Not the greatest experience but would recommend giving the Hibachi Grill experience a try.
Like many Asian Hibachi Grill restaurants, Asami has both standard menu table service and Hibachi Grill options for customers. When I visited, it was for a weekday lunch at a standard table off the menu.
First off, the service was great. We were immediately seated and our server was perfect throughout the meal. On this particular Thursday at around 12:30pm, it was extremely quiet. Maybe 3 to 4 tables occupied. Hopefully this kicks up for them and/or that dinners are much busier.
The food....
Drink: Diet Coke. Something was off. Don't know what it was, but the Diet Coke was awful. I didn't bring it up and just drank it. But I noticed a hint of sanitizer. We've all had this happen and it's not great. I'd rather sanitizer than realizing I've been drinking were the last person's lipstick prints haven't been washed off. So I guess there's an upside.
Appetizer: Crab Rangoon. These were actually really good. Not the typical looking Rangoons as these were triangles. Light, crispy and full of the cream cheese filling. I liked these quite a bit.
Lunch: Teriyaki Steak Lunch Bento Box. This came with Miso Soup, four pieces of California Roll, a good portion of sliced Teriyaki Steak, one spring roll (cut in half, and steamed white rice. The California Roll was just okay. Something was off. Like the Diet Coke, there was this sanitizer flavor that was in there as well. I can't explain it. The roll just didn't "pop" with freshness. I can't say if it was fresh or not, but it simply didn't impress. The Teriyaki Steak had a few things going on. The steak itself wasn't bad. Like most places, it was over cooked and not the best cut of meat, but it was okay. The best way to describe the sauce would be "lame". It was there visually, but it was not there in flavor. It was just nothing. Really low scoring on the steak. The spring roll was quite good. Cut in half, assuming for presentation, but I'd rather they just leave it whole. The white rice was just that - steamed white rice.
Unfortunately I did not look closely at the itemized list. Here was the breakdown of our lunch:
- 2 Fountain Drinks
- 1 Crab Rangoon Appetizer
- 1 Teriyaki Steak Lunch Bento Box
- 1 Teriyaki Shrimp Lunch Bento Box
Total: $41.00 (tip not included)
It is completely my fault for not looking closer at the pricing on the lunch menu. But, for a lunch menu, I would expect to pay much less than $50 for two people to have lunch. If the food was on point, I probably wouldn't have felt that sting. Because of how I felt the food was, that's when the $50 really needled me.
Would I go back? I'm not saying I'd never go back or saying that I wouldn't try their Hibachi Grill. But I have to consider that in our area, there are a number of good options that I would likely choose over Asami. When it comes to Hibachi Grills, well, (my opinion only....) if you've seen one, you've seen them all. They all mostly do the same tricks and same deal. Some of the Chef's are maybe a little more animated, interactive or talkative than others. Unfortunately I don't think I'd recommend Asami for lunch.
I hate saying this because I want local businesses to do well and I think everyone should give it a shot. Plus, the server and the people there seemed very nice as well. It was just the food. The food wasn't all that good. Maybe it was a fluke or a bad day. Who knows. read more