Reunited: Me & Matuba on the Pike

On the way home, my phone rang, and imagine my surprise when I saw that it was an old friend from days past who was calling me! Vegas and I had not spoken with each other for a while, ever since we had a falling out early last year. Yes, it was all his fault. No, I'm not kidding. We talked for a bit, and slowly, all the animosity melted away. Apologies were doled out, and I decided to forgive Vegas. After all, second chances are deserved by most, right?

Considering that I just regained a friendship, I decided to pay homage to the situation by going to a place that is also worthy of a second chance. Truth is, I felt like taking a break, as I have cooked dinner for the past couple of days. My 'hood is really diverse, so I knew it wouldn't be difficult to find an awesome place to eat at on the Pike. I just needed to remember where I've gone before and have "blacklisted". Immediately, I thought of Matuba's.


Now before you gasp in horror, it's not what you think! The first time I went to Matuba's was fantastic; the only reason it got blacklisted is because someone I greatly dislike is a regular there. I prefer not to put myself in uncomfortable situations, so I have avoided this place like the plague for a year. Well, now is the time to buck up.

Before entering, I cased the joint with the prowess of a seasoned burglar. I peeked inside and breathed a sigh of relief. Almost empty, unfamiliar faces. Perfect. I was greeted by the standard "Irasshaimase!" heard in all sushi restaurants. Slightly surprised, I think I bowed. Ridiculous! I walked over to the sushi bar and sat myself down. Sue, the waitress, was so sweet and immediately got me some hot tea and the menu. Quickly, I scanned the menu and opted for the sushi dinner and some sushi a la carte. While waiting for my order, I chatted with the sushi chefs. They were polite and engaging, but very focused on their work. Good thing, because it was my food that they were working on!

Here is the rundown of what I had:  squid, scallop, sweet shrimp, octopus, sea urchin, eel, salmon, tuna, and a California roll. I was in sushi heaven! The seafood was fresh and yummy. There was no fishiness, and the squid and octopus were not at all chewy. I have a feeling the sushi chefs knew I was reviewing the place, because I was taking pictures and typing into my phone. If that was the case, it worked to my advantage, because they upped the seafood-to-rice ratio! And Sue was quick on the draw with any request I had. Hot tea, ice water, napkin? Not a problem! In fact, I dropped my chopsticks mid-meal, and she was there to replace them before I even had the chance to pick the fallen ones up!

I'm so glad that Vegas reached out and called me to patch things up. It gave our friendship another chance, and in turn, I gave Matuba a most-deserved second look.

Matuba Japanese
2915 Columbia Pike
Arlington, VA   22204
703.521.2811