Well ... we tried so hard to like this place, but just not sure. We've been to their original location years ago and used to like it ... but haven't been there in quite some time. We happened to be on the other side of town today and thought we'd give this a try.
Granted ... we came on a Monday night just after 6:30p and were surprised to see a couple other tables just finishing up. Our family of 4 was seated quickly and noticed immediately that there was no option for teppanyaki tables (like the other location).
DH had second thoughts about ordering anything raw ... but settled on the (10 piece) sashimi appetizer ($14.99) and the tempura udon soup ($19.99). The sashimi included 3 pieces each of tuna and salmon, along with 2 pieces each of yellowtail and white tuna ... which he said was ok in a pinch but nothing special. The udon soup broth was a little bland with (what he said was) weird vegetables and the tempura was a bit heavily battered (instead of light and airy - which we like). The same was true for the soft shell crab tempura ($9.50) appetizer that I ordered ... which I couldn't even pawn off to any of the kids (who usually love it too). However, I was able give the house green salad with ginger dressing ($2.50) to DH after it tasted like it had sesame oil (or something else funky I didn't quite like).
DS #1 also ordered the (just ok) tempura udon along with the volcanic roll ($14.99) ... and even though it also had soft shell crab tempura, it tasted better when rolled with the rice and avocado ... and came as 8 large roll pieces.
DS #2 was looking forward to a (non-existent) teppanyaki dinner ... but opted for the chicken bento box ($25.99) instead. It came with a (decent) miso soup and an (ok) green salad with yum-yum dressing ... along with white rice, California roll, orange slices, some shrimp/veggie tempura, and the chicken/veggies with teriyaki sauce. Not sure he really liked it ... as he ended up having it all wrapped to go (bringing it back to college).
The service was good ... but we found the majority of the food to be just mediocre. Despite the potential of a few of the items ... just not sure we'll be back. read more