by Amy Hoover » Mon Apr 09, 2007 8:14 pm
My boyfriend and I tried to go on Valentine's Day and had a horrible experience. He had gone a few weeks earlier with a friend and raved about it, so I was really excited. Because of the evening, they were busier than usual, (about 8 tables full) yet they still only had one server (who was also the hostess). We were seated but never asked for a drink order or dinner order. The table next to us told us their food was terrific, well worth the wait, so we waited. As a restaurant veteran, I understand completely what it's like to be really busy and the only person on, but an hour and twenty minutes later we finally got up and left. We had waved down the server several times, but she never actually came to the table.
We returned about two weeks ago. It was a totally different experience. We were again seated immediately. We ordered within a few moments of being there and WOW- the food was delicious. We got the basic beef and pork meal that you grill at your table. All of the chilled pickled vegetables were fantastic, as was the miso soup. The meat was marinated very tastily and was fun to cook at our leisure. Our drinks were kept refilled and the service (same server as the last time) was terrific and friendly. There is a slight language gap, which could be daunting if you aren't ready for it or good-natured about possibly receiving the wrong thing. I was happy we tried it again. Most places after the first experience, I would never return, but for some reason I give a little more leeway to places that aren't quite in the mainstream. I'm really glad we did, and I can't wait to go back and try something else.
