Given the task definition and input, reply with output. You are given a review about a place. You need to provide a rating from "1 star" to "5 stars" for this place.

I'm always looking for a new sushi restaurant to try out so I was excited to see Pearl on the list of 1/2 off gift certificates available through the radio station. Not only did I buy one for myself, but I forwarded the info to my friends so we could all try out a new place together-- at a discounted price.

Unfortunately, we should have clarified their policy before we all bought our own gift certificates. Pearl does not do split checks so therefore, we weren't able to use more than 1 gift certificate per table. I respect their policy and that disappointment is NOT reflected in my rating.

Now on with the review-----

I had plans to meet with some friends for drinks in Old Town on a Saturday night so I figured that'd be the perfect night for my friend & I to try out Pearl. I called to see if reservations were necessary and the hostess said they don't accept reservations for small parties and assured us that we shouldn't have a problem getting seated around 9pm. OK, so when we arrive, there is a large party on the patio and the inside is crowded. There is a small table for two available inside and a group of 3 are leaving a table next to the open table for two. The host says we could wait at the small table while they clear off the larger table for us. Once it's cleared, we scooch over and peruse the menu. Shortly after, the host comes over again and informs us that both tables are reserved. OK?!?! WTF. I thought they don't take reservations for small groups?! He says the sushi bar is open; otherwise, we'll have to wait for another table to clear up. Irritated, we move over to the sushi bar since we were pressed for time and had to get dinner started already.

After a few minutes, we handed our check list over to the friendly sushi chef. He quickly whips out our rolls one after another each one presented beatifully. Unfortunately, looks were very deceiving.

Sizzle Yellow Tail (pico de gallo and a roasted jalapeno miso vinaigrette drizzled w/ hot extra virgin olive oil): no flavor; just tasted like oily hamachi. Big disappointment since hamachi is one of my favorite sashimis.

Napoleon Dynamite roll (tempura shrimp and cucumber rolled and topped with baked lobster dynamite, green onions and drizzled with a sweet soy glaze): waaaaay too much mayo in the "lobster" (it's really crawfish.. I hate when sushi restaurants misrepresent items!) dynamite. I couldn't stomach it.

Surf & Turf roll (shrimp tempura, grilled king mushrooms and cucumber rolled and topped with seared beef tenderloin and a sesame oil vinaigrette): the beef tenderloin was flavorless. Didn't notice any mushrooms in the roll.

Sunset Strip roll (spicy yellowtail, cream cheese, cucumber, avocado and daikon sprouts rolled and topped with salmon, thinly sliced lemon, ponzu sauce and a wasabi lime aioli): spicy yellowtail lacked heat. Couldn't really pinpoint what else was lacking, but it was just really flavorless.

All in all, we put down a good majority of what we ordered. Not because it tasted good, but because we wanted a full belly so we could handle more drinks later that night. =) They have some really good promotions so I might be willing to give them another shot. I'd stay away from the rolls and sizzling sashimi.. and just order the sushi/regular sashimi since those rely solely on the quality and flavor of the fish itself. I would not pay full price here though.
2 stars