Problem: Sadly, the professionalism of the front desk never got better. Despite Emilio's assurances that changes were being made, my latest visit proved otherwise. I called ahead and was assured that Marshall was on time...in fact, he didn't have an appointment ahead of mine and could take me as soon as I got there. I was there a few minutes before my appointment. I waited. And waited. Fifteen minutes later, I asked if Marshall knew I was waiting. I was told by the brunette that they had been busy. Odd, she, the blonde and two other employees had been standing there talking for a while. She went back to notify Marshall. When Marshall came up front to get me, the brunette admonished him that he should keep an eye out for his clients - she shouldn't have to notify him that his appointment is there. Wow. And the purpose of a receptionist is....what? I'm done. I'm out. Apparently nothing will help Izzazu's but getting rid of the front desk staff. On a positive note, it was another great cut. Not good enough to lure me back, though.
How would this review be described?
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A: negative

Problem: So, after doing much research, hoping to find a great alternative to my usual spot for AYCE sushi, I decided on Oyshi, solely because of the great reviews I saw here on Yelp. I looked up the website, called and asked about prices, and finally my boyfriend and I decided to make the trip out. We arrived at about 8:30pm, and it was a Friday night, so I expected it to be bustling. During our wait to be seated, I scoped out the crowd, and noticed the usual. Mostly those under the age of 30, large groups of them in fact, and figured this must be their spot before they hit the clubs, considering their attire. Well, it was either that or the fact that the music in the restaurant sounded as if you were already in a night club. It must be set on Pandora or something. Anyway, it was only about a 15 minute wait, which wasn't bad at all. So, besides my observations of the restaurant ambiance and demographic, we finally were able to look at the menu. My boyfriend usually orders the nigiri, so we got the usual garlic tuna, albacore, cajun albacore, and decided to try the Oyshi scallops. As for the rolls, I decided on the Sibuya No Rice, Coco, and a Bonsai. I also decided to get the agedashi tofu, grilled beef asparagus, baked mussels and seaweed salad. This was only the first round after all. We were excited to eat until the food arrived on our table. First the nigiri, the presentation was obviously not of any importance, but you can't judge a book by its cover, so we took a few bites anyway. Verdict, the garlic tuna was DISGUSTING. It smelled and tasted like spoiled blood. I've had garlic tuna many times at many other restaurants, and this one had to be the worst. It even looked slimy, not because of the sauce, just itself. the albacore was seared, and also tasted old. It had the same garlic sauce poured over it as the garlic tuna, and it was mushy. the Oyshi scallops I thought were going to be "OISHI" but, definitely not. They mixed it with crab meat, and very light mayo, and it fell apart immediately as I tried to pick it up. the cajun albacore had TOO MUCH cajun seasoning! I usually love cajun albacore, and this was too much for my palate, on top of that it was DRY. my boyfriend got his usual spicy tuna hand rolls as well, and the spicy tuna looked a little spoiled. on to the rolls, the Bonsai, had the cajun albacore on it as well, but I had to bear it to see if the spicy tuna in the center was at least average. The roll as a whole was not to my liking. the Coco, was probably the most decent roll on table, probably because each of the ingredients in it were fully cooked. the Sibuya No Rice, again with the spicy tuna... eh. the appetizers, the agedashi tofu is usually my favorite appetizer!!! It came out looking as if it were just fried up, and I commend the presentation on this one, but the center was cold, the sauce was not tasty, and I hate that it is not "bite-size" as most Japanese cuisine is known to be. the seaweed salad was not a bright green and although it was crispy, it had an ugly after taste, I've had better, let's just leave it at that. the grilled beef asparagus was drizzled in teriyaki sauce. The asparagus was perfect, but the beef wrapped around it was dry somehow. the baked mussels were not baked enough, and the yumyum sauce was pretty tasteless. I was disappointed already, but decided to take another round of appetizers, since I knew the sushi wasn't going to be very enjoyable. I settled for calamari, shrimp/veg tempura, edamame, asian style skirt steak, and some other things that were just not memorable enough. I knew it was bad when I was scarfing down edamame and tempura. The calamari looked good, but the dipping sauces (ranch and a mayo/mustard mix) could have been more "asian" I guess? My boyfriend ate the skirt steak (aka Korean bulgogi, in my opinion). He even commented "I'm eating beef, which is probably the last thing I would expect to eat at a Sushi restaurant." With that said, it smelled as if something was burning the entire night we were there! Hm, it was overall a disappointing experience. We have both gone to many sushi restaurants, with my list including restaurants in Hawaii and San Francisco, California, and I wanted to seriously give this place a chance. Unfortunately, Oyshi just did not live up to the hype! On a side note though, my waitress was very helpful, and service was mediocre, but that's about it.
How would this review be described?
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A: negative

Problem: I really like lunch at this place and think they have some great values on their menu. I often get the lamb stew and along with the soda bread it ends up being more than I can eat. I've always eaten up at the bar and the same bartender has been there to serve me over several years and he always goes above and beyond service expectations (I really appreciate that he always wants to know if I like my food after the first bite and always asks if I want a go cup for my drink as I'm paying). Definitely a great place for lunch and at night they often have live music which rotates between inside and the patio based on the weather. This is certainly one of my favorite spots in Tempe.
How would this review be described?
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A: positive

Problem: Excellent coffee! I got an iced mocha and it was delicious. Plus they made the coffee fast and were very friendly!
How would this review be described?
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A:
positive