THL Prediction Come True: Nori Dies

The Heights Life kinda hated Nori. We had nothing but crap service and mediocre food there, and it was too bad since it's such an interesting space and good location. Alas, our predictions of Nori's death seem to have come true. RIP Nori Asia Bistro. But oh well - we still have Pho 14... and that place is actually good.

I know, some of you liked it there and will be mad that we're not mad that it's dead. But well, it is. And now hopefully something better will go in there... because it can't get much worse. That place sucked.

Here's the CH Forum chatter on the topic. And here's a link to our past posts on Nori.

Mayorga Becomes Nori - For Now

The other day, I noticed Mayorga had officially become Nori - an Asian bistro. After checking out some reviews on Yelp - mixed to positive - The Heights Life ventured over to decide for ourselves.

The decor hasn't change, but a slightly fishy smell now permeates the place. We were seated in the dining area with the long bench below the bar. You can also sit at the sushi bar where they used to pour coffee. It was clean and cozy inside with a decent crowd for a Sunday night.

Everyone was friendly, but the servers seemed inordinately stressed. They had two people covering the dining room, and apparently that's not enough. It wasn't that the service was slow, it was that several things just never showed up until we asked - then they appeared right away.

As for the for the food - standard rolls were around $5, special rolls were $7 to $10, soup was $3, sushi combos ranged from about $15 to $20, and entrees centered around $12.

Our review will have to fall into the "mixed" category. The gyoza appetizer tasted homemade and delicious. The miso soup was good. The salad was standard, but probably not even worth $3.

The rolls, however, confused us. We ordered one spicy tuna, and one spicy tuna without the roe it normally comes with. The roe-laden roll was overwhelmingly fishy and in a very bad way. After one bite neither of us wanted to finish it. The tuna sans roe was fine - not great, but decidedly better than the roe roll. We also tried one of their twists on classic (American) sushi - a baked California cream roll, which was good.

ArtBart attempted to order inari - normally a bean curd pocket with rice. What they brought out was a seaweed wrapped six piece roll with rice and a tiny bit of bean curd in the middle. It was not good.

We might go to Nori again if sushi desperation hits and we can't get U Sushi to deliver... but I think I am more likely to hold out until Sake Club opens - even if it will cost more.

Our guess - Nori will be just another rotation in what should be a great space for something.

PS - ArtBart wants me to add that the noodle dishes that came out of the kitchen looked great. We didn't try those - so maybe we'll have to go back. Anyone else dined at Nori? Leave a note in the comments section.

Miss Nori? Buy it Back!

Nori is up for auction. You can buy their kitchen equipment and other items over at this auction site.

We noticed over the weekend that the "Now Open" sign is still hanging over the Park Road doors.

Alas, at least if you liked Nori (which we didn't), you can buy it back and make it your own.

Sake Club is DEAD! Does that mean Nori lives?

H/T to the Prince of Petworth for noticing something we certainly didn't on our walk around the neighborhood. Sake Club is apparently NO MORE.

For shame I say! The replacement just maybe could be a bar with pool and ping pong, and that certainly sounds useful for those nights when the Wonderland decides to have a line. However, this leaves us with only one Columbia Heights sushi option.

And here at The Heights Life, we have long predicted the death of Nori. I know, some people don't agree that it sucks. But I'm telling you, mediocre sushi and crap service can't last, and that space deserves better!

Vacancy update: Tivoli Square

Is the former Nori / Mayorga Coffee space at Tivoli Square cursed? It is a prime location in Columbia Heights but in the past 3.5 years, not one establishment there has had much success. And now The Washington Business Journal is reporting that the operators of Nori are being sued by the Tivoli Square owner for unpaid rent:

The tenant "failed to pay all rent due and owing under the lease," said the complaint. That resulted in the tenant's formal eviction Nov. 16, but the 6,000-square-foot space was vacated months before in July.

 The article also includes this litle tidbit: the corner spot has "has generated a lot of interest," according to its broker at KLNB Retail. So what does $160,00 a year rent give you:

• 3,012 SF vented corner restaurant space
• Additional 3,095 usable SF on lower level
• Lower Level has 12 ft. ceilings, is sprinklered and has two means of egress.
• Space includes two large walk-in coolers
• Conveniently located across the street from Columbia Heights
• Metro Station and the new 550,000 SF DC USA Shopping Center
• Join Giant Food, GALA Theatre, Target, Best Buy, Bed Bath & Beyond, Washington Sports Club and many others in historic Columbia Heights

Also still available in Tivoli Square is the spot formerly occupied by Rumberos. Got some details on what may move in there, or have a request? Leave a comment below.

Pho Fail

Don't worry, the pho didn't fail, the Heights Life just suffered a pho fail.

I jogged by Pho 14 on Sunday afternoon, circa 5PM, and there were plenty of tables. Alas, I can't jog and eat pho at the same time, so I delayed my pho consumption. ArtBart and I decided that we should try it out tonight.

And that's when the pho fail happened. 7:30PM on Monday night and at least a dozen people were crowded and crammed into the Pho 14 entry, every last table full.

Impatience and a new episode of Greek on ABC Family (I swear to god that show is EXCELLENT) forced us home.

I know pho isn't sushi or anything... but I wonder if this place will finally send Nori do it's death?

Oh, Holy Fuck, No!

Spotted: DC Summer Interns is easily tied with The Anti-Real World DC as my new favorite seasonal local blog. Yes, I was once a summer intern, but I was already a student here in DC and was damn good at my job. Drinking underage was also much easier in those days, so much so that I knew where to go and where not to go.

So, I was SHOCKED upon reading this post:

Heard: Wonderland is the New Smith Point

Six summer interns were sitting at a table next to mine last night at dinner.  As we're getting up to leave I overheard the following conversation:

Female intern: We should go to this bar Wonderland Ballroom.  I heard it's pretty good.
Male intern #1: Isn't that the bar where you need to be on a list to get in?
Male intern #2: I heard it's a secret password.

Ah yes, and Smith Point is a hipster dive bar in Georgetown.  Have fun using your fake IDs kids. Please stay far, far away from Columbia Heights.

Yes, please stay far-far far-far away from Columbia Heights. Don't you know that the neighborhood is violent and scary and no interns should go there. If you must stay after your Target trip for a mini-fridge and fan, Nori has 59-cent sushi rolls on Thursdays. And happy hour drink specials, too!