Spices Asian Restaurant & Sushi Bar is one of those rare restaurants where you enter with high expectations and leave pleasantly surprised that it managed to beat the spread. After seeing this post review I was expecting some solid food choices, and I wasn't let down. Although I stuck with sushi over their Thai offerings, I did catch sight of several dishes as they passed me which were mouth-watering.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. I came with two other people (one a guest from New York City) on a Sunday evening thanks to a friend's advice. As I'd already frequented several other sushi places in the district including Kawasaki, I had a good context for judging Spices, which is located across the street from the Uptown theater in the Cleveland Park strip. Every sushi place is different, and Spices appears on the surface to be a regular Thai restaurant which happens to serve sushi, rather than the other way arond. A spacious interior was a welcome respite from previous crowded locales like Uni or Cafe Asia. Unfortunately, going on the middle night of a three-day weekend ensured that the restaurant itself was quite crowded. Nevertheless, we were able to walk right in, pick up a seating tag for three, and be ushered to the sushi bar within minutes. Had we wished to wait for a table, I'm sure the delay would've been lengthy, yet we managed to leapfrog past several larger groups at the door, which felt good.

Once at the bar, we quickly ascertained that we had no need for their Thai offerings, instead choosing to markup our sushi card with style. After having chosen an arrangement of sashimi, sushi and rolls, we handed the card to the friendly chefs working hard behind the bar. It's always a special treat to see your food prepared right in front of you, and this time was no exception. Oddly, throughout this point we had yet to see any sort of server, so our decision to go with the sushi was probably best anyway. The lack of a server prevented us from consuming any beverages other than water, which worked out well since I actually wasn't in the mood for anything else. If we'd wanted some saki, etc. it would have been awkward though. Our water glasses, however, were refilled early and often.

The sushi was prepared quite quickly, and although the sashimi took a minute longer, both were ready by the time all were hungry. Each dish was prepared well, with enough style for sushi-snobbery and enough taste for the roughest palate. We had chosen to go with items composed from tuna, yellow-tail, squid and many others. The spicy/crunchy tuna rolls were the first to be snatched up, and they were a special treat. I'd definitely recommend them to anyone who likes a little spice in their sushi. The other more vanilla offerings were all done well in accordance with standard sushi practice. The sashimi, unlike at Cafe Asia or Uni, came with a small bowl of sesame-covered rice, thus negating my favorite pet peeve of sushi places, namely: they often serve sashimi without any rice whatsoever.

After the meal we were allowed to sit at the bar indefinitely, receiving refills of our water every few minutes. This was a welcome change from the cramped places that pressure you to move out in order to move the next group in. It did prove slightly strange when we wished to receive our bill, though, because only one of the chefs spoke english. After displaying the universal check symbol, they argued for a few seconds and then summoned a manager who managed to take care of us. The prices were attractive as well, which was a nice change of pace from Kawasaki's large fees. Overall, Spices was a great place to go with friends, if you can handle yourself well at a sushi bar without needing any handholding. It may appear to be an ordinary restaurant from the outside, yet everything from the wait to the water was done flawlessly, a feat almost impossible at any eating establishment. If you're in the mood for sushi and can stand the always crazy Cleveland Park parking scene (we ended up parking a couple blocks away in a residential neighborhood) it's definitely worth your money. And the next time a friend comes in from out of town, it'll serve to impress. Just remember that if you're able to order 60 pieces of sushi, you'll be treated to a giant wooden ship containing several rolled divisions. It's the sort of challenge that, having learned of its existence, I'm going to have to tackle upon my next visit.