Yay hibachi! I haven't had hibachi for far too long - the place I frequented at my last home (Abilene, TX) was good until the news started doing stories on how many cockroaches the food inspector was finding in that place.
Let me state for the record that Kumo is not such a shady place. Nice atmosphere and very clean. And the chef was quirky and deadpan in his joke/ performance delivery. Just as any good Hibachi chef should be. (Kate and I actually had a conversation where she, being the cultured foodie she is, stated that for her the mark of a good Hibachi place is their sauce selection. For me it's totally how many things the chef can light on fire/ throw into his hat.) All in all a fun time.
In addition, the food was totally yummy. I stuffed myself to the gills with chicken and fried rice. Woot.
four out of five golden forks.
Kate: Hibachi Chicken and Edamame
I do enjoy a good hibachi meal. There is something satisfying, for someone who likes to cook, about watching them prepare your meal in front of you. And, hibachi veggies are always so yummy! Edamame was a good start. We were hungry mongries that day. But, I have NEVER left a hibachi hungry. I don't know what we were thinking with that edamame. The miso soup was pretty decent, and the ginger dressing on the side salad was pretty standard for a place like this, which is fine with me. As Kristin mentioned about, it is all about the sauce for me at a hibachi. And, I was not disappointed. The white sauce (why can you never describe what the sauce at a hibachi tastes like?) was very good. I tend to dump the sauce I like the most all over my plate of grilled food, and that I did at Kumo. I thought that everything tasted pretty good. I will definitely return, though that may just be because I have yet to find another hibachi in town and I do crave it often.
We can not report on the sushi as we didn't have any, but, perhaps, in a future post we will!
We can not report on the sushi as we didn't have any, but, perhaps, in a future post we will!
three golden forks out of five.
7 comments:
Tonight I ate at Kumo and it was one of the worst experiences I've ever had. A new waiter started and when a family of four who ordered more food than us came, we got ignored completely. I had to actually walk up to a waitress and ask for my appetizer. I am allergic to eggs, and although they cooked my rice without egg, they used the same utensils after making everyone else's fried rice to make the rest of the meal, improperly cleaned the grill and even though I said no sesame seeds, the proceeded to put sesame seeds on my vegetables and got upset when I said I didn't want them and wanted them to make me a new batch. The new batch contained sesame seeds as well, and they got sent back a second time. Our food came out after the people who came after us. I waited over 10 minutes for a refill on my beverage. The restaurant was so cold, my mother put on her jacket, and since mine was so bulky, I just shivered through it. Nobody even apologized for the crappy service we received. I have never left no tip before, but I made an exception this time.
Holy man! I'm sorry to hear you had such a disappointing experience! As Kate mentioned in the post, there aren't really any other hibatchi places in town, so sadly I couldn't even begin to suggest a better place for you to try... Kate! We gotta find something new for this poor commenter!
(I say this like it is a big serious charge for us, when in reality it just means we have an excuse to go out to eat. Woot.)
This may not be the correct place to comment on your blog, but I'm doing it anyway :P
I would just like to thank you guys for doing this. I am looking for a place for my friends and I to go out to eat for my birthday, and we're huge fans of Hibachi. I googled "Hibachi Kalamazoo" and this came up. Anyway, thank you guys so much. Your blog is fun and interesting, and as a Kzoo college girl who loves food and drink, I have just found a new addiction: your blog.
So thank you for the info, and thank you for the excuse to go out and eat more!
Caroline
We're very pleased you like it, and thank you for your comment! How did your birthday excursion go?
Hanna East, on Sprinkle Road, is a hibachi and sushi place in Kalamazoo. It has been there for years and has excellent service and great sushi. Try that one some time. The parking lot looks like it is a deserted old place but they really do pack in a crowd on most weekends.
BTW---I had the sushi from Kumo and it was fantastic. Never had the hibachi though.
I agree....Hana East was the best hibatchi restaurant in Kalamazoo. I said was!!!!! Every December around this time, my Office Manager and I go there for our Christmas dinner. Unfortunately, last Dec. when we arrived there was a note on the door saying they went to Japan for a vacation. I just called their number yesterday to make reservations (we work and live in Battle Creek) and the message on the phone said that it was no longer in service.
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