Daniel W.
Yelp
Ambience - 4/5: Both the exterior, traditional garden path leading to the door, and the interior, are exquisite. The open kitchen, from which wafts the smoky smell of the robata grill's charcoal, really adds to the experience. While the front of house was immaculate, however, the toilet in the men's restroom was quite literally loose and wobbly. Very strange. I'm told the women's restroom was much nicer.
Service - 3/5: Definitely got the full "gaijin" treatment here. Tei Tei seems to be used to catering to people who haven't a clue about Japanese food, which can be good or bad depending on your background. For me, introducing relatively standard sushi fish detracts, rather than adds, to the experience. For others, that might be considered excellent service. Adding to the awkwardness is that Tei Tei does not seem to have a good way to get dishes from the kitchen out to the customers. One of the chefs was constantly having to lean over the gorgeous iced seafood display to hand off plates, which were then awkwardly intercepted by the servers. As someone who is used to the simplicity (and intimacy) of being handed plates by the sushi chef when sitting at the bar, this made for a notably odd experience.
Food - 3/5: Some of the dishes here were notably better than others. One was truly bad, and a few dishes were outstanding. Details follows:
Nigiri, Sashimi & Carpaccio - 2/5: While all of the fish was good (we had two samplers as well as some additional nigiri), I would say none of it was truly excellent, even when compared to other sushi places in the landlocked mountain and southwest regions. Unfortunately, at the very premium price point Tei Tei operates at, "good" is not good enough. I would outright skip the nigiri, sashimi and carpaccio here. If you must get sushi here, I would suggest the bluefin tuna chutoro.
Grilled Artichoke - 5/5: A stand-out must-get winner. I've never been fond of artichoke hearts, and so never tried to eat the leaves roasted. However, the smoky flavor imparted by the robata grill combined with the wasabi-hollandaise dipping sauce was a combination to behold. If every dish here was on this level, this would be an easy five-star review.
Grilled Sea Bass - 4.5/5: Also excellent. Some of the best sea bass I've had, but a bit of a small portion.
Corn-Flake Tempura Shrimp - 1/5: Edible, but not enjoyable. The residue from the batter left an oily taste in my mouth. Inexcusable at this price point.
Sake Ice Cream - 5/5: Exquisite. Think a nigori sake but very, very heavily concentrated. A bit strong on its own, but when combined with the frozen fruit and pirouette it is served with, a delightful combination. A must-get.
At a lower price point, I would have been a bit more forgiving. However, Tei-Tei charges rather high end fine dining prices, and so those are the standards to which it should be held. While some aspects of the restaurant, truly did meet those standards, others fell far short. Regrettable.