall, if you like sushi, sashimi or nigiri, and even if you don’t, this is the freshest spot to have it in Pittsburgh. If you love and appreciate sushi etc, Otaru is unquestionably the best place to treat yourself. Thank you for making our celebration special. We’ll be back!
