Sake-Tumi Baby!

I was really excited when Sake-Tumi first opened about a year ago. I have always loved sushi, maki, and sashimi… Anthony Bourdain once said that his last meal would either be a piece of roasted bone marrow with a warm baguette or a raw piece of really high quality yellow-fin tuna…. Yummm!With that being said, lets take a look at Sake-Tumi.

The interior of Sake-Tumi is really nice. They are part of the new restaurant movement in Binghamton that seems to embrace chic decor and modern style. Most things in the restaurant are white, black or red… kind of like The White Stripes. The restaurant is split between the first floor and the basement. Ground level contains a dining area and sushi bar, while the basement has a liquor bar, kitchen and secondary dining area. The bar on the first floor is very awkward. It’s really high and uncomfortable; whoever designed/constructed this monstrosity didn’t have a clue about functionality. But, overall the feel to the restaurant is positive… Plus they have a wonderful bathroom =)

I have eaten there 4 times since opening. The service has been awkward and slow except for one time. I am pretty sure they have a high turnover of wait staff because they always seem to have different people working there. The first time I ate there I had their small sashimi platter ($22), the tuna and salmon were very fresh but the red snapper seemed a little dated but nothing to be worried about (I ate it and was fine). I have also eaten some fusion maki rolls and some Americanized rolls like the Philadelphia ($5.5), California ($5.0) and Rainbow ($14.5). They were all decent but I definitely felt like I was paying too much for what I received.
My most recent experience was just a few days ago. I split the following fusion maki rolls with a friend of mine…

Sake-Tumi maki: Hamachi, tuna, cucumber, chili daikon wrapped in salmon crab and avocado on top w/ wasabi red sauce, spicy mayo $14.50

Seaworld: Spicy crab salad, asparagus, shitake mushroom roll wrapped in shrimp, scallop, crab w/ eel sauce and wasabi red sauce: $13.00... (I forgot to take a photo of Seaworld)

Cuper crunchy: Tuna, asparagus, chili daikon, tempura flakes roll w/ masago and potato crunch topping in spicy mayo, red sauce $12.50

Spicy tuna remix: Chopped tuna in a special spicy sauce, shiso leaves, radish sprout roll w/ spicy mayo, red sauce. $11.50

The rolls were all very beautiful and presented elegantly. My major complaint was that every piece of sushi had a dot of sriracha (Thai chili sauce) on it, which made the rolls all taste the same after a while… Honestly, I couldn’t believe that all four rolls that we ordered had this garnish. I guess it was partially my fault for not realizing that the “red sauce” and “wasabi red sauce” meant sriracha... next time I will tell them to paint it on the plate rather than putting it right on top of my food. But overall the meal was enjoyable… Although, I really felt like I was paying a very high price for sushi… Fuji San definitely gives better value for your money. My last complaint about Sake-Tumi is that they don’t have a web site. I know this may sound silly but its 2009! They should rent a computer science student from the university. In my opinion, they need to do four things to improve…
1. Shorten their menu
2. Hire and TRAIN a solid wait staff
3. Slightly lower their prices
4. Build a web site


Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
Price Range: $10-$30
Website: Sake-Tumi Facebook Page
Address: 71 Court St
Binghamton, NY 13901-3311
(607) 238-1771


Update 2/2/10
Sake-Tumi has recently created a website which, like the restaurant, is pretty stylish. You can visit them at saketumibing.com. A source tells me that the owners of Sake-Tumi have been informed about this blog post. I think they are strongly considering some of the above comments and are making efforts to revamp some aspects of their restaurant. It is always encouraging to hear that a restaurant is attempting to improve itself. Being content and stagnant in any industry will almost insure long term failure. So I applaud Sake-Tumi's efforts and wish them all the best. I will let you know how my next dinning experience at their establishment goes.