Yesterday afternoon I was invited out to lunch and my dining partner suggested we head to Origami Restaurant in North Loop for some sushi. Never passing up free lunch I made the 3/4 of a mile walk in the absolutely gorgeous 90+ degree weather to Origami to have what many consider to be the best sushi in Minnesota.
We arrived just before they opened at 11:30. We waited around outside while trying to keep in the shade and out of the direct sunlight beaming down from above. The building which houses Origami is made of beautiful brick and is located a few hundred feet from the river in the North Loop section of Minneapolis. We made our way inside and decided to sit at a table. We were seated near the front windows and our server delivered the hot towel and took our drink orders. While I realize that the hot towel is the norm and part of the custom, I found it pretty hilarious on a day which topped 102F.
While waiting for our server to come back we took our time looking over the space. Long and narrow, the first floor of Origami is small but certainly not cramped. As the lunch hour rolled on, plenty of people were seated around us and we did not feel uncomfortable and the noise level was never too much; definitely nice even if you were there for an evening meal for a date. While everything at head level and below was nearly perfect, looking up towards the ceiling revealed a disturbing amount of dust hanging down and swaying to and fro as the ceiling fans did their duty circulating cold air from a single window A/C unit in the middle of the restaurant. After staring at the faux sphagnum moss dripping from the ceiling, my dining companion simply said, “I really wish I had not seen that,” and I could only mutter, “gross,” while nodding in agreement and carefully keeping one eye on the ceiling to ensure none was making its way to table level.
Our server took our orders from their lunch menu with both of us choosing the Sushi Lunch option which included five pieces of sushi (chef’s choice), choice of: Spicy Tuna Roll, Spicy Yellowtail Roll, Spicy Salmon Roll or California roll, as well as miso soup and salad for $14.95. Definitely a great deal for a good bit of sushi and sides, especially so close to downtown proper. I went with the spicy yellowtail and my dining companion went with the spicy salmon.
Soon after our miso soup and salads arrived. The miso, while almost too hot to eat at first, was delicate, flavorful and easy to eat. I usually prefer more solids in my miso than was presented here but overall I was quite pleased with the soup. The salad was a step above your typical side salad and included a plump and sweet cherry tomato, thick cucumber slice, some fresh broccoli, and a very tart soy/ginger dressing. My only complaint about our starters was that there was entirely too much dressing sitting on the bottom of the tiny bowl; enough for the remaining lettuce leaves to nearly float away as I attempted to rescue them from the flood.
Before our starters were finished our entrees arrived. While we were fully expecting the chef’s choice items to be the same we were nonetheless disappointed when we saw the same pieces of nigiri between the two plates. In addition to the same items between the two of us, the options were pedestrian at best and included salmon, shrimp, tuna, yellowtail and flounder. The rolls themselves were nicely put together and were of an above average size.
While I am certainly not extremely well versed in eating sushi, compared to say eating ghost pepper laden dishes, I have eaten it at many restaurants across the nation and especially in the metro and have a pretty decent idea of what a baseline should be. With that noted, my dish was acceptable. There was absolutely nothing presented to me which set Origami apart from any number of other sushi establishments I have visited but the food was well prepared and, for the most part, tasty. Aside from the yellowfin nigiri, which was very buttery and flavorful, the rest of the items were pretty standard fare. The roll was more spice than anything else. In fact, the spice was so apparent in both rolls that I had a very difficult time discerning any of the other flavors. While I’m certain the average diner could care less about the flavors of the fish, especially when only shelling out $15, I expected more from a sushi restaurant which comes so highly recommended by others. While I preferred the spicy salmon to the yellowfin, it was simply due to the fact that more salmon flavor was present in that roll than mine.
After our meal a dessert menu was provided and an order for three assorted flavors of mochi was placed. My dining companion chose mango, chocolate and strawberry for $5.95. Mochi is one of my favorites and I was looking forward to trying it. It was eventually delivered and already starting to melt and stick to the plate as I pulled two sticks of what seemed to be Men’s Pocky (mmmm) from between the pieces. The mochi itself was good but my dining companion found their texture to be off-putting but proceeded to finish their half of the order.
When it was all said and done the bill came to just under $40 for two and included starters, entrees, and dessert. Not overpriced by any means regardless of location and certainly not for being so close to downtown, and certainly worth your time if you’re in the area. That said, overall I wasn’t as impressed as others seem to be with Origami, at least not during the lunch hour rush, and I can’t say that I’ll return to try again even if they have won as many Readers Choice awards as they have.
Have you ever eaten at Origami in Minneapolis (or Minnetonka)? If so what did you think? What do you like to order when you go there? Do you feel that you get superior items if you sit at the bar rather than a table? Even though they are not known for it, have you eaten anything other than sushi? If so what did you order? What other sushi places do you typically prefer within walking distance of downtown Minneapolis? Whatever you have to say about Origami in Minneapolis go ahead and comment on as I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Address:
Origami Downtown
30 North 1st St
Minneapolis, MN 55401
Phone:
612-333-8430
Hours:
Monday – Thursday: 11:30 – 2:00 PM and 5:00 PM to 9:30 PM
Friday: 11:30 – 2:00 PM and 5:00 PM to 10:30 PM
Saturday: 5:00 PM – 10:30 PM
Sunday: 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM
See all the pictures from Origami Restaurant in downtown Minneapolis on Flickr here.
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June 8th, 2011 at 7:44 am
I think I ordered the same lunch option you did at the Minnetonka location last year and felt the same way– My overwhelming feeling was also “acceptable but tasty.” Some of my sashimi was too chewy/cartilagy to eat. Personally, I’d rather spend less money to be more satisfied at Obento-Ya or even Sushi-Do in the MPLS skyway (at least I liked Sushi-do last year when I worked DT). . .Heresy, I know!
June 8th, 2011 at 8:56 am
We’ve been to Origami a few times, and I’ve always had a good experience. I’m usually not really a fan of the sushi lunch or combo meals though, because I prefer rolls to nigiri – and typically the nigiri I do want aren’t included in the combo platters. I’ve never had a sushi lunch similar to the one you’ve had that I’ve actually been impressed with – they always feel generic and don’t seem to be the restaurant’s best offerings. It makes sense for the price, but it’s too bad you can’t customize it a little more to individual tastes.
June 8th, 2011 at 9:43 am
Bummer. When I started reading, my first thought was “it’s been too long, I need to get back there.” No I wouldn’t say I’m in a huge rush… thanks Bill!
June 8th, 2011 at 9:46 am
My thoughts on Origami, having been there many times:
Actually, a differentiator between Origami and any number of other Japanese places around MSP *is* their cooked food. I don’t know about lunch, but in the evenings they usually have a handful of specials, including some interesting hot food. Cooked food I’ve ordered and things I’ve shared have impressed me.
Another differentiator for Origami is the availability of a wider range of interesting fish for their sushi/sashimi. Where Origami starts to shine sushi/sashimi-wise is when you get past the ho-hum salmon, tuna, yellowtail, etc.
Maybe this is Origami’s fault, or maybe they just have to play to the mainstream at lunch, but the sushi assortment above is akin to going to La Belle Vie for a lunch special and being offered a choice of broiled chicken breast or pork chop. Yawn.
They’re still confined to the parameters of demand (can’t keep pounds of cod pancreas and crab fingernails, etc. on hand) , but Origami will often have enough to satisfy those with broader interests. Example — last time I was there, they had a tobiko (flying fish roe) special. It was 4-5 pieces, each with tobiko that had been marinated in a different mixture (and, therefore came out in several distinct colors). Each was delicious, textural, and unique. Tobiko isn’t anything rare or mind-blowing, but just the way they handled it and created multiple flavors puts them on a different level than 75% of the sushi places around town. Sushi places will often have a “wasabi tobiko” and I order it because it was so good at Origami, but so far, I haven’t found anything that compares locally.
Other examples of why I recommend Origami when asked: The first time I had sea cucumber sashimi was at Origami. Their uni (sea urchin roe) is noticeably fresher than other places around (very few places even have it). The texture of the fish makes it clear that they handle the required freezing/thawing process very skillfully.
Personally, I feel this is ALWAYS the case at Japanese restaurants, not just Origami. Japanese cuisine is an artform steeped in tradition, pride and skill. It’s one of the things that draws me to it as my favorite food. The best Japanese meals, to me, are where you can absorb the effort going into the food, and the chef(s) can see your reaction. Sitting at the sushi bar also gives you the opportunity to develop a rapport with the chefs and they will tailor your meal to your preferences. You will reap the benefits if you go back and the itamae (chef) remembers you. Again, this is an area where Origami seems to shine in MSP.
Anyhoo….good writeup and the sushi photo above is probably the best food photo you’ve posted on here.
June 8th, 2011 at 9:54 am
FYI: I would have chosen to sit at the bar but my dining companion was paying and made the choice on where to sit and obviously the limit at which I felt comfortable spending.
Thanks.
June 8th, 2011 at 9:56 am
Those are some pretty weak selections by the chef, pretty standard fare.
June 8th, 2011 at 11:20 am
Origami is the best I’ve had in the twin cities, but the differences that make it rise above are subtle and I can’t say it’s leaps and bounds above it’s competition. I definitely think they know how to handle and prepare fish since the textures, flavor, freshness, etc are excellent. I’ll try to remember not to look up next time.
June 8th, 2011 at 11:45 am
Hm, I wouldn’t consider myself a sushi expert or anything – I just enjoy it. I’d heard a lot about Origami when we first arrived, so we decided to go there (Minneapolis) sometime in 2008. I can’t remember what we ordered, exactly, since it’s been so long, but I would’ve gotten a sushi/sashimi dish and my husband would’ve ordered something that wasn’t sushi (since he dislikes the taste of seaweed/raw fish). I remember overall being disappointed in the food there. We haven’t been back since, and I haven’t really had great memories of it. It’s not that the food was bad, but I suppose it was hyped up enough that I hoped it was better.
We had also just been to Kikaguwa a few weeks before (also downtown Minneapolis), I had an excellent experience and food there, enough so that we went back to it a few weeks after the Origami trip. I think we decided we liked Kikugawa better overall.
Nearer to us (Eagan), Ronin (of course) and Crave are my favorites. We went to Kyoto, and their best quality is their price.
Hm… this makes me want sushi now…
June 8th, 2011 at 4:35 pm
I’ve been to Origami once, and thoroughly enjoyed my time there. I didn’t have much of a frame of reference for eating sushi – in fact is was the first nigiri I’d ever tried. I found it somewhat difficult to eat psychologically (not being used to eating raw fish), but very tasty once in my mouth. This post reminds me that I should get out there and try some more.
June 12th, 2011 at 10:58 am
I love Origami, and not just because my friend’s husband Jiro, who was a chef there for many years, comped us about $80 worth of sushi. I tend to sit at the bar and place my meal fully in the hands of the chefs, provided I get scallop, unagi, toro, and squid. I just tell them to make me something awesome and I’m never disappointed. If they have bonito on the menu, I suggest you order it toot sweet, because it’s about the most wonderful thing ever, as well as the mackerel. Also, if you want a wonderful sushi bar experience, head over to Wasabi when Jiro’s working and tell him Alie says Hi.
January 25th, 2012 at 7:02 am
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