Dinner and a Show - Family Fun at Samurai's Hibachi

Flambe

Flaming onion

 Progress reports arrived, and I was both relieved and pleased to see how exceptionally well my High Schooler faired.  Relieved, because school has always been such a monumental challenge for him and pleased because he managed to overcome his other challenge - staying organized.  This is the first time in years that every assignment was completed on time and  handed in.  Achievements this big cannot go uncelebrated, and so it was with glad heart that I asked my first born how he would like to celebrate.  He immediately mentioned Samurai's,  a Hibachi restaurant in town that we had been to once before.

One would think the flamboyant meal preparation and extravagant knife work would have the kids interested in visiting the restaurant, but in fact it's the large replica of a  Samurai statue that has them even more intrigued.  When I related that the sculpture reminded me of one of figures from the Terracotta Army, my son was completely astonished.  "A whole army made of Terracota?"  Since then, it's been a firm favorite for "Family Treat Night".

 Watching our chef flip, toss, roll and catch a fresh egg before delicately cracking it on the cooking surface, had me in complete awe.  How many hours do you think they spend practising those moves.  What makes the whole thing so much more amazing is the absence of egg shell.  All that fancy work and not a shell fragment to be found ANYWHERE!  Seriously?  I have to be careful not to include "crunchiness" to my recipies every time I have to add eggs.   The "food toss" is another big favorite with my kids (and it seems, everyone elses kids too).  The chef chops up some vegetables, and flips them from his spatula into a guest's mouth.  I expertly caught my broccoli floret on my crown.  A regal catch indeed.  My husband, who tends to be the less co-ordinated of the two of us, caught both broccoli floret and a gulch of sake, in his mouth.  I am still in awe.

I cannot pretend that we could understand our chef very well.   He spoke with a thick accent.  But there was no doubt that the man had skill when it came to handling his knives.  However, the proof is in the pudding.  The man can whirl a knife around, but can he cook?  Not all Hibachi are equal.  Some tend to overcook their food, but who cares when you have been dazzled by mad food prep skills combined with small pyrotechnics show?  Imagine my surprise then when I popped the first morsel of filet mignon into my mouth and recognized it as filet mignon!  Not shoe leather, or beef jerky, but actual tastey, juicy and tender steak.  It was heaven in my mouth.  The lobster that followed was just as tender and full of flavor.   Thank God for "boxing".  To leave the food on my plate would have been a sin!  Instead, I boxed it up and brought it home to enjoy later.  And man, am I looking forward to that.

While it certainly isn't the most affordable meal we can have in town.  We have to budget for a trip out to Samurai's,  but it is quite an enjoyable time together and worth every penny spent.