Yamato, Park Slope

Tonight we wandered down Park Slope’s 7th Avenue in search of dinner.  We didn’t have a destination or type of cuisine in mind, but as we neared Yamato, Adam expressed his interest in trying it.  We’d walked far enough and it looked like a nice place, so in we went.  I liked the atmosphere immediately: a spattering of diners, candlelight,  a nice long banquette along the left hand side of the restaurant, and a giant wine rack on the right.

We took our time to browse the menu and eventually ordered way too much food.  We started off with the Dim Sum Ocean Box which was 3 types of dumplings, 2 pieces each (steamed shrimp, steamed sea bass w/carrot, pan-fried lobster with spinach).  I loved this trio of dumplings, especially the sea bass.

After this delightful dim sum tasting, a giant plate of sushi was delivered to our table.  Here’s what was on it: Spicy Tuna Roll, Green River Roll, Sunshine Roll, Sweet Shrimp Sushi, White Tuna Sushi, Salmon Sashimi, and Masago with Quail Egg.  It was a nice mix of our usual favorites and some of Yamato’s special rolls.  The Green River (avocado and spicy salmon) and the Sunshine Roll (spicy white tuna & caviar) were especially good and really big.  The Spicy Tuna was also larger than most classic rolls you see (8 large pieces vs. 6 small ones) but I wasn’t crazy about the texture.  I’m very particular about my Spicy Tuna Rolls and Yamato’s seemed mushier than the norm.

Besides my beef with the Spicy Tuna Roll, I really liked the way Yamato put everything together and would definitely return.  The staff was very friendly and attentive, even bringing us dessert on the house.  Though we were absolutely stuffed (rare occurrence, we brought home a sushi doggy bag!) we managed to polish that off.