Restaurant Review: Sagano Hibachi

A while back I wrote a review on the "sushi side" of Sagano. The Japanese Bistro and Steakhouse offers both sushi and hibachi, at their respective areas of the restaurant. Last night Cameron and I decided to sit on the hibachi side for dinner.

I remember Sagano being one of the first places Cameron took me when we were dating. I had never seen a hibachi so it was quite a thrill for me the first time. The chefs are funny, highly skilled, and seemingly creative (although after your third or fourth visit you'll discover they all do the same tricks and tell the same jokes). At some points your dinner seems to borderline on becoming a theatrical performance. On a really good night, a few of the chefs will come out with drums and tambourines and make everyone at the table dance and sing Happy Birthday.

We were a little tired and more interested in the food than the performance last night, which our chef promptly picked up on and toned down the wisecracks. He still made the flaming onion choo-choo train (see below), which I admittedly never get sick of.

Being a vegetarian in Sagano is quite precarious unless you know how to swindle your way through. Here's a run down on the food for my fellow non-meat eaters:

• First of all, if you're the type of vegetarian who likes their food to be prepared far, far away from any meat whatsoever, don't come here. All the food is cooked on the same grill; although they keep the food groups separated, it's possible (but unlikely) that a piece of chicken could venture into the vegetable pile.
• The only vegetarian hibachi option is "assorted vegetables." All the other entrees have seafood or other meat. It would be nice to see a grilled tofu option or something a little more exciting than just vegetables, but alas...
• Soup, salad and shrimp come with every dinner entree. The soup they automatically give you has chicken broth in it, so make sure you order miso soup instead. Also you can ask for no shrimp but I always forget, so after the chef grills it you can just tell him "no thanks," and he'll distribute it among everyone else. Sometimes the chefs will give you a hard time about it and make fun of you, but it's all in good sport.
• When your server asks you if you would like fried or steamed rice, ask for steamed. The fried rice is mixed with chicken.

Cameron enjoying his miso soup.

The contents of the salad are typical and nothing to write home about-  iceberg lettuce, shaved carrots, etc. It's the delicious asian sesame dressing they adorn it with that makes it something to look forward to!

Lighting the onion choo-choo train...

I tried to take a picture of the onion on fire before it exploded but I was too late...

Time to eat!

Bottom line, the food is okay. Looking at the dinner plate, it's not exactly something I couldn't easily whip up at home. In fact I was kicking myself a little bit when I saw the zucchini in the stir fry blend, knowing that I have two fat ones from my garden, sitting on my kitchen counter. I guess the theatrics of the production makes up for the mediocrity of the food. The yum yum and ginger sauce they offer you on the side kick it up a notch, though. But for a vegetarian, especially one who enjoys cooking, I think I would rather stick to the sushi side of the restaurant.

I would definitely recommend it for someone who has never been to a hibachi restaurant. The first couple of times are thrilling and fun. But after a while, as B.B. King put it, the thrill is gone, and the food is blah. (Ok that last part was me, not the king of blues).

For my vegan friends, you will unfortuantely not be able to enjoy the hibachi. Everything, including the vegetables and noodles, is grilled in a seasoned butter, and I don't think there would be any way out of it. Maybe you could ask for your food to be separated and grilled in just oil, but that would be very tricky, and since everything is on the same grill, chances are high that some form of animal product will come in contact with your food. I'm thinking everything that is served throughout the evening, save the miso soup, is probably not vegan. I haven't asked, but it's possible the asian dressing on the salad has dairy in it. The yum yum sauce is definitely not vegan, but I don't see why the ginger sauce wouldn't be. You can order vegetarian sushi from the hibachi side, so if you get stuck there with friends and you're hungry, at least you have that option.

Let's talk prices. The assorted vegetable dinner costs $12.50. If you go there during lunch time, from what I remember, it's almost half that price, and seemingly close to the same amount of food. I told my husband that if we ever go there again, I would only want to go during lunch time. Otherwise, I don't think I'd consider it to be worth the price.

It's nice to have a somewhat more exotic place to eat on the weekend, but when it comes to being a vegetarian at Sagano, I would say stick to the sushi.