I've already put this review off for a few days, so it's really now or never. Five stars for the hibachi chef's show and the taste of the food (and the amount of food I got for my money), but minus one star for the incredibly slow service and heart-stopping amount of butter used.
I didn't need a whip to get our chef into shape, but our waiter deserved a few licks, as he was mostly absent and woefully inept. I really wish restaurants that charge automatic gratuity would verbally tell you they're doing so when they drop the check because I forgot all about having read it on the menu beforehand, and I went ahead and accidentally tipped extra. And who knows if the chef got any of that money. If he did, then great, but if the waiter got all that dough, then I want my extra five bucks back. FYI, Fujiyama adds automatic gratuity to parties of FOUR or more. Yep, FOUR.
The chef put on a good show. If you want a great hibachi experience, take your pals here instead of Kobe. The hibachi show is pretty much the same anywhere you go, but the Fujiyama chefs do a better onion volcano than any other hibachi chefs I've seen (I watched three Fujiyama chefs do this). Okay, okay, so I'm a sucker for the onion volcano, so SUE ME! Most hibachi chefs douse the onions in oil, light it, and the flame goes out in seconds, but the Fujiyama chefs make it last a lot longer. And, in fact, their version might be called an onion train, as they push the onions along the grill while blowing a train whistle, and the fire rages on for a good minute longer than it does at other hibachi restaurants. It was almost as if the chef had lit a sparkler. I know my description is lacking, so your best bet is to check it out for yourselves.
I got the Filet Mignon, which came with the standard rice, small salad, and "vegetables" (onions, cucumbers and mushrooms, the cucumbers of which I ate), and a handful of grilled shrimp (good). The two most frequently used ingredients here are butter and soy sauce, but mainly butter. Lots of butter. Did I mention they use a truckload of butter? Chicks could wrestle in the amount of butter they use for one table's food. If you ate too much and fear being able to squeeze out the door upon exit, fear not, for the atrocious amount of butter that was used in your food will soak through your skin and help grease you out. Every time I looked up from my plate, the chef was plopping another pound of butter onto the grill.
The salad was average filler, and the rice was buttery soy-saucey goodly. I ate every bite of it. I'd never eaten buttery filet mignon before Friday night, but it did taste good. You won't catch me buttering up my own steaks at home, though.
For dessert, I tried the tempura ice cream, and I left wishing I'd never ordered it. I'm sorry, but no. I like tempura batter otherwise, but I discovered Friday night that ice cream should be eaten naked. Take that statement as you wish.
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