Teppanyaki: Or, as it's known in America, one of those restaurants where they cook at your table. It's good food, usually in plentiful portions and in multiple courses, accompanied by a show put on by your chef. I love Teppanyaki stlyle cuisine and have been going to such restaurants since I was a kid. I've had a chance to try a few places in the Twin Cities and figured I'd give my opinions on each and rank them accordingly.
I'm sure there are several more restaurants in the Twin Cities that offer Teppanyaki style cooking at your table, but I'm going to be talking about just three: Benihana, Ichiban, and Sushi Tango. I'll take into account flavor, ambiance, entertainment value, and whatever else either enthralled me or annoyed me about each place.
Benihana
Benihana might be my all time favorite restaurant, but that has more to do with simple nostalgia than anything else. I've been going there almost every year for my birthday since before I can even remember, but at least for two decades or so (with just a few exceptions here and there, when I was in college or live in a place where there was no Benihana, heave forbid.) It has become something of a Pfeffer tradition, and it is pretty much the place that popularized this style of cuisine in America. They were the first and the best, and that's what makes them great... but it's also what makes them some what lacking as of late. The first gets to pioneer and dominate, but in their attempt to spread and stay on top for so long, certain sacrifices have to be made and things become stale and generic. But I'll never stop going there and I'll never stop loving it.
To begin with, the food is just fantastic with layers upon layers of incredibly flavor... much of which comes from the copious amounts of butter and soy sauce. If you're on a diet, you might want to avoid Benihana, since there's nothing you can eat that isn't smothered with butter. Even the shrimp or scallops or other such item that sounds healthy by itself is going to be served coated in butter and dripping with soy sauce. And then, of course, you have to dip it in either of the two sauces that come with each plate. Every diner gets a cup of ginger sauce and some kind of mayo sauce, both of which are
amazing. My mother and my sister always request two ginger sauces and no mayo, but I get both and dip indiscriminately in either, often mixing them together for a taste sensation that must be experienced to be understood. By the time the chef is done, I usually have to ask for a few refills for my sauce cups.
But my favorite part of the meal is the salad, which is topped with an amazing ginger dressing that is the best thing I've ever tasted in my entire life. I love this dressing and so does everybody else who's ever tried it. It's simply phenomenal. I also love the soup, the incredible chicken fried rice, shrimp, steak, vegetables, and everything else they give you.
So I can understand when people complain about the food being heavy. I can understand when people say that they feel full and sick to their stomach after eating a heaping portion of Benihana's food. But I can't understand when people say they don't want to go there since that's the point. I wouldn't go to Benihana every day, but two or three times a year it's an absolute treat. And, ok, I would go every night if I could, but I would go broke. It's kind of expensive. And I guess I would die of diabetes too or have a heart attack, but I'd go out with a smile on my face.
The service can range from terrible to kind of not bad. The wait staff always seems like they are in a hurry, and that's probably because every location has about 800 tables spread over the course of a building the size of a football field. The chefs also tend to range in quality, but none of them have been all that exceptional over the course of my last few visits. Once you've been to Benihana, you've seen the entire shtick and heard all of the jokes. I definitely love the shtick and enjoy hearing the same jokes and seeing the same tricks every time, but at this point it's because of nostalgia and not because the chefs are all that entertaining. Most are actually poor performers lacking much charisma who seem like they are bored to be there, which isn't surprising because they must do the same patter dozens of times a night five or six nights a week. Also, and I don't want this to come out the wrong way, but I can't remember the last time I've seen an Asian chef at a Benihana. They are all Hispanic, which is fine -- more than fine! -- but it does seem odd when they say things like "domo arigato" and "sayonara."
Overall Rating: 4 out of 5
Ichiban
I would be tempted to describe Ichiban as a poor man's Benihana, but it might actually be more expensive. But in terms of flavor and entertainment value, Ichiban just doesn't come close. It's just like Benihana, but not as good. It's sort of like the Bizarro Benihana.
Benihana starts their meal with one of the best salads you'll ever have, while Ichiban gives you some kind of weird cucumber salad that I just didn't like. Benihana gives you a succulent, delicious shrimp appetizer, while Ichiban gives you chicken livers mixed with mushrooms. The chicken livers are doused with butter and soy sauce so the first bite makes them seem edible, but after two or three, I felt like I was going to be sick. They just didn't taste right, with an odd, sandy texture that just put me off. And the rest of the food was just bland, but at least it wasn't as bad as the chicken livers and salad. The food at Ichiban isn't bad (except for the livers), but it just isn't worth the exorbitant price.
The chefs might have a little more personality than Benihana's, however, even though they perform mostly the same tricks and tell the same jokes. But at least they smile once or twice and attempt to make some kind of connection with the diners. Also, the service from the wait stuff is way better. And while every Benihana looks like a giant, unfinished basement, the ambiance and decor at Ichiban is actually quite stunning and very cool. This is a great looking restaurant that has a lot of charm. It's just not that good.
Overall Rating: 2 out of 5
Sushi Tango
I've already raved about Sushi Tango's sushi section (you can read my review here), but they also have a few teppanyaki tables tucked way in the back of the restaurant, almost as an afterthought. But trust me... the food is so good they should think about changing their name to Teppanyaki Tango. I've been to Tango many times, but I have only had their Teppanyaki once and it was a fantastic experience.
Sushi has the luxury of not being a chain (although there are two of them) so they don't have to mass produce their cuisine or brand of service. This independence showed in both the quality of their food and in the service provided by our chef. The chef was named Chan and he was clever and charming and engaging and made me enjoy the show provided with my teppanyaki meal in a way that I haven't experienced since I went to Benihana as a child. He did a bunch of tricks and that are typical for this kind of thing, but he did them with such charm and wit that it seemed like he was making them up as he went along, and he actually engaged us all in conversation. Most important of all, he performed and cooked for us with with exuberance and glee that it seemed like he was having as much fun as we were.
And the food was delicious. I ordered the tuna steak seared rare, and it melted in my mouth even before I took a bite. It was just awesome. My friend ordered filet mignon, which was tender and flavorful and much better than Benihana's (sorry!!). My sister Tanya got lobster tail, which was every bit as good as you'd expect. But I think the tuna was the best, and that's notable because I don't think either other place offers it on their menu.
The dipping sauces were similar to Benihana's, but not quite as flavorful in my opinion. The fried rice was fantastic and maybe better than Benihana's (it was certainly lighter and less filling), but it didn't have chicken. And while the salad was very good, it wasn't as legendary as Benihana's. Tango's food and service was so good, it almost made me forget Benihana... almost. Both my friend and Tanya agreed that it was better and they mocked me for still preferring Benihana. What can I say? Nostalgia is a powerful thing. But all in all, the level of service was the best and the quality of the ingredients was outstanding. It's also the most reasonably priced.
Overall Rating: 5 out of 5
Conclusion:
It breaks down like this: Ichiban kind of sucked, Tango was the best, but I'm still going to spend every birthday at Benihana. I prefer their salad dressing and fried rice, love them for their nostalgia, and have a membership in their "Chef's Table" club that gets me a free meal in the month of my birthday. I love Benihana, but I'd still recommend Tango as the best place in the Twin Cities to get some great teppanyaki.
Can anybody explain to me why I'd want to spend 100 bucks to cook my own dinner? I'm not a trained chef. I don't know what I'm doing. The main purpose for eating out is so you can have your food cooked for you by somebody who, presumably, knows what he or she is doing. Don't just give me a bowl of hot oil and a platter of raw food. Why is this appealing? Why is this considered fun? Why is this considered, dare I say it, gourmet dining?
