The Cookout
Random musings, lighthearted communication, and good vibes.
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American Friends, What Exactly Is Habashi?
Hibachi restaurants are Japanese style eateries where the chef cooks at your table. It's really good, and the chef will usually perform cool tricks like turning an onion into a volcano or train!
But can the chef cook anything? What is the difference from other japanese restaurants?
At a traditional Japanese restaurant, you sit on the floor. At a hibachi restaurant, you sit at a table.
Probably would be best to get a Japanese person’s opinion if you want to go deeper than what Rollie Forbes has typed. But the cuisine at these type of restaurants in the USA is typically Americanized variations of Japanese food.
Nothing too exotic like a karoke, squid/eel/octopus, etc. you typically see beef and chicken dishes that use Japanese seasonings.
Oh i see, but it has nothing to do with the food.
I saw a video of a woman who said she ordered hibachi but it looked just like regular japanese food.
Most people go to hibachi for the experience (40% food, 60% chef's theatrics). The food is usually good, but it's nothing you won't find at a Japanese steak house.Oh i see, but it has nothing to do with the food.
I saw a video of a woman who said she ordered hibachi but it looked just like regular japanese food.
Think of it like this. In most table service restaurants, a server takes your order, walks to the kitchen, the cooks make it and the server brings it to you. In a Hibachi restaurant the Server takes your order, but you happen to be sitting in front of a large grill so the cook comes out and cooks the meal right in front of you. To make it more entertaining, the HIbachi chefs do tricks with the utensils and make designs with the food as they cook.Oh i see, but it has nothing to do with the food.
I saw a video of a woman who said she ordered hibachi but it looked just like regular japanese food.
Yes, exactly. Benihana is a brand name for a chain of hibachi restaurants.
Is the food worth the price? Somehow the perception is get is that kind of "experience" is overpriced.
The hibachi restaurants that I have visited have all had good food, but you're mostly paying for the show. You can get the same food for a lot less if you go to a regular Japanese restaurant.
It is just a table grill, he will either cook the food in front of you while you sit at a table or bar setup, or you will wait in line and bring your raw ingredients (you choose) to him to cook.
The word means "fire bowl" and in Japan it is quite a bit different. They had to spice it up to entertain the Americans.
The word means "fire bowl" and in Japan it is quite a bit different. They had to spice it up to entertain the Americans.