First Look: Jordan's 8
It’s hard to say if Tapatini’s owner Jordan Cappolla should be commended for bringing sleek style and superior sushi to a neighborhood where it was previously impossible to get a decent raw fish fix, or if he should get 80 lashes with a wet noodle for everything else on the menu at Jordan’s 8.
The white leather banquette that stretches the length of the downstairs of the former World Cuisine is elegant (though some friends counted it sterile and much preferred the groovy orange-and-red textured seating upstairs or the second-floor deck with a Washington Monument view.) While the service is surprisingly solid and décor is over all sleek and modern (minus the giant industrial fans no one seemed able to explain to me), the finesse stops there. One look at the schizoid menu should have tipped me off.
Half steak house, half sushi bar, Jordan’s 8 is only doing one well.
This is not one of those Japanese steakhouse places. And the result is like being in two separate restaurants, depending on what you order. Lisa Graves, of the Caucus Room, is supposed to be manning the steakhouse side of this venture, but frankly, I don’t know if I buy that claim. I have yet to see properly cooked meat make it to my plate on the first try. A somewhat-overcooked peppercorn New York Strip (sans peppercorns) could have been redeemed with a decent pan sauce. Instead it was further degraded with a cloying vanilla-bourbon sauce that actually made me feel nauseated after awhile.
There are a slew of items clearly designed to appeal to the non-sushi eater who also does not seek steak. There’s lamb, chicken, pork chops and pasta, and they are to be avoided. What sounded like a safe plate – linguini primavera – turned out to be a horrific pile of pasta, sun dried tomatoes and zucchini all glued together with a frightfully oily parmesan sauce. Jordan’s Signature Salad, with bleu cheese and cranberries, is good but could use a little extra crunch; I’m thinking pistachios.
In traditional Washington steak-house style, the sides are ordered separately and served family style at $5 a pop. Lobster tails and crab claws can be added for $9. There are apparently some desserts, but the one time I tried to order one (at about 10:15 in a place that’s open until 11 p.m.), I was told that the kitchen closed at 10, they were out of everything but the carrot cake and that wasn’t very good anyway. So, kinks are still being worked out.
But you don’t need to be worried about any of that, because you’re going to go for the sushi.
Oh, the sushi! Sayonara, Sizzling Express on Pennsylvania Avenue!
The tuna California roll was a refreshing change from the usual fake-crab-and-avocado combo. The spicy crunchy maki was a flavorful take on the standard; while “spicy” was the operative there, it was the appealingly flavorful kind of spicy, not the fry-your-taste buds-for-the-night kind.
Another specialty roll, the Bamboo roll (tuna, fresh crab and avocado), was topped with a sort of spicy tuna tartar. I really liked the unique inside-out-ness of the tuna topping, though the texture might not be for everyone (then again, if you have texture issues, what the heck are you doing eating sushi?).
The only maki misstep was the Jordan’s 8 Roll, a concoction indicative of the place’s split personality: a lobster and asparagus roll overlaid with thin slices of flavorless, overcooked beef. A wise dining companion dubbed it “a waste of lobster.” And even that wasn’t bad, per se, just not great.
Nigiri portions were large and well-executed, with very fresh rice (the only thing more gross than a sushi place that smells like fish is a mouthful of gluey rice that has been sitting around for hours). The eel had not climbed aboard a raft of rice to avoid drowning in a pool of sauce, as so often happens at even very good sushi places. My fave was the King crab nigiri – two pieces on rice and the rest of the leg used as delectable garnish, including the hollow shell.
Fresh fish on top of fresh rice might not seem like a big deal at a sushi place, but this is a restaurant that is also smothering perfectly good oysters with gouda, pancetta, sun dried tomatoes, micro basil and then actually charging you $11 for it.
The wine list is affordable but limited and uninspired. Stick to sake bottle service or wait until the more-than-competent bartender has worked up her own list of specialties. There are some excellent Asian imports on the beer list, but cross your fingers when ordering – my first choice never seemed to be available and I am still jonesing for that Tsing Tao.
While the steakhouse menu is long and varied, the sushi side hits the standard highlights but for the most part stops there. I’d love to see the grill menu back off to a handful of items and for the sushi chefs to be given a little more free reign.
The verdict? So happy to have good sushi on Capitol Hill.
Just… stick with the sushi.
Jordan’s 8
523 Eighth St. SE
202-543-6401