Dragonfly Sushi & Sake Company in the downtown Gainesville area offers diners a modern take on Japanese cuisine. I arrived Saturday at 9 p.m. Even at this hour, there was a line out the door, and the expected wait time for a table for two was 30 minutes. Dragonfly offers large cushioned seating and a few chairs for waiting outside — although dirty and sticky due to humidity and exposure to the Florida elements.
When we were finally seated, our server was very friendly and happy to answer any questions. She brought us water, described the drink and dinner specials, and continued to take our order. This was very difficult, though, because of the overall noise level. The décor is modern with Asian accent pieces and TVs playing old black-and-white Japanese Samurai movies.
Our waitress was impressively able to serve at least three tables at a time without writing down any orders. That being said, forgetting that a water glass should be refilled occasionally cancels out the achievement.
All the food arrived at the same time. This was OK even though the edamame is listed as an appetizer and expected to arrive before the entrees. The vegetable and sauce mixture in the pork buns gave just enough kick to make them very tasty once I doctored the pork meat and removed the fat. This, by the way, is not an easy task to accomplish with chopsticks.
The best way to describe the two chicken spears we ordered is to pass along the names I gave to the order: I called one “dry” and the other one “bland.” Enough said. The Tampa Bay roll was another disappointment — easily falling apart and not served with ginger or wasabi, which is normally expected.
Opah, sometimes called Moonfish, was the fish special of the night. This dish was wonderful. Served over coleslaw with a lemon grass topping, it was the best part of the meal. The lemon grass flavor was just right — not too overpowering.
To end the night, we had an order of fried ice cream. This was vanilla ice cream served in a warm pastry cup topped with raspberries and black cherries. Not only do the tart berries present a nice contrast to the sweet ice cream and pastry, the hot of the pastry and cold of the ice cream contrast nicely as well. Perhaps another scoop of vanilla ice cream would have created a more perfect balance.
Dragonfly would not be my first choice for dinner. If a group of people were going, I would go along. The food was OK, at best. The staff was friendly but clearly rushed due to the large crowd. This is not a cheap date kind of place.
Rating:
Price: $$$
Atmosphere: loud
Staff: rushed but friendly
Food Value: 3 stars
Overall Experience: 3 stars
