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.
dessert 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 dessert 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.
