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Ogawa Café
36 E 4th St. (Between Bowery and Lafayette)
Time: Everyday, 11:30 am- 3:30 pm
Price: Two sushi rolls, $7.25
Three sushi rolls, $9.75
Lunch Box Special, $8.60
My first time, (Yes, I went more then once) I had intended for the usual sushi lunch special. However, the description and the sheer magnitude of the ‘lunch box special” was so impressive, that I had no other choice to order it. It comes with a soup, salad, rice, 3 fried shumai, four pieces of California roll and an entrée of your choice. What they don’t tell you is that is inedible in every possible way. And when I say inedible, I mean that I actually could not eat it. For my entrée, I decided to be gutsy, and go with the Tofu Teriyaki. What they served was a moist lukewarm chunk of tofu covering in this layer of gummy “teriyaki.” I would not call myself fluent with chopsticks, but I am at least conversational. And I kept attempting to pick up parts of the tofu, and it would fall and slip from my grasp. Even when I switched to the fork, I was unable to get it on the fork and into my mouth. I finally used my hands, and I shouldn’t have even bothered, it was so heinous. The other components were equally below average and unappetizing. A month later, I was in the neighborhood, and decided to give Ogawa a second chance, and this time just stick with the sushi lunch. Three sushi rolls for $9.75. I ordered salmon avocado, philly and yellowtail rolls. The salmon and avocado was warm and mushy. The philly roll was dominated by dollar-store cream cheese that had been sitting in the freezer for years. The yellowtail was too fishy, and I imagined myself slowly getting food poisoning as I ate the meal, and dreaded becoming a human party favor (stuff coming out of both ends). The cherry on the top of the afternoon, actually both times, I got the bill, the sales tax seemed to be over three times what it should be, and the server conveniently didn’t speak English when I asked them about it. Fortunately, I did not spend that evening on the toilet, but I would never go back for a strike three, or recommend that you do so, unless it’s an April Fool’s prank or you need the ideal location to break up with your girlfriend.
I have found El Dorado. You may have heard legends of the all-you-can-eat-and-drink-sushi fountain of youth, and here it is: your treasure map on ITJS. For real. Boundless spicy tuna, shrimp tempura and dragon rolls flowing forth in golden streams of cold beer and hot sake springs. With an extensive sushi menu and the fixings for limitless sake-bombs, this is truly an oasis in a desert of over-priced/non-satisfying sushi venues populating the city. You have two hours, which is plenty of time to consume at least $200 of food and drinks. Expect at least three overzealous diners to vomit during your stay, so pace yourself! You might feel horrible after coming here; you might want to take a fork and dig out your own intestines, but in the best way possible, I assure you.
