After our evening bike ride around Hains Point, we walked two blocks to try out the newest addition to the Atlas District, Sticky Rice. The facade has been taunting me for at least a year and there have been many rumors of its imminent opening. There was a soft launch on Friday before Memorial Day and I’d been pestering J to go try it out. I love trying new things and supporting the new businesses in the hood. He was dubious and couldn’t imagine that there could possibly be a decent (and healthy) sushi restaurant anywhere on H Street. We arrived around 9 p.m., the place was pleasantly occupied but not crowded, and we sat down almost immediately. We were at a booth with one of those picture LCD things that shows a waterfall in a very tropical setting. Usually those things are so over the top cheesy but it worked with the decor.
We ordered beverages (Sapporo for J, Asahai for me) and appetizer (steamed gyoza). We then perused the eclectic sushi list and decided on a mix of traditional and signature Sticky Rice originals. The one complaint I had about the overall experience was that the time lag between our appetizer and the main course was extra long. So much so that we both started to get hungry and ordered edamame to tide us over…which ironically came after we received the sushi. Our order arrived on a few separate dishes and the waiter (Russell, formerly of Georgetown Anthropologie) asked the GM (Eric) for assistance in telling us what we were about to consume. We had the Tuna Tempura Maki roll (excellent), the Snap, Crackle, Pop roll (again, excellent), Salmon Skin, Spicy Tuna, and Yellow Tail and Salmon Nigiri sushi. It was a lot of food! We powered through though and finished every last bite. J was the first to proclaim that his initial assumption about sushi on H street not working was wrong. And I think he was pleasantly surprised. We shook hands, chatted up the staff, and generally acquainted ourselves with them in the know since its always nicer to be a recognized patron rather than just another noob ordering sushi.
