[GFaceKillaXX69]

Not gonna lie, when I was first contacted to review a hibachi I was pretty damn excited. I was like, "Ah shit, HIBACHI!? Man that shit bitchin'!". I used to go to 'em all the damn time back in the day with the boys. Mean streets had a lotta Onigan food places cause o' the Yakuza, and as such, us folks, who occasionally worked with 'em learned to eat the food ourselves too. Hibachi's are some o' the most comfortable shit you can find to eat food in. Big ass hotplate where all the magic happens. A chef you know who knows you back and can talk the shit while they doin' all sortsa fancy-ass cookin' magic, and simply homely dishes that, while it ain't upper crust or some shit like that, fills your gut and makes you go "Damn... I'm stuffed".

So when I came in, saw one damn hotplate, and only one damn employee to boot... hell I was concerned. I wasn't concerned cause it was one each. I was concerned cause the place was big as hell for a local hibachi joint and it was clear that they was understaffed if they ever wanna serve to capacity. Now I know what you saying. They new. They gotta cut costs. They can't expect to serve to capacity. I call bullshit on that. If they was worried about not serving to capacity they shoulda got a smaller building to work with. You employ for the space you intend to fill. This was not it chief.

Guy who served me though, some ginger motherfucker, he was nice enough as it goes. Greeted me, gave me a menu, and I was left to my own devices. Another black mark. The menu don't got prices listed on 'em. That ain't a problem for folks who got money but for folks who eatin' on a budget and just wanna have that cozy hibachi food, this shit's unacceptable. I can't imagine why they didn't put 'em down. It's just strange that they gotta hide that shit when clearly it ain't like the food they servin' is too expensive for most folks.

As for the service... well... let me break it down for you chief.

Ginger guy, he's a good chef. Remembers the order. Gets the food out when you expect it. The food is good. The drank is good. I ate good tonight. Problem is, he don't got what a hibachi needs. That being to skills to conversate with people while he cooking and putting on a show. I can tell. He was a more formally trained kinda guy. That's good for a regular restaurant, not a hibachi. Hibachi's are all about the socialising and performance. Still, he said he was gonna work on that so what I said may not be true anymore by the time you get there. I hope it ain't. I'd much rather you got a real G you can hang with when you eat than someone who peaces out as soon as he gotta make your food. You coulda just gone to a more formal Onigan place if you wanted that shit, and you wouldn't be paying the table fee for the live grill.

Another wasted opportunity in service is a damn piano sitting in the middle of the place. Live music, I love that shit. Tunes make the space. Sad thing is there's nobody to play it. At this point they just got a legit piano sitting there acting as nothing more than one expensive as hell setpiece making all them legit pianists cry at how this beauty's being wasted. Still, if we're being real here, I gotta ask the most legit question of them all.

Did I hate it?
 
Short answer, no, long answer, it's complicated.

Like I said, the food is good, and the decor while sparse do got a nice cozy feel to it. The staff, while he don't talk much, he's polite enough to make the grade. The problem is, this ain't what you looking for when you say... HIBACHI! It's got a long way to go. But while I'm saying that, I do notice that there is jack shit in terms of Hibachi style experiences round in Dormeho, and for folks who're missing that Onigan flair of cooking, this ain't a bad option to go to and hang with your homies. Just don't be expecting the show you're looking for.

Another thing that factors into my decision is that every time I do one've these things I give the owners my report on what they can improve. If they do what i say. Employ more folks, make their hours more consistent and start posting up schedules. Get off their ass and start letting people sample their shit to get the word out, and perhaps most importantly, start accepting reservations, this place might shape up to be one hell of a spot.

Would I unironically reccomend it? Not yet.

Would I say give it a shot and keep your eye on it? Totally.
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This review was written and posted by yours truly, the one and only J-Shot, most legit reviewer around. If you looking to get your spot on the map, post a reply under my latest review or my first letter and I'll contact you to check you out when I can.