Onami Seafood Buffet
werewolf
Subject: Re: All you can eat Sushi
Newsgroups: alt.food.sushi
Date: 1999/03/03
I just had to jump in here. My name is Brandy and I an new to this
group - Hi
All!
While I haven't been to the Onami in San Diego (didn't know there was
one) I
have been to Onami in the North County Fair in Escondido, California.
It sounds
just like the one in San Diego - with one exception - No Time Limit.
It costs $20 a head ( not a plate) - drinks extra. They open at 5:30
in the
afternoon. Excellent service - the waiters and waitresses are always
ready to
serve you. Excellent food - sushi/sashimi - as well as Japanese
specialties.
My husband and I eat there as often as we can; since at our number one
place -
Katsu in San Marcos - we usually spend well over $100 (compared to the
$45 to
$50 we drop at Onami). We usually save Katsu for special occasions.
Brandy ô¿ô
Jim wrote:
> I have been to Onami many times at its terrific. There is also am
> all-you-can-eat sushi bar in Encintas, Ca called Mr Sushi for $20 and the
> best part. besides the sushi, is that there is no time limit :-)
>
> Pochacco Disaster wrote in message <7au0dv$f2g$1...@remarQ.com>...
> >Onami, San Diego, California, USA
> >"Seafood Buffet Restaurant"
> >(760) 738 7522
> >
> >It is the BEST "all-you-can-eat" sushi meal/Japanese cuisine that I have
> >ever been to. Plus, it has received rave reviews in all the local papers
> >and magazines. It even beats some specialty restaurants that I have been
> >to. They have all types of sushi and is made fresh before your eyes (not
> >bad for a "buffet"). You can enjoy many other Japanese cuisine other than
> >sushi as well, but sushi is the main attraction here and a lot is put into
> >its presentation.
> >
> >Only one problem. $28 a plate (+ tax, drink/ alcohol or not...). I took a
> >few of my friends there on my birthday and realized after I got home I could
> >have bought a 21" TV--HAHAHAHAHAHAHA, but the food is well worth it.
> >
> >Currently, they don't have a web site--they don't need one. They are packed
> >EVERYDAY and the lines outside must be controlled with a ticket system and
> >reservations (yes, this is still a buffet believe it or not).
> >
> >It is rare, as a student, that you can ever really get STUUUFFFED from sushi
> >and still be able eat the rest of the week (if not at least meekly)
> >
> >If you have any questions about this place, please call them--I don't work
> >for them; just an avid sushi fan.
> >
Went to the Onami in San Diego, CA. $13 for weekday lunch buffet. Very
big and popular place. Lots of quantity. I was not, however, impressed
with the quality.
Next I shall try another nearby sushi and seafood buffet that is
supposed to be even larger, Todai Sushi Buffet. Is anyone here
familiar with it?
- ww
The Trinker
werewolf wrote:
>
> From: Brandy ô¿ô (wind...@earthlink.net)
> Subject: Re: All you can eat Sushi
> Newsgroups: alt.food.sushi
> Date: 1999/03/03
>
> I just had to jump in here. My name is Brandy and I an new to this
> group - Hi
> All!
>
> While I haven't been to the Onami in San Diego (didn't know there was
> one) I
> have been to Onami in the North County Fair in Escondido, California.
> It sounds
> just like the one in San Diego - with one exception - No Time Limit.
Dunno about Onami San Diego or Escondido, but I had the absolute
worst service/sushi experience ever at Onami Carlsbad, and I'm
not trying Onami again.
*Flaky* mackerel with rubbery skin lingers in my mind as a truly
awful experience, not to mention tasteless salmon and chewy unagi.
> My husband and I eat there as often as we can; since at our number one
> place -
> Katsu in San Marcos - we usually spend well over $100 (compared to the
> $45 to
> $50 we drop at Onami). We usually save Katsu for special occasions.
>
> Brandy ô¿ô
Now, Katsu I will agree is excellent. So much so that I'm
reluctant to share, for fear that it will become more popular
and crowded than it already is.
> Went to the Onami in San Diego, CA. $13 for weekday lunch buffet. Very
> big and popular place. Lots of quantity. I was not, however, impressed
> with the quality.
> Next I shall try another nearby sushi and seafood buffet that is
> supposed to be even larger, Todai Sushi Buffet. Is anyone here
> familiar with it?
>
> - ww
Which Todai? The original in L.A. was excellent, years ago.
Someone in this thread mentioned not liking Nobu in Solana Beach.
What was the issue, there?
Mieko
>> Went to the Onami in San Diego, CA. $13 for weekday lunch buffet. Very
>> big and popular place. Lots of quantity. I was not, however, impressed
>> with the quality.
>> Next I shall try another nearby sushi and seafood buffet that is
>> supposed to be even larger, Todai Sushi Buffet. Is anyone here
>> familiar with it?
>>
>> - ww
>
>Which Todai? The original in L.A. was excellent, years ago.
The Todai is right under the 805 freeway off of the 8 in Mission Valley. Take
the Texas St offramp, and then go east on Camino Del Rio South. Haven't been
there myself, but have heard it's very similar to Onami, good quantity, but
just so-so quality. It has had a few different names since it opened, one was
Makino.
If I remember the story correctly, Todai in LA was opened by two brothers. A
few years later one broke off and opened Onami in Escondido. Opened the other
locations a few years after. Original brother may have sold the name, and now
I think someone else is running Todai, including the one in San Diego.
It's decent stuff, gives me a good chance to try some different stuff cheaply.
Personally, my favorite sushi place in the San Diego area is Edo Sushi in La
Jolla near UTC. They have a happy hour M-W with half price maki. I'll be
putting Katsu on my list of places to check out.
werewolf
I'll try the Todai in San Diego.
I'm the guy who didn't like Nobu. The chirashi sucked and was filled
up with mushrooms and junk and the prices were a lot higher than they
show on their website.
And thinking about it, my review of Onami in San Diego was much too
mild. I agree with that 1999 message above that said the fish was
really bad. The sushi looks nice but doesn't taste good at all. They
had two types of roe sushi, salmon and whatchamacallit, the small
orange roe. Both looked great but were very salty and tasteless. The
fish was tasteless too. Must all have been frozen for a long time.
Perhaps their cooked items are better. Dunno. I didn't try it.
Speaking of San Diego buffets, there is a little *Chinese* buffet,
very friendly, unpretentious, inexpensive, no MSG, in San Diego on
Sports Arena Blvd. I can't remember the name. It's in the little mall
with the Red Lobster.
werewolf, aug 7 2001
The Trinker
werewolf wrote:
> I'm the guy who didn't like Nobu. The chirashi sucked and was filled
> up with mushrooms and junk and the prices were a lot higher than they
> show on their website.
Heh. It sounds like you got a classical "chirashi with veg" and
didn't like it. Shiitakes and shredded sweet-omelette don't
surprise me at all, but then I'm from a family that does a no-raw-fish
chirashi.
Justin
lot of it! Chicken and Beef was okay, I was not impressed with the sushi (although,
I'm no expert).
werewolf
delay until they get posted messes up the sequence.
This was my previous message:
"I'm the guy who didn't like Nobu. The chirashi sucked and was filled
up with mushrooms and junk and the prices were a lot higher than they
show on their website.
And thinking about it, my review of Onami in San Diego was much too
mild. I agree with that 1999 message above that said the fish was
really bad. The sushi looks nice but doesn't taste good at all. They
had two types of roe sushi, salmon and whatchamacallit, the small
orange roe. Both looked great but were very salty and tasteless. The
fish was tasteless too. Must all have been frozen for a long time.
Perhaps their cooked items are better. Dunno. I didn't try it.
Speaking of San Diego buffets, there is a little *Chinese* buffet,
very friendly, unpretentious, inexpensive, no MSG, in San Diego on
Sports Arena Blvd. I can't remember the name. It's in the little mall
with the Red Lobster."
Trinker, I wouldn't mind vegetarian chirashi, but it should cost $5,
not $18 or $19 as at Nobu.
Perhaps I may try Edo instead of Todai. I did come accross a good
review or two of Todai somewhere or other on the internet, but I
wouldn't really care to visit an Onami clone.
ww, 8/8/01
werewolf
http://www.laweekly.com/ink/01/23/dining-rommelmann.shtml
OK, so much for my sushi buffet adventures!
ww, 8/8/01
werewolf
The Trinker
werewolf wrote:
>
> Trinker, I wouldn't mind vegetarian chirashi, but it should cost $5,
> not $18 or $19 as at Nobu.
But *everything* at Nobu is expensive!
> Perhaps I may try Edo instead of Todai. I did come accross a good
> review or two of Todai somewhere or other on the internet, but I
> wouldn't really care to visit an Onami clone.
<laugh> Umm...Onami is a *Todai* clone...
(and besides which, you probably won't find chirashi at either, right?)
werewolf
Following message by werewolf, 8/10/01:
Hi, Trinker,
Gluttony got the best of me and I went to Todai yesterday. Not as bad
as Onami. No, neither place has chirashi, but I kind of sort of
transmogrified their sushi into...uh...chirashi. The sushi has too
much rice on it anyway. I noticed that I'm not the only guy who does
that there. Oh, please don't tell Mr. Onami and Mr.Todai!
Well, so far I haven't become ill from my glutinous adventure with
vast quantities of rather mediocre sushi here in San Diego! I took the
precaution of a rather generous...uh...after dinner aperitif going
under a theory that I read somewhere that alcohol will help to protect
you from illness from bad raw fish. Took that precaution with both
places, and so far (knock on wood) I'm still OK.
Exploring the internet I found recommendations for two other Japanese
sushi joints in San Diego, besides Edo which was recommended above.
They are Aedo and Yakimono. But I fugured that we have the best place
in Tucson anyway,
so I'll try the big garish sushi buffets while I'm here.
werewolf, 8/10/01