Hibachi restaurants have become almost as prevalent in the suburbs as pizzerias, and for good reason – they’re a blast. A good hibachi experience is a sensory riot of rapid-fire knife work, sudden flashes of flame and flying bits of food. When it’s all over, you’re left with a plate of expertly cooked meats, seafood, vegetables and rice.
On Halloween, we visited Tokyo Asian Cuisine in West Springfield with our friends Aimee and Del, who visit so often that they’ve practically reached VIP status at the cooking tables.
This is a feat in itself because Del eats only about five foods, and now fried rice has joined the list. (I kid.) They always opt for the Honey for 2 special, a kitchen-sink mix of grilled chicken, filet mignon, shrimp, scallops and lobster tail followed by a thick wedge of chocolate cake. It’s an embarrassment of food, probably fit for more like three or four.
We decided on hibachi dinner combos of chicken/shrimp and filet mignon/shrimp, prefaced with mushroom soup (good broth) and salads of the iceberg variety topped with that de rigueur bright-orange Japanese ginger dressing. Pass. The dinner show started as our chef flung his utensils in the air and whoops – lost a spatula. A few minutes later, he sent an egg into orbit so high that it missed the grill and cracked next to my plate on the marble dining counter. To some hibachi chefs, the missteps might have been mortifying, but our goofy chef laughed it off like a pro. We were all clumsy – pieces of flying zucchini missed our mouths and a few of us dribbled on our shirts after we tried to swallow streams of sake from the chef’s plastic bottle. Okay, fine, maybe that was just me.
Patriot roll
In addition to the slice-and-dice action at the hibachi tables and other Japanese entrees (teriyaki, tempura, don buri, katsu and bento boxes), Tokyo also boasts an extensive sushi menu. After agonizing over several special-roll choices, we sampled the Patriot roll, shrimp tempura and asparagus topped with spicy tuna, lobster salad, avocado and roe. An excellent mix of crunch, sweet, creamy and salty.
Our hibachi dinners were satisfying and flavorful, even if the shrimp was a bit overdone. Aimee and Del slipped us pieces of lobster from their plates – the crustacean was cooked to tender perfection but its natural flavor was all but obliterated by the teriyaki sauce. Shame. The chicken was hearty and filling and the juicy filet mignon just might make a regular beef-eater out of me.
Tokyo Cuisine isn’t a cheap night out – hibachi orders range from $11.95 (just vegetables) to $29.95 for filet and lobster. Special sushi rolls top out around $14.95. But remember, you’re technically paying for food and entertainment. Such was especially true on Halloween, as our fellow customers dined in costume. We saw mullet wigs, hairy cross-dressing cheerleaders and one woman who introduced herself as ‘White Trash’, wearing a white tank top and shorts festooned with crumpled white trash bags and paper.
Tokyo Asian Cuisine is located at 1152 Riverdale Street in West Springfield, Mass. Phone: 413-788-7788. Website: www.tokyoasiancuisine.com
Leeanne Griffin is a freelance writer and food enthusiast.