Arigato

Santa Barbara, CA

I really, really like this place and it's starting to become one of my favorites. Every time I come to Santa Barbara for work, I make sure to make my way over to Arigato's. On this trip, I ended up coming back here two nights in a row. The first night, by myself at the sushi bar, focused on nigiri, the second night with a coworker focused mainly on rolls. Both meals good experiences in different ways. 

Mango relish on Blacken Ahi

I started with the mango ahi, because it had been highly recommended to me. The mango relish had a nice spicy, tart kick. A tasty starter.

Kanpachi

Everything I ordered was on the specials board, mainly because its usually the freshest, and flown in from Japan. It If you like hamachi, I suggest ordering Japanese kanpachi instead for a very similar but fattier, more tender cut of fish. Superb quality, melt in your mouth delicious, my favorite bite of the night.

Aji

Next up was Japanese Aji, amazing quality and excellent flavor. 

Tai

The Japanese Tai was the third straight piece of very good fish, a gorgeous cut and silky smooth. 

Sake

After three very good pieces of nigiri, I figured that the organic Scottish salmon would be great. Unfortunately, it was average, lacking the fattiness that I hope for in sake.

Halibut

Next was a recommendation from the chef, fresh halibut that was tender and tasty.

Hotate

Hotate was my next selection, good but standard.

Ami Ebi

The ami ebi was very good, one of the best I've ever had. The ginormous heads were split in half giving me a total of four large, crispy, flavorful pieces. 

Sea Eel

I wanted to finish with local Santa Barbara uni, but they hadn't received their order for the week. So instead I was recommended with fresh sea eel. Not the tough, frozen eel that you get in your dragon roll, but instead fresh, flaky, tender sea eel. 

This meal was better than my first visit, and I ate some of the best nigiri bites I've ever had at a non $300+ sushi dinner. This place has excellent fish quality and the nigiri centric dinner solidified its reputation in my mind as one of my faves.

June 22nd, 2011

Rating 8/10

Ahi Carpaccio with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Arigato Vinaigrette

The next night, I sat back and let my dining companion do all the ordering. We started with the pounded ahi carpaccio with the Arigato vinaigrette. 

"Local's only" Broiled scallops, crab, shitake mushrooms, onions on bed of sushi rice

The "locals only" was a dynamite presentation with the the contents of the scallop shell lit on fire. The flavor however wasn't as good as some of the other dishes we had.

Mango ahi nigiri

The mango ahi was the same from the night before but in nigiri form. I actually liked it more  in sashimi form but still tasty nonetheless. 

Jalapeno Yellowtail, Red Jalapeno and Habanero sauce 

The yellowtail contained a strong amount of spice from the jalapeno and habanero mixture. They do a good job of being creative but not sacrificing the quality of the fish and this combination was a winner.

Chef's Special Roll

The chef's special roll is something you only know about if you're a local. It's a special roll with a mixture of seared tuna, asparagus and tempura something with a myriad of sauces. I don't recall specifically about all the contents, but it was a filling, flavor filled roll.

Fiesta Roll, tempura halibut, tomato, avocado, cucumber, jalapeno, habanero sauce

The last roll we ordered was a fiesta roll, a very light fresh roll with a rice paper exterior. 

Ankimo nigiri

To finish, I ordered the ami-ebi again since it was so good the night before and ankimo nigiri (monkfish liver). The ankimo was very rich and creamy, a nice substitute for the uni. The creativity from Arigato's is great while continuing to use excellent fresh fish. There's really no complaints about this place other than getting something good and something great. If you're in Santa Barbara, then make your way to Arigato's for some great sushi.

June 23rd, 2011

Rating 7.5/10