Rangetsu, Maitland - Closed

I went to this Japanese restaurant in the new housing development on Lake Lilly (Orlando Ave ie 17-92) on Wednesday for lunch. I was a little apprehensive about what it would amount to since there was a measurable time lag between when the old place on I Drive closed down and this one replaced it. Nothing to worry about. It's the same people (grandson) and the same if not better quality proposition. And it not so much replaced it as went in an entirely new direction. Gone are the koi ponds, zen gardens and the rest of the charicaturishly representational indicia. In their place is a hip, urban Japanese restaurant. The ceiling (air ducts) is painted black and stacked and serpentined to give the illusion of design. They are still ugly air ducts, but, at least they tried to incorporate them. They, exit signs, and staging areas ruin every dining room. Damn you OSHA or whomever. One side of the main room has glass windows. The opposite side has a "peer in" kitchen. The far wall has some interesting cut glass decoration over the booths to the left and a large corporate symbol over the sushi bar. The wall opposite it houses the bar. The places seats about; ten at the sushi bar, ten at the robata bar (at the kitchen), 16 in the bar, 40 on the patio and 100 in the main dining area. There is a nook in the back where they can draw curtains to make a private dining area. There are tables and booths (black leather or leather substitute) inside and wickerish furniture outside. The sushi and robata bar seats are white high chairs. The floor is dark. It's your typical monochromatic exhibition. OK. On to the food. I attempted to see both ends of the spectrum. The cheapest lunch option and some of their higher end sushi. I had the 2 Roll Special for $8, an order of Kampachi (to clear up the confusion caused by Dragonfly) at $4, and an order of Whelk Clam sushi at $3.50. I had spicy salmon and spicy scallop for my rolls. It is supposed to come "crunchy" style, but, they let me avoid that catastrophe. I'm usually not a fan of the mayo-infused excuse to hide the lips and dicks of the raw fish world, but, the quality of the seafood in these rolls was excellent and they didn't offer many alternatives. If these are the remnants, then the quality carvings must be incredible (by association - if a is to be then b is to c). The portions were large (8 large cuts) in length and the amount of fish in them was great. It would have been better if they didn't have the 200 or so extra calories from the mayonnaise (1 tsp = 50 calories), but, I've learned (from TV) that you can ask for spicy rolls without mayo (just the hot sauce). I still don't get why you would want to hide your product in mayo if it is going to be of that quality. Just do some regular rolls. The rolls came on a nice piece of rectangular, white porcelain with brownish ginger (I'm told ginger is dyed in different colors) and radish confetti. The special includes sunumono and soup or salad. I chose soup. It was a very nice Miso topped with two pieces of fried tofu skin. The whelk was ok. I believe it was my first foray. It tasted like a crisper squid. It came on a similar (smaller) set up as the rolls. A sushi order is one piece. Ok, now Kampachi. I looked it up. It is not baby yellowtail as another restaurant describes it. It is a fish called almaco jack aka songoro amberjack aka kahala. This version was much whiter than the pieces I had at that other restaurant. It had a little more flavor and was a touch softer than the other. I still prefer the slightly fishier taste of yellowtail. I wouldn't cough up the extra dollar per order. They have Kampachi Toro (belly) here too. The sashimi (2 pieces) came in a nice, glass dish with little cucumber pin wheels. The rice in all the sushi was properly prepared. The rest of the menu is great. They have things like; three types of shabu shabu (Japanese fondue), a robata grill (grilled skewers), individual hot cooking stones (for Kobe, etc) fish and chips, Japanese noodles fettuccine style, and plenty of other attractions. I like that they are trying to experiment within a classic construct. The place is new so of course it was spotless. Cloth napkins and metal chop sticks (don't point them at the person across from you). The service (6) was great. My waitress was perfect. The food came out in seconds. The other staff picked up the slack. The manager even came to clear my table and inquire about my satisfaction. They even packed up a soda ($2.50) to go. The one missed beat was the hostess. As usual this idiot is the weak link in the chain of another restaurant. And since this is the first impression all customers get, I encourage you restaurant managers to find a solution to this. So, I walk through the door and of course no one is at the station. I wander in to the main dining room to try and find someone to help me unload precious currency on overpriced fish taken from the sea for free. The first thing they do is try and pawn me off to the bar. I'm not sure if it is the sushi bar or the bar bar, but, the bar bar didn't even have anyone working in it at the time and was empty. I decline as I always do because get this - I would like to get the premium experience when I am paying the premium price. If you want to knock 50% off the bill I'll consider the bar. But, you guys say you need to charge that much because of the overhead. If so, then I want the over head over my head. So, I catch a little 'tude, but, I am shown a seat and told I'm lucky because one just opened up. The "one" was one of three tables they have for two people and I swear they would have made me wait in a restaurant that was 85% empty until one of those tables opened up. I hope the hostess isn't so big an ignoramus that she would have walked a sale rather than dedicate a table of four to one diner in an empty restaurant. I hope that is the order from up top (only seat three or more in a four). I hope that management adds a caveat to the rule and restores some sanity to the ossified seating process. But, I've been hoping for that for years. Notwithstanding an almost cataclysmic first impression, I fell in love with the place. It's in my top five for Japanese food. The prices were reasonable. The quality was excellent. The service was excellent. The selection was excellent. Parking wasn't a problem. It no longer evinces the Benihana/Kobe kitsch it used to, but, leave the kids at home and enjoy what a modern Japanese meal in an adult setting can be. It may not be a spectacle any more, but, spectacle can have a negative connotation too. Let the food be what you remember and not the fake Pagoda. A side note that may be of some interest to you (but probably not) - Rangetsu means Moon Orchid. It's what their logo represents.