If you dine with me often, you know that Japanese is my favorite cuisine. I often choose it for my birthday, and Benihana was my favorite restaurant after I visited just once. Jonathan and I both enjoy hibachi grills, so it makes perfect sense that it didn't take long for us to hit up a local place - Arirang. We went last Thursday night with Andrew, and left with plenty of leftovers and smiles on our faces.
A family of four shared our table, but since the two children were very young, they were busy and kept to themselves. Jay was our chef, and he was very good, and very entertaining. The ginger dressing on the salad was a bit odd, and the soup was rather plain. But everything else was fabulous! The shrimp appetizer was cooked just right, and Jay flipped pieces of squash into each person's mouth! We all went with the fried rice (about $3 extra), and it was among the best I've had. I had the shrimp and chicken (and will probably try the scallops next time!), and both were delicious. Jonathan and Andrew did the chicken and steak, and Jonathan really enjoyed the steak. I had a bite, but of course I wasn't impressed, LoL. The veggies were good, particularly the mushrooms (which means something coming from me!). Bean sprouts came at the end of the meal, but weren't really seasoned. Tons were taken home, and the fresh strawberry ice cream was fantastic (Jonathan had green tea ice cream, which was very strong). It is priced like many other hibachi grills, but I'd say it was worth it.
Arirang actually has a tavern side in addition to the hibachi tables, and we tried them out this past Tuesday. The sushi wasn't fresh, the gyoza was rather bland, but the side of fried rice was still tasty. Lessons learned: stick to the hibachi room, but go on Tuesday! Tuesdays are double-point days on the frequent-eater card, so in the future when we go there, it'll be on a Tuesday!
[Update 8/2010: Tuesdays are no longer double-points.]
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