When I ask around about sushi places, friends & coworkers don't mention Maru. They've either never tried it before, or hadn't even heard of it. We decided it was up to us to try it and let everyone else know about it. Friendly chefs greeted us when we came in. That definitely made me smile. My smile started to fade a little bit when the waiter sat us and asked us if we were ready - this is within one minute of sitting down. I hadn't even begin to look at the menu! When we sat down to order, I decided to get just the sushi - to compare to other places. Our waiter said, ""JUST the sushi?"". The way he said it made me feel like I was being rude or breaking a golden sushi etiquette rule. But I stuck to my plan - yes, JUST the sushi. While I was waiting, I checked out the decor. The walls were either not painted or lit up very brightly. The paintings on the wall struck me as a southern-cookin'-grits-and-gravy type style, not at all a Japanese restaurant. I tried not to let that distract me. The sushi arrived on a plate - it was presented in an attractive way. I noticed, however, that some of the pieces were ""loose"" and had started to unravel and fall apart. Did I dismiss that? I did. I was hungry. The sushi was good. Nothing exceptional or for me to close my eyes and sigh about, but it was good for a sushi craving. I would give it a B minus / C plus. If you don't care about ambience, this place is not bad. Would I come back? it's a little hard to tell.
Pros: Very nice kitchenstaff, quiet, no crowds
Cons: interesting rock music selection, felt rushed by waitstaff
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