GINGER KNOXX: GARI OF SUSHI GRAND OPENING >>>

After closing late last year after an electrical fire damaged the kitchen and lounge, Gari of Sushi made its comeback last night in its same location at 1209 S. 38th St. in Tacoma. Pappi Swarner, Kake, The Frenchman, Magnum and I stopped by, and as is the case with most restaurant openings, it was tasty but chaotic. Here, then, are a few observations:

At 7 p.m. our large party was seated in the back room. This area held five, six-seat tables and was essentially behind the sushi bar in a room all its own. Once seated, we didn’t see a server for almost 20 minutes (“Please, bring me a beverage, I beg of thee!). The woman asked if we were still waiting for others (The Frenchman and date Magnum were on their way). After saying yes, we were still waiting; she left swiftly before we could order anything. The rest of our group arrived and then we waited, waited, waited (a theme was forming, though we did not yet know it). I finally went to the front, and waited, and then informed the one of two women who seemed to serving the entire restaurant, that the rest of our party had arrived and might we please have three more menus. And we waited. Finally, menus were brought over. We ordered large Sapporo beers all-around, in anticipation of a lengthy wait to get to re-order. They were wheeled out on a utility cart, an efficient way to deliver four beers, but not very pleasant to the eye.

We shared some ohhhs and ahhhs over the new décor, the large stained glass window insert in the wall dividing the room from the sushi bar and finally were able to order when over server returned. It was 7:40 p.m.

Edamame appetizers arrived within 15 minutes. We sipped good cloudy miso soup, also delivered via the utility cart with bus tub on the second level. We smiled, we chatted, and we caught up. We fidgeted. Other diners were seated in the room with us. They ordered and had their food delivered. They ate. We waited. They ate. The Frenchmen became concerned when 8:30 p.m. came and went. Hypoglycemia sent in. We waited, our smiles got tighter. We checked out the restrooms â€" nice job. They were clean, nicely lit, well tiled and had funky cool art.

Pappi Swarner mused about opening night at restaurants. We all concurred that 98 percent of restaurants open under staffed, under stocked, not familiar with the new set-up, layout and menu. We are still not sure why restaurants or any business would do this â€" they know they will be busy and that people will have high expectations. We talked about patience, about the wait being worth it if the food is worth it. We nodded, smiled, waited.

We examined the sake menu and were puzzled by the limited selection.

And lo and behold, The Frenchman’s sashimi platter and California roll were placed in front of him. The rest of us drooled. Pappi Swarner insisted he dig in. The colorful selection of slices of raw fish: tuna, salmon, hamachi, albacore, tako, surf clam, ebi, saba, and white fish â€" two pieces each $21.75, were presented on a round, thick red ceramic plate laid out carefully on leaves, grated root and ice cubes. The ice cubes were a stellar idea since the air conditioning was not working and it was uncomfortably hot. The Frenchmen’s fare was “alright,” but just that.

Magnum’s three pieces of sushi arrived 10 minutes later with the promise that more was coming “soon.” Another 20 minutes passed and Kake’s Spicy Buster DNA roll ($13.95) appeared. This is one hot mother. No, not Kake (though she is), but the roll! The red tobiko on top was the core of the sun.

The rest of still had no food. Pappi Swarner’s Geisha Girl, Volcano Roll and hamachi sushi showed up another 15 minutes later. Yawn. Geisha Girl roll was uninspired in appearance, texture and flavor with an over abundance of rice. The Volcano roll seemed to have bacon bits on top of it. I am not kidding. We did a table taste (everyone tried it). Definitely a smoky pork flavor there. I instantly thought “salad bar” when I took a bite. Odd, but not distasteful. The hamachi was wonderful, smooth and mildly creamy.

Twenty minutes inched past. By this time we were curious as to the state of the rest of main dining area. There were four other customers.

Part of my order was set in front of me. Leaky Steamboat, sushi with shrimp, lobster, and quail egg (raw) topped with tobiko ($3.45) was the tastiest thing to hit the table even if the shrimp was overdone and a bit tough. I gouged it in half with a chopstick and shared with Pappi. The rich tastes mingled well and the quail egg was an unusual treat. This is something I will eat repeatedly in the future. The Yellow Tail sushi ($3.50) was supposed to have teriyaki deep fried jalapeno and citrus tobiko on it. It had neither, but the flavor was nice. Amberjack ($3.50) was kanpachi and had a nice seared smoked flavor with sake jelly (wow) and shredded ginger. We traded bites across the table so all could enjoy a sample and reveled in the new taste of the shiso leaf, a common denominator in many items.

We were still missing food. Patience wearing thin, we asked the young girl who was acting as busser/go-for person if the rest of our order was coming soon. She promised to check. Another 20 minutes elapsed and the final parts of our order were delivered. Total time from ordering to receiving the last items: two entire hours.

The J. Cool roll ($12.95) was all it was cracked up to be with cream cheese made super soft and gooey by freshly cooked shrimp tempura and sweet barbeque eel wrapped in a medium amount of rice, thin sliced avocado, topped with black tobiko and drizzled with more sweet barbeque eel sauce. The presentation was perfect. It was delicious.

After such great joyful anticipation and then such a dragging, seemingly never-ending wait, we were simply too tired and frustrated to enjoy it. Check, please.

LINK: South Sound Restaurant Guide