Nachomaki. I cannot believe I live in a world where that exists. Makis Place, a relaxing little restaurant on Park Avenue, seems to be garnering a decent amount of attention. Makis Place is a Temakeria, a place that specializes in the classic Japanese roll that is shaped into a cone; think of it as an ice cream cone, except filled with fish, rice, and vegetables, all wrapped in a seaweed cone.
First off, the place is aesthetically exciting. The colors inside the restaurant pop with joy with the use of a hard red but relaxed with the use of black on the seating. I loved the interior space; it felt clean and organized.
The sushi bar at the back is honestly just that; there is not much going on there that attracts any attention. It would have been nice, though, if the sushi bar were opened more to display the chefs make the temakis. Being able to see them make it would have added to the idea of Makis Place being fresh and healthy.
Also, the couches and booths really do not feel like they fit in the restaurant’s overall appeal. When half of the menu has “quick-to-make” rolls, it is difficult to sit and relax for a while. Therefore, I had difficulty determining what Makis wanted: a sit-down restaurant or a grab-and-go.
Now, how about the food? Well, when you combine Doritos nachos and salmon and put them in a roll, you can tell how strange some of the rolls on Makis Place’s menu get.
Yet, there are other temakis, like the Tonkatsu Salmon Skin temaki, or really any of the warmer temakis, that were extremely good. I thoroughly enjoyed both the mushroom temakis and the avocado and smoked salmon roll.
The rice bowls, however, were strange; they looked like they just dumped a bunch of fried fish pieces on rice. No sauce, no real flavor, just fried fish and rice. Now there was some sweet wasabi sauce and other combinations at every table, but that did not justify the dismal look and taste of the dish when it came out.
It was a huge contrast to the temakis, which looked really good and clean. Makis Place is good at the temakis, but it bothers me that these other items feel like after-thoughts rather than proper menu items. The salads had the same feel, too; they all felt like fillers and padding to the menu.
Makis Place is a quaint little restaurant that is close to the Rollins campus. Proximity makes it really easy to get to, and the prices are not as expensive as some of the other restaurants on Park Avenue.
That being said, Makis Place has to really distinguish itself from the competition. They are located right beside the busiest restaurant near the Rollins Campus: BurgerFi.
In my time at Rollins, I have seen good restaurants get pushed out because of BurgerFi, so Makis Place might need to step up its game in order to compete.
Good luck, Makis, I hope you do well, because I certainly enjoy a world where nachomaki exists.
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