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The Last Samurai, Park City, UT 1/23/2011

2011-02-14T16:33:00.000-08:00

The Last Samurai
6520 Utah 224
Park City, UT 84098
(435) 655-7080 ‎
http://lastsamuraipc.com/

Chef: Steven

Score: 69/100

unless you've been living under a rock the past few years, you have undoubtedly been hearing the buzz around THE LAST SAMURAI. the current "it" restaurant of the hibachi blogosphere supposedly does "things" a bit "untraditionally." i'm sure it's nothing we can't handle. ...or at least, i hope.

this weekend, our team braved the 11+ hour drive from LA to park city to see what all this non-stop, unavoidable hype is about. we had been warned of their untraditional style; we had heard that the "OPEN" sign is impossible to resist--that it cuts the otherwise pristinely white landscape, beckoning as the lone frsicilation in the park city dusklight--yet nothing we had heard could have prepared us for what awaited once we succumbed to the neon siren's song. we had been warned, but so had the residents of hiroshima [sic.].

soup - 2/10
after all the hype, the meal started underwhelmingly, when our (caucasian) waiter brought out what appeared to be seven bowls full of water that a few vegetables happened to fall into. this turned out to be our under-salted, lukewarm soup. it's one thing to be undergarnished and not visually exciting, but a whole other to be lacking in the invisible, too. to top it all off, this presumably-onion soup had precisely zero fried onions. still, at least it wasn't oversalted, as most onion soups tend to be (glass half-full, eh?).

salad - 2/10
no tomatoes, few carrots and cabbage pieces, but very tasty lettuce. the "dressing" is more accurately described as "slightly flavored mayo." overall, a very weak start to the meal.

sauces - 9/10
the ginger sauce was unbelievable: a beautiful, deep magenta that caught the light perfectly, and its bite was even more delicious and sexy than its soothing, sensual, barry white-esque bark. the head was quite robust, but it was even stronger on the central palate, and it had a very crisp finish. the other sauce was a standard yum-yum; while i didn't partake due to its mayo base, reviews from the rest of the team were neutral to positive. the lack of a third "wild card" sauce keeps this at a 9 instead of a 10.

desert noodles - 3/10
now this is where things start to get weird: desert noodles before the fried rice?! i know what you're thinking, "well, maybe these aren't 'desert' noodles, per se." well then why does the menu specifically call them that, wise ass?--the word "desert" is just a few millimeters away from the $3 price tag! the noodles were tasty, but more of a teriyaki lo mein cooked on a hibachi than they were a traditional, refreshing, post-meal, pre-desert, palate cleansing hibachi noodle. and why the extra charge? is it just a deterrent? i'm all for untraditional, but only if it enhances the experience, and our first exposure to their "untraditional" ways certainly did not accomplish this. "desert noodle" serves a specific function in the hibachi meal, and these failed to deliver that. despite their tastiness, their functional failure and their additional price tag prevents me from giving these desert noodles a high rating.

fried rice - 8/10
fantastic texture, incredible flavor, and not too heavy on the salt. there were a few eggs mixed in for protein, but the lack of chicken and uneven soy sauce distribution keeps this from earning a perfect mark.

main course (shrimp) - 10/10
notice something missing up to this point? that's right: no appetizer shrimp. ...but they'll get there...i promise. just. you. wait.
as a shrimp orderer, the lack of appetizer shrimp ensured i was even more excited for the main, and the wait paid off. perfectly cooked, an ample portion, and well sized individual shrimps--they earned every bit of the 10/10 with this one. all other mains got equally as rave reviews, and unlike with the shrimp you can't blame the other reviews on TLS's manipulation of the standard order of things.

vegetables - 7/10
a nice mix of well cooked zucchini, onions, and mushrooms. could have used a bit more of everything (especially of the mushrooms), but well done overall.

The Toss (fka appetizer shrimp) - 10/10
in a hibachi climate that is currently paralyzed by fear, where the volcano is becoming rarity, billowing flames have all but disappeared, and benihana has outlawed the shrimp toss because of a pending tweaked-neck related law suit, only a restaurant named after a tom cruise heroic epic has the balls to go against the grain. not only do they still do all three of those daring escapades, but The Toss is treated as a full course in lieu of appetizer shrimp; everyone at the table gets a turn (one overhanded, even). yes, this makes it more difficult to use sauce, and yes, your number of non-main shrimp is cut from two to 1/2, but it's worth it for the table-wide seal bark that is The Toss.

show - 10/10
The Toss as a featured element, an up-side-down volcano, flames galore, and the kicker: they let one of the members of our team take the knives and man the table, which i have NEVER seen before. on top of that, steven chopped in perfect, fast rhythm, had good banter, witty jokes, and strong interaction. with all this, it seems like a sure-fire 10/10, right? not quite. the meal took a somber turn half way through, his energy level dipping with ours instead of encouraging us to keep ours up. after the meal, the conversation took another turn, this time a serious one, with steven telling us about health issues his son had, and filling us in on his hibachi training. this personal touch brought us back up to a perfect show score.

potpourri - 8/10
white waiters, odd hours (yelp claims they're open for lunch, but they open at 3pm. call before then, you'll be forwarded to steven's cell, but he's very happy to talk to you.), and extra charges are the negatives; friendly waiters, a good fish tank, location-location-location are the positives. the good outweighs the bad in this one.

there was some debate among our staff if a dinner/show this untraditional should even qualify for review with our site, and while we didn't come to a sure fire conclusion on that question, we determined that the hype around it alone is enough to demand we cover it. with our meal in the bag, we can't help but agree that it was worth the trip, no matter how alien their idea of hibachi is compared to most.

Mori Teppan Grill, Glendale, CA 01/15/2010

2010-01-17T15:36:00.000-08:00

Mori Teppan Grill
120 W Stocker St
Glendale, CA 91202
(818) 548-4227

Chef: Unnamed

Score: 58/100

don't let the logo fool you: mori isn't an italian pasta patriarch (although he did invent hibachi pasta); he's a hibachi legend. one of the original chefs at benihana, and the man featured in their first american advertising campaign, mori is no teppan n00b. he personally took care of us from the moment we entered, seating us at a bar table, cleaning it for us, and offering us drinks while we waited for our fourth (one member of our party got a free shot of single malt scotch). rarely do you get that kind of modest treatment from a genuine legend.

salad - 6/10
definitely no points for creativity: this "salad" is more accurately called "lettuce with dressing." still, despite the unassuming bland color, the dressing was quite flavorful, and one of the better gingers i've had in a while. but would a tomato or two have killed you?

soup - 2/10
nothing more than a chicken-less chicken noodle, and absolutely nothing asian about it, americanized or otherwise.

sauces - 8/10
no yum-yum/mayo sauce (personal bias, sure, but still worthy of points); a tasty mustard sauce, and a very strong, very deep ginger sauce. great combo.

fried rice - 7/10
amazing consistency, amazing texture, not too much flavor, and only an egg or two for protein.

vegetables - 4/10
zucchini and onions only, and they weren't even cooked that well...

appetizer shrimp - 7/10
not too large, and no toss, but very tasty.

main course (shrimp) - 7/10
the shrimp were tasty and plentiful, albeit small. i didn't try the chicken or vegetarian, which is what others at the table got, but reports weren't great ("chicken is chicken" is never a good review, especially when i know from experience that it's not a particularly true statement for hibachi; the veggie says there was a weird, bread-like, non-tofu protein added [and this is a guy who knows his veggie proteins, so it's odd he couldn't name it. ...doesn't bode well.]).

desert noodles - 9/10
very solid, although they could have used a touch more sauce.

show - 1/10
i'm not sure if he just didn't care about a table of only four, if he didn't care because he thought we didn't care, or if it was just too late in the night, but there was barely any effort put forth here. the volcano was the only thing i'd even consider a "show," and that was obviously just choreographed and forced. why even bother? is it just to distinguish yourself from the 'han? i saw the same chef put on a show for another table. i'm insulted on a level that has nothing to do with my hibachi fandom.

potpourri - 7/10
mori's personal service was much appreciated, as were their 'han-like wall of celebrities featuring zachery ty bryan, and their phallic budweiser american flag inflatable rocket hanging from the ceiling. the waitstaff was nice, and split our checks without much protest, and the hostess was particularly kind and understanding. we did feel as though we overstayed our welcome, though, which is never something you want the second-to-last people to feel at your restaurant, especially at 10pm on a friday. and the water refill was good, but not great.

in a los angeles that is seemingly devoid of good hibachi joints, mori is a good alternative to the 'han, despite the chain's obvious influences. despite being fairly good, i just didn't feel there was much of an effort put forth. still, a nice place to go if you're looking for something in the valley, and a worthwhile trip just to be able to shake the hand of the legend mori himself.

Takara, State Street, Madison, WI, 03/30/2008

2008-04-03T17:53:00.000-07:00

Takara
315 State St
Madison, WI 53703
(608) 268-0188

Chef: Unnamed

Score: 70/100

today we venture out of the safe sun of southern california into the cold...late march...of madison, wisconsin. it snowed. it actually snowed.
anyways...
nestled in between the yuppie utopic shops of madison's state street, the occasional gem pops up (like chautara's nepali food, which you can find directly across the way from takara, or four star video). takara fits into this category. primarily a sushi restaurant, the location houses four hibachi tables that are infrequently put into action. i had two meals there during my trip--a sushi lunch and a hibachi dinner--and i only saw the grills used for two total parties, one of which was us. this is no mark against the quality though, and if anything it made the meal much more intimate and much less novel. for anyone visiting badger country, takara is a must eat.

salad - 8/10
a fantastically crisp, fresh mix of lettuce goes with an unassuming but delicious ginger dressing. non-mayo based, not watered down, and more than enough for the bowl.

soup - 7/10
i will say that this is probably the best broth i have ever had, but the two total onion bits is inexcusable.

sauces - 7/10
they get some bonus points here for personal preference, but they still wind up with only a 7/10. it is rare to find a two-sauce restaurant that gives ginger and sesame mustard--the s.m. is usually the third in a trio including yum-yum, but takara breaks the mold and replaces the overused and disgusting yum-yum with the usually bonus reserved s.m. the ginger, however--the linchpin to a good hibachi--,was not up to par. watery and somewhat flavorless, despite visually appearing normal--the antithesis of their salad dressing.

fried rice - 6/10
fantastic consistency, but not nearly enough sauce--the classic hibachi fried rice dilemma.

vegetables - 8/10
strong ratios here, which extra bamboo to make up for the lack of desert noodle, and quite well sauced and plentiful. did the expected fantastically, but did not go above and beyond.

appetizer shrimp - 9/10
large, fresh, plump portions, but no toss. had there been, we'd be looking at a 10.

main course (shrimp, but tried salmon) - 10/10
more shrimp, bigger shrimp, and fresher shrimp than your average place, and perfectly made. the salmon was the best hibachi fish i have ever tried. my hibach partner did not finish her meal, so i brought home the leftover salmon and fried rice and cooked them up in her wok--the best leftover hibachi i've ever had (leftover hibachi is a rare occurrence that usually only happens when i go with other people...).

desert noodles - 0/10
ABSENT. inexcusable.

show - 8/10
the (quite young) chef started off with slow, deliberate knife/spatula twirls that were hands down the best i'd ever seen. he moved on to a fireshow that included warnings as not to disrupt the weak of heart, and a routine that featured a whistling train-volcano among other new tricks. he did not treat us like amateurs, and he played off of our reactions well. certainly one of the better shows i've ever seen, especially considering it was only for the two of us. had he not looked so bored, this would be a 10.

potpourri - 7/10
once again i had to give a few extra points here, seeing as the 0/10 for lack of desert noodles was probably a bit harsh. the sushi here is fresh and delicious, but the wait staff could use a bit of work.

quite a showing, especially considering the lack of desert noodles. there could have been more (we ordered two sushi rolls in addition to the meal...), and there can be improvements, but the main course alone makes this worth the trip if you're in madison.

Kado, The Grove, Los Angeles, CA, 02/09/2008

2008-02-11T11:54:00.000-08:00

Kado
6333 W. 3rd Street
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 933 0055

Chef: Unnamed

Score: 68/100

despite frequent reported billy crystal sightings and a los angeles location that can't be beat (for foot traffic--the grove makes me itch...), this high end hibachitorium is almost always seemingly empty. still, if you're looking for somewhere high end that offers loads of non-hibachi options, or if you're simply looking for a benihana alternative in los angeles proper, kado is most likely the place for you.

salad - 10/10
high end greens and a more flavorful dressing than anywhere i have ever encountered earn this salad a perfect score. it could benefit from being bigger, but the bowl shape does make it deceptively larger than you would assume when you first get it. incredible cherry tomatoes add a beautiful red to this otherwise dark collection of fresh greens. magnificent.

soup - 4/10
an excellent miso, but still a miso. for a place that prides itself in being fancy, this low-end alternative to the onion-sedimented hibachi standard is a disappointment. with a small portion, to boot.

sauces - 6/10
incredible ginger sauce and a surprisingly tolerable yum-yum for a yum-yum hater like myself, but the partitioned single dish makes pouring hard.

fried rice - 3/10
dry and virtually flavorless, but a generous portion saves this from a 1 or a 2.

vegetables - 9/10
perfectly sauced, a high mushroom ratio, and generally fresh and high quality.

appetizer shrimp - 9/10
more than normal portions and a long and fun shrimp toss earn high marks here.

main course (shrimp, but tried chicken, salmon) - 9/10
succulent, larger than usual (shrimp themselves and quantity), and moist, the main courses here are hard to top. with kobe beef and lobster as options as well as a large array of not-normal not-expensive options, you may have you work cut out for you at ordering time. if it weren't for them annoyingly calling their shrimp "black tiger shrimp," i'd probably have made the jump to a 10.

desert noodles - 0/10
ABSENT. inexcusable.

show - 9/10
a present but weak volcano did not bode well, but the chef made up for it with extra effort. it is obvious that they put a lot of value in their show at kado, as they see themselves as a special excursion (the chef could not believe we were here when it was not someone's birthday). there were two heart-shaped valentines themed dishes, which seemed a bit premature and excessive, but the beating heart rice soon made me forget this. overall, a good job.

potpourri - 9/10
i did give a few extra points here, seeing as the 0/10 for lack of desert noodles was probably a bit harsh. the wait staff is friendly (and the hostesses are quite attractive) and quick to refill water. there are plenty of non-hibachi options, and its proximity to so much else doesn't hurt, even if it is the grove. i am always a bit put off when you have to ask specifically for a fork, because it is a bit more embarrassing than simply taking one when offered--you feel like you're asking the guy at the 7/11 for a hustler--but still, it does make you feel like you're somewhere a bit more authentic. we had no wait, even on a saturday night, which is both good and bad, and the ambiance is quite nice.

overall, if you're not a hibachi regular and you're looking for something special this may be your place. certainly not an experience worth writing home about, but not a waste of time either.

Miyabi La Verne, La Verne, CA, 02/07/2008

2008-02-11T11:31:00.000-08:00

Miaybi La Verne
2345 Foothill Blvd.
La Verne, CA 91750
(909) 392 6808
www.MiyabiRestaurant.com

Chef: Paul of La Verne, CA

Score: 79/100

as usual, miaybi did not disappoint. for a thursday night, this local hotspot was crowded as ever. the wait staff is friendly and caring, and their food is always spot on, despite the portions being a bit small. still, the price can't be beat, and for overall value in the inland empire we are yet to find a better location.

salad - 8/10
the miyabi salad is excellent: great dressing to greens ratio (non-mayo based dressing, to boot), fresh tomatoes in every bowl, and high quality ice berg lettuce. you can't ask for too much more without going above and beyond.

soup - 8/10
again, a very strong showing here. quite flavorful with just the right amount of fried onion at the bottom. hard to beat.

sauces - 9/10
there are three to choose from, which is more than the standard two, and their ginger is one of the best i have ever had. still--they try to push the yum-yum on you sometimes, and this frustrates me. while i'm not doing this evaluation on past trips, one time (of the upwards of 20 i've been here) a chef put a shrimp of mine in the yum-yum sauce in an attempt to convert me. i was insulted to say the least.

fried rice - 9/10
a generous portion, perfectly sauced and textured, with egg to boot. a smidgen too much salt prevented the 10/10.

vegetables - 7/10
again, all you could expect. good onion-to-total ratio, a good amount of mushrooms and zucchini, and a light sauce.

appetizer shrimp - 6/10
two whole shrimp per person, and cooked to perfection. the lack of the shrimp toss bumped this category down a notch, though.

main course (shrimp, but tried fillet, chicken, and steak) - 8/10
a large portion done well. not much more to say here.

desert noodles - 9/10
again, almost perfect. mixed perfectly with the bamboo and flash cooked in oil, these noodles are as good as you will find anywhere. it just needed the extra something for the 10/10.

show - 8/10
i think the chef could tell we weren't there for the show, but he nonetheless gave it his all. he (and i observed the chefs around us doing this as well) was a bit overzealous with the use of fire, but you do need something to draw the crowd i guess on a thursday night. the hourglass (up-side-down volcano on volcano) is always a huge plus, but the lack of jokes is what threw me off (what ever happened to "rice rice baby"?).

potpourri - 7/10
we had a slight problem with working out the bill which delayed us, but the water service as always is phenomenal at miyabi, as is the optional and offered but not forced fork selection (we are--after all--americans). we did not have to wait for a table, but the place was quite crowded for a thursday. if it had been more so, they always have the second room to accommodate for crowded nights. the prices are lower than most, but so is the portion size. the non-hibachi menu is prolific, and their sushi is fresh and tasty.

when it is all said and done, miyabi is one of the best values AND one of the best meals you will have at any hibachitorium in the southern california area. if you already live out east, it's hard to justify going anywhere else.