Arigato in Amherst

The atmosphere in Arigato, the expanded Amherst Japanese restaurant, was a little odd and off-putting. Although polite and smiling, the staff radiated a palpable tension and distance that turned the ambiance somewhat stressful. The hard chairs and low tables added to the uneasy feeling, and the huge menu was overwhelming and difficult to decipher.

When we asked the hurried waiter (did they really need to be jogging with only seven tables full and at least four wait and sushi staff?) the difference between the two types of hot pots listed on the menu, his explanation was friendly but utterly incomprehensible. He seemed at such a loss to answer our questions that I backed off rather than increase both of our discomfort. Since we didn’t fully understand the two different categories of hot pot choices, we randomly selected one. The waiter returned several minutes later to tell us the dish was not available. When asked, he could not recommend something comparable. Given this was the second time we’d been unsuccessful at getting information, we gave up, chose a few more items at random, and hoped for the best.

While we waited for our order, three tiny complementary plates were placed on our table. The first contained a small pile of edamame, and we dove in with delight. The beans were briny, fresh and delicious. The second plate held a few fried items that were creamy and mild inside with a satisfying crunchy exterior. Tasty. The third contained tiny cubes of some sort of pickled vegetable. We think a couple of them were carrots but had no idea what the white cubes were. Delicious, though. At this point we cheered up considerably and waited with anticipation for our chosen dishes.

The various items we’d ordered were brought as they were ready. I can appreciate a restaurant that brings dishes when hot and ready, rather than storing items under a heat lamp. Everything was fresh and had clearly left the pan seconds earlier. Maybe that’s why the waiters raced around so much? We didn’t have a dedicated wait staff; one of several showed up periodically to deliver dishes or clear finished plates. Despite our pleasure at being served food at its peak, the service took on an impersonal feel, as though dealing with us was something to be dispensed with as quickly as possible.

Having enjoyed so much the tiny bowl of complimentary edamame, we had ordered an additional appetizer-sized portion. Strangely, it was not nearly as tasty or seasoned as the first. How could that be? We also ordered another portion of the fried delights. Once again we tried and asked what they were, but the response was a quizzical look. Maybe the waiter thought it was a silly question, or that I didn’t need to know more, or perhaps he was just too busy to stop to explain? I don’t know - and having asked yet another seemingly unanswerable question, I was left feeling uncomfortable. Again. Nevertheless, we enjoyed the mystery fried bits. The next dish, a steamed plate of shrimp gyoza, were the freshest I’ve ever tasted, with tiny bits of shrimp, tender dough and a marvelous dipping sauce. We ordered two types of sushi, one with smoked salmon and kiwi (hey, we said the choices were random) and another with tempura inside. The tempura hand roll was tasty and had a nice crunch contrasting against the rice, but the smoked salmon and kiwi roll had such a strong and fishy flavor as to be unpalatable. A plate of shrimp and vegetable tempura was crispy and light. The shrimp was good, but unfortunately it only came with one green bean, one piece of carrot and one piece of squash. One green bean?

We weren’t satisfied with the meal at that point and waved a waiter over to ask if we could order some negimaki (marinated skewered beef), but the waiter informed us with regret that it would take too long – close to 15 minutes. We asked if instead we could order yakitori (marinated skewered chicken), and he nodded his head negatively again. “No, that will take too long too,” he said. Did we look like we were in a hurry to leave? I suppose so. Who knows? Clearly, he was telling us it was time for us to go. All I can say is that my sense of awkwardness surged to the surface once again, and I knew with a certainty that I had clearly behaved inappropriately and been judged lacking. Self-consciously, I thanked the waiter (although I wasn’t sure for what). He nodded, relieved somehow, and ran off.

We sat there feeling slightly confused, guilty, and a little resentful. Within a few minutes we finished what was left on our table (except for a few pieces of the odd kiwi salmon roll) and then began waiting for the check. We tried to wave a few times but kept missing anyone. Finally a waiter arrived and asked if we hadn’t gotten our check yet? We said no, and it was delivered shortly thereafter. As I stepped outside the restaurant, I felt a distinct sense of relief combined with post-traumatic culinary stress.

As you may know, the only treatment for that kind of trauma and stress is cookies and ice cream. Plenty of both soothed our jangled nerves and made up for the disappointing experience dining out. Oh well. My wife often quotes the ancient proverb, “Every day cannot be a feast of lanterns.” Or, in this case, every meal.

Bistro 63 at the Monkey Bar

Does the term mixed bag sum up my thoughts about this restaurant? It did for me . . . that was, until last weekend.

In the past I’ve thoroughly enjoyed their salads. Beyond enjoyed – it became a salad destination for me. My favorite was mixed greens topped with asparagus, chopped artichoke hearts, grape tomatoes, and a vinaigrette dressing so flavorful it begged to be soaked up by the crusty French bread at the table. Then I discovered their goat cheese, mandarin orange, granny smith apple and walnut covered salad with a lemon vinaigrette that didn’t just wake up the taste buds – it got them standing at attention and cheering.

Another of my favorites has been their lobster corn chowder. While shy on the lobster, the sweet corn flavor, chunks of perfectly cooked potato, and thick and rich creamy texture was a guaranteed bowl of deliciousness. We’ve been at the restaurant a half dozen times and always enjoyed their salads and corn chowder and each time experimented with trying a few other dishes.

Some of the other dishes were good, some not so good. The seafood risotto, while a bit dense for my taste, has always tasted fresh and flavorful. Just the right amount of sweet tomato flavor, big chunks of lobster, scallops and shrimp, which are always cooked perfectly, and creamy rice that still has a nice bite to it. I appreciate their gentle hand with the parmesan, which results in a rich and balanced overall flavor. A one time choice of lemon flounder was unpleasant because of the large number of tiny bones in it. The lemon sauce was superb, although I would have appreciated more than one tablespoon of it on my plate. A filet mignon was disappointingly flavorless, and a shrimp and pasta special was so full of garlic chunks it was literally inedible. An appetizer platter with coconut shrimp, a spring roll and mixed cabbage sweet and sour salad was fairly standard – with the exception of the salad, which was perfectly spicy, tart and crunchy.

The prices are rather high, the service tends to be a bit neglectful, and clearly the entrees can be hit or miss. Still . . . the salads and chowder kept us coming back for more. Until last weekend.

Maybe the chef was off that night? Maybe there is a new chef? Maybe the magnetic poles weren’t aligned. I don’t know the reason. But when we ordered two of our favorite salads, we were appalled with what arrived. Instead of the advertised mixed greens, the goat cheese and fruit/walnut salad was sitting on top of a chiffonade of old, wilted spinach. It was not good at all and left a strong oxalic acid residue in the mouth. The lemon vinaigrette was somehow tasteless and vinegary at the same time. The asparagus and artichoke topped salad was slightly different than in the past, but with the addition of mushrooms and cucumbers. The artichokes were quartered rather than chopped. These differences shouldn’t have taken away from the salad, but somehow it negatively changed the character and mouth feel. The main villain in this culi-drama was the dressing. It was absolutely flavorless and tasted like plain oil. In desperation I added more and more salt, but just ended up creating a salty oil flavor.

I shouldn’t even dwell on the bread fiasco, but I will briefly share the horror that was our experience. The Monkey Bar delivers complimentary baskets of French bread toasted with garlic, oil, and various herbs, cheeses, tomatoes and toppings. Although my wife enjoys all of the various breads, I prefer plain bread (remember the soaking in dressing delight?). When ordering, I asked for a basket of plain bread and butter. The salads arrived ten minutes later, but no bread. We waited . . . waited. Finally, about ten minutes later, the server appeared with a basket of bread. She cheerfully exclaimed, “Here’s your plain bread!” She left me happy and relieved that we could finally dig in. Seconds later, I realized that it was not plain bread but grilled garlic bread – heavy on the garlic. Once again we waited forever for the waitress to reappear; so long, in fact, that, my wife actually got up and walked back to the kitchen to ask for plain bread. She came back to our table, pointed to the basked and repeated what she had been told, “That IS plain bread.” Now I may not be a rocket scientist, but I know when bread has been grilled with oil and garlic – toasty brown and aromatic, it doesn’t take a genius. At this point I said, “No, it’s not,” and was told by the man behind the bar (who shouted over to us), “We don’t have plain bread.”

Umm. What do they use to MAKE the garlic bread? But at this point I just wanted it all to go away like a bad dream. I nodded and smiled (it might have looked more like a grimace) and went to work on the salad. Well, you know how that part of the story turned out. A few minutes later, someone appeared with three slices of plain bread and triumphantly put them on our table. I guess I appreciated their searching high and low for plain bread, but the whole experience, topped with vinaigrette that had no business being sopped up by anything, left us both cranky and miserable.

We couldn’t finish the salads. When the chowder came, we sighed with relief – surely this would make up for the salad disappointment and bread fiasco. But things went from bad to worse. Our first clue should have been the odd phosphorescent yellow of the soup. Nevertheless, with the optimism born of a happy corn chowder history, we dove in. How can I explain the flavor? Neither of us could detect any corn or lobster flavor. A small bit of minced red substance in the center of the bowl indicated that some form of lobster may have been sprinkled on top, and we could see the corn kernels, but it was like a holographic projection with no taste to back it up. There were large chunks of potato and the texture was thick and creamy looking, albeit play dough yellow. But the flavor was . . . sour. Not spoiled or curdled, just weirdly sour. A sour broth with big chunks of overcooked potato. After a few spoonfuls, my wife gave up, laid her spoon down and said “I’m done.” I tried to go on . . . but soon thereafter gave up as well. It was so unpleasant. We were hungry, disappointed with the service, truly horrified with the food, and $40 poorer. Be warned.

Europa in South Hadley

I’d been looking forward to eating at Europa for some time. The concept of Tapas or small plates has always appealed to the part of me that wants to taste as many dishes as possible. Naturally, I had read through the menu several times prior to my visit to consider and anticipate the interesting dishes I’d order. My wife and I arrived and immediately argued about how many plates to order. She pointed to the statement on the menu that suggested that 2-3 tapas could be considered a main course. I pointed to the special offer of 4 dishes for $25. Clearly 4 wouldn’t be sufficient for the two of us (I argued); therefore it only made sense to order 8. She sighed, knowing she would lose this one.

The restaurant was relatively empty on this weekend night, and the wait staff was attentive and gracious. We sat at a lovely curved booth with a large table designed to accommodate many plates. The first two things to arrive were the salad and a basket of bread. The salad was delicious – fresh greens, juicy grape tomatoes and light, crisp croutons that had crunch but still melted in your mouth. The balsamic vinaigrette was absolutely wonderful, and we particularly enjoyed soaking the accompanying bread in the vinaigrette. Note – the bread basket was filled with a combination of boring, dry, less than standard rolls, as well as the most wonderful homemade rustic white bread I’ve had since I was a child. When we questioned the wait staff, they explained that Mike’s (the owner’s) mother made the crusty white bread herself, and when we requested it, another plate of mom’s bread was promptly delivered to the table. I should mention that the bread bowl was accompanied by an olive tapenade made of unusually flavorful calamata olives (my wife’s favorite), and she dove in happily, licking her fingers after every morsel she devoured.

Two at a time our dishes began to arrive. Various wait staff appeared at reasonably spaced intervals to deliver each new offering. Our first two dishes were the pork pinchos (a Spanish marinated pork kebab with cucumber sauce) and herbed goat cheese grilled shrimp with presunto (a kind of prosciuotto ham) in a balsamic vinaigrette. Yes, it was the same as the vinaigrette from the house salad, and we soaked up the remainder of the bread with it! The shrimp was slightly overdone, and the presunto flavor strong enough to overwhelm the delicate seafood, but when all the elements were combined with the cheese and sauce, it was a bright burst of flavor and a tasty starter. I’d recommend it. Although it arrived looking delicious, the pork kebab had a thick coating of spices on the meat that resulted in an unpleasant texture when eaten.

Next we were presented with lollipop lamb chops in surprisingly tangy orange vinaigrette. The combination of perfectly cooked lamb with the orange sauce and boursin cheese was a delightful flavor treat, and we rolled the chops around to soak up as much of the vibrant orange sauce as we could. The spanakopita was a disappointment. An overabundance of spinach and a tiny amount of filo resulted in a soggy mess. While the red pepper sauce it sat in was adequate tasting, it worsened the sogginess and did nothing for the overall flavor.

The Mediterranean flat bread was a welcome platter of crisp bread, sweet caramelized onion, sweet grape tomatoes, flavorful feta, delicious calamata olives (“same as the ones from the tapenade,” my wife exclaimed) and more of that terrific balsamic vinaigrette. No, we weren’t tired of it. It was fortunate that the flat bread was so wonderful because it came with a plate of lobster Rangoon that was swimming in an unpleasantly strong and bitter curry sauce, making that dish a low point for me.

The next two tapas to arrive were both seafood. We first sampled the salt cod fritters in a romesco sauce. It was a generous portion of crispy fritters filled with the potato cod mixture but was just okay - what we expected, but nothing particularly unusual or flavorful. The sauce was not one of our favorites either. The second fish dish was a truly enormous piece of Basa filet crusted in almonds accompanied by a generous amount of the same romesco sauce. Sadly, size doesn’t matter when fish is so terribly overcooked and dry as to be literally inedible.

We ended our meal with rice pudding, since we felt we needed comfort to make up for the disappointing final fish dishes. Comforting it was, but surprising as well. The tart lemon kick in the pudding was unexpected and lifted the traditional dessert to another level, and we polished off every bite and licked our spoons. Presentation was fanciful, as well, with a fork impression on lemon peel dust scattered on the plate. Taste is everything of course, but creative presentation makes us happy too.

All in all, it was a fun experience. Attentive staff (who worried each time we didn’t finish a plate of food), a few stand out dishes, and lots of exciting flavors and tastes. On the other hand, with almost half of the dishes disappointing us, it’s probably not a place we’d return. Unless Mike’s mom starts selling loaves of her bread – we’d absolutely go back to buy that at least once a week!