Visited for dinner on 8/1/2022
In full honesty, the very first time I went to Morimoto 5/8/2022, I was not impressed. In my initial review, I remarked ‘disappointed, definitely not the iron chef experience’. After my review, the General Manager reached out, apologized for the experience and asked to give them another try. I’ll preface my updated-review below by saying that I received no bill discount, free entree, or incentives to revisit or re-review. I visited again simply out of curiosity. Spoiler alert, this time it was a delightful experience!
When we arrived on 8/1, we were met by Jenna (the GM) and walked to our table. The servers we passed said ‘welcome in’ as we passed them and as our table was in the back of the restaurant, it really made us feel welcome.
The decor in Morimoto is like a cool ‘chic’ vibe. While it’s in the MGM grand, unless you focus on the windows to watch the folks walk by, you’re pulled into the classy interior and experience around you. In the back of the restaurant there is a hibachi kitchen, where you can sit and the chefs will cook meals for the group. Otherwise all tables are placed throughout. There is a restroom in the back, so no need to leave the restaurant to use the facilities if you need to freshen up quick.
In looking at the menu, there are excellent options for fish and sushi, but the vegetarian options at Morimoto definitely are lacking, which was one of my main frustrations with the restaurant during my previous visit. This time, they curated a physical vegetarian menu for us, showing what could be altered or ordered. This was appreciated, as the previous visit the server was unaware and it made ordering difficult.
After seating, we met our server Katie, who was just phenomenal. Not only was she kind, but she also had fun banter with us through the evening. In terms of service, she has a full 5-star rating from me. Super attentive, thoughtful, and engaging. She checked-in just the right amount and made sure we felt taken care of!
For example, of course she knew I was vegetarian, but she brought out a special soy sauce for me, which I appreciated. Because Morimoto’s uses fish in all their sauces, if you don’t eat fish, you have to have someone attentive to make sure you are taken care of, which Katie sure did! Also, it was my friend’s birthday and I whispered to her this in passing and she made a candle appear with sorbet when dessert was served. This was a very different service experience than the previous time.
For my main entree, I ordered the Vegetarian Sushi Combo, which apparently the chef created just for my visit. I really hope this becomes a staple, because without it, there is no main entree for a vegetarian. Plus, the veggie sushi combo was phenomenal! There were flavors and textures I never had on a roll before.
- Fresh carrot roll very crunchy and fresh
- Marinated carrot roll, umami slight crunch and tasty (this one was my favorite)
- Mixed veggie roll is nicely complimented with avocado
- There was an endive roll that was fun – never had something like that before
- Edamame roll that was something creative – a fun texture in the mouth
- Mushroom Roll was a fun chewy texture with the marinated mushrooms
- Avocado sliced roll was creamy and perfectly ripe
So good!
The other folks in my party had the non-vegetarian items:
Duck Fried Rice – flavor packed! To quote exactly ‘#flavorbomb’
Sashimi for two chefs combo:
All cuts of the fish were really fresh. Waitress let us know what to try first and between cuts of fish before other dishes (like the appetizers).
Paired the sake well with the sashimi
Very positive experience
Sushi combo plate:
Very tasty! Every cut of fish was a delight, no complaints!
Sake:
The Sommelier was very knowledgeable (and fun to be around). He gave us a detailed run through of the sakes, including region, ownership, land, and terroir! Here’s what we ordered:
Unfiltered: Nigori Genshu Sake by Murai Family. Thick, almost like milk – nice and heavy. We liked it for the texture and with our appetizers.
Filtered: Konteki Pearls of Simplicity Junmai Daiginjo. Bright and fun, hints of melon. Paired wonderfully with the sushi combo and the vegetarian sushi combo.
For dessert:
Jasmine Panacotta with blueberry compote, almond streusel, blueberry ice cream and lemon sorbet :
Delightful. Lemon and blueberry, light and slightly tangy. I ate quite a few bites 🙂
Chilled cheesecake souffle with blood orange sorbet :
Perfectly light and fluffy- it basically danced across the palate! So nice when paired with the blood orange sorbet
Overall the experience was so much fun. We had a great time conversing with the staff and had a full and fun time. Super five star experience. I really hope they make the veggie menu and the vegetarian sushi combo permanent. I asked Jenna about it when we were closing out and she mentioned that it was made just for my visit, but it may not be on the menu in the long-term. So, if you’re headed to Morimotos and interested in the vegetarian sushi combo, I suggest asking if they can make it for you! Compliments to the chef for stepping out of the norm and creating the dish for me. In the long-term, Chef Morimoto should really consider adding this permanently to the menu, it will be inclusive and also an amazing add for vegetarians or folks who can’t eat fish.
Previous experience: 2-star, most recent experience 5-star. Overall, I’d give a 4.5 as I think they learned well from the feedback provided and that shows a lot in a restaurant! It isn’t often you can say a place takes feedback and shows up as well as Morimotos did! Nicely done and thank you Morimotos!
~Jeremy
