Ah-So

16610 N 75th Ave (at Paradise), Peoria. There are several now in the valley and I was to find out they are locally franchised rather than a chain. The atmosphere seemed a bit antiseptic and bright for a Teppan style restaurant but I got over it. Whoever issued the building permit with that few parking spaces should be shot, the restaurant was only half full and I counted 2 open spaces in the lot before I took mine. Part of the parking is taken over by valet services. That seems to be a big thing here in Arizona because of the summer heat. We had a reservation for 6PM on a Friday which is the latest they will accept reservations. They used to have an hour or more wait on Friday and Saturday nights and advised Manuel to take advantage of the reservation. Not a good move on their part, we would have had 3 more people in our party if we could have made a reservation later or had been told they never fill the place up nowadays because of the economy. The Sushi bar and regular service side of the restaurant was busier but still not full. We left just before 8 and noticed they were seating 1/2 full tables at the grills and most of the grills were going unused.

The dinner itself was excellent, I had a filet and a Kirin along with the normal soup,salad,rice and veggies. Even though stated on the menu we were not offered white rice as an option but the fried rice was made right there on the grill and was good. Priced appropriately (the bill was about $4 less than at Mizumo's for an identical meal in July). At a table of 9 only a gentleman about my age and I were using chopsticks for most of the meal (I never picked up my fork!). The show was a bit on the weak side but the cook (Korean, raised in D.C.) was more open and friendly than many of the Teppan chefs I have been served by. His favorite take out is Mexican 24hr taco shop. :-). The wait staff was attentive without getting in the way. Unless I find a Teppan grill in the area I like better I would go back again. It would be interesting to go to the one closer to where I live just to see any differences between one of the original ones and this, one of the newer ones.

And the occasion for a dinner that was a bit more expensive than I would normally do? Happy Birthday Amy!!!!