For those of you not familiar, Benihana is a teppenyaki style Japanese steakhouse. For those who don't follow the link, basically you sit at a table with your party and a few strangers, and watch the chef cook your food on a flat top. It's popular for the interactive aspect, and is usually a lengthy dining experience
We entered the large restaurant and were seated within a few minutes. Our party of 5 soon became a party of 8 as we looked at the menu. I was confused at the prices, thinking that maybe ordering one entree was meant to share. Turns out it's just expensive. Most in my party ordered a steak/seafood combo, and I ordered the Yakisoba (Japanese sauteed noodles with chicken and mixed vegetables topped with a special sauce and sesame seeds.) The waitress took the mess of orders thrown at her, and was accurate and prompt.
And of course I had to order my favorite beer, Asahi.
Since me and Missus W. have never had proper sushi together, I found it appropriate we share half a Caterpillar Roll. Sushi lovers must unite! It was a standard caterpillar roll - nothing extraordinary, but still yummy.
The meal starts of with Benihana's "onion"soup and salad with ginger dressing. I opted out of the onion soup since I was having so much other stuff. The reason I quoted onion is because the bowls of soup come swimming with mushrooms, so I had no food remorse. The salad came out and was actually quite good - a simple mix of iceberg lettuce, carrots and tomatoes. The lettuce was crisp and fresh and the ginger dressing was exceptional, with good heat and delicious pungency that ginger offers.
Shortly after/during our salads, our chef comes out with his food cart, loaded with the things we ordered. First, he starts by cleaning the flat top, and then starts to cook zuchinni and onion slices. In traditional teppenyaki showmanship, he creates a little volcano out of the onion slices, and it spits water from the heat and moisture of the cook top. Next, he adds mushrooms, and some small shrimps, and cooks them all seperate. When they're done he gives each person a small serving of each, along with Benihana's famous shrimp sauce (basically Japanese mac sauce), and ginger sauce with a chutney like consistency.
Pace is the name of the game here, and some little tricks are performed. The chef will flip little shrimp tails into his hat and shirt pocket while you nibble on baubles of protein and veg. After these little performances, the chef gets down to business and starts preparing rice. A big old pile of rice gets fried with a glob of garlic butter, and some veg on the side gets splashes of safflower oil until the chef unites it all into a charming heart shape. Aaaawww. While I didn't have any of my own, I did try Stuey's, and I found it to be quite bland.
Next up are the entrees. Steak and big shrimps are laid out to cook, and chef will ask how you want your steak done. Stuey W. ordered his medium, and Missus W. wanted hers medium rare. My interpretation of them went a little bit different from how they ordered them. Stuey W.'s was a little too done for me, and Missus W.'s had a good doneness.
Next up were my Yakisoba, a big pile of noodles with chicken, zuchinni and onions all cooked seperately. The noodles are tossed around and splashed with yakisoba sauce, then combined and served to your bowl.
In my (although limited) yakisoba experience, the sauce tends to be sweet, and sweetens the overall dish. I don't care for this. If I am having noodles, I want things like ginger, garlic, soy sauce, fish sauce, or even curry. The sweet aspect doesn't appeal to me, and the verdict: a yakisoba woman, I am not.
As if we weren't already crammed full of food, the meal comes with ice cream. I ordered the green tea, which had a mildly sweet green tea taste indeed. It was good, but I would probably not buy it by the tub.
Cheers and much love to you brother-in-law! See you next time!http://www.benihana.com/
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