Otani Japanese Restaurant–Just OK

I took my buddy Danny out for a holiday lunch and he wanted to go for Hibachi, so I figured we would check out Otani in Mayfield.  Otani has been in the back of the Golden Gate Plaza (1625 Golden Gate Plaza, Mayfield Heights, OH 44124

) seemingly forever, and unfortunately that is my impression after our visit.  The exterior is nicely decorated to look suitably Japanese, once inside we were quickly greeted and seated at the hibachi table (I know that this style of cooking is actually called tepanyaki, but in keeping with the old style, Otani refers to this as Hibachi).  I have to say that the décor feels really dated and dark.  The basic setup at Otani is fine, but it feels like nothing has changed since the restaurant opened in the 1970s. 
After a quick perusal of the menu (which you can see here), we quickly decided on our meals and ordered, Danny was having the Steak and Chicken lunch, I choose the Shrimp.  We started with the mushroom soup, which was a light broth with some slices of mushroom, nice, but a bit safe, it could have used a bit more complex flavoring.  That was a good indication of what was to follow.
Our chef soon arrived and after a quick flame of the grill for effect settled in to cook our meal.  The performance was a bit understated, with our chef seemingly getting there on the performance side, but not nearly as good or as entertaining as the chef at a nearby table.   The lunch consisted of a large portion of fried rice, sautéed mushrooms and our respective main courses.  The food was nicely cooked, but underseasoned, even the two dipping sauces didn’t add much flavor or zing to the meal.  The portion on the Steak and Chicken lunch was ok for the $10.50 price, but I thought the shrimp portion was a little small for $9.00.  
I have to say that I found Otani to be about what I thought, a restaurant that is firmly rooted in its tradition, unfortunately since the 1970s our tastes and sophistication levels have changed, especially as it relates to Japanese food.  I think Otani needs to update its décor and bring more punch to its food.  As always your mileage may vary.

Umami – Chagrin Falls Asian Bistro

I have been looking forward to trying Umami Asian Kitchen in Chagrin Falls for quite a while now; I picked up a Groupon (Groupon Site is here) in March and finally got to use it just before it expired.  Located in a

prime location at 42 North Main Street in Chagrin Falls, Umami has earned a great reputation as a wonderful little Asian Bistro in an area know for its All American feel.  With a small low key storefront, you walk in to find a wonderful little place set up in a narrow building with the kitchen in back and a small narrow dining room which feels both modern and Asian while still being restrained and elegant.  

The menu, especially at lunch is rather limited, but the choices sound wonderful (you can see the menu here at Umami’s website).  My friend and I started with soup, he had the Miso, I tried the Corn and Ginger Soup that was the special.   Both came out in large square bowls, with a generous portion of soup.  The Corn and Ginger was nice with subtle flavors, but I thought the corn kernels, while incredibly sweet, were just a touch undercooked.

Next up were the Spicy Tuna and California Rolls; the Tuna was very good, although not nearly spicy enough for my tastes, the California Roll was a bit overpowered by the real Crab which tended to mute the other flavors.

My friend had the Seared Salmon and I had the Sea Scallops.  The two chunky Scallops were nicely cooked with a crisp sear and soft middles and served over a cucumber salad that nicely complimented them.

My overall impression of Umami is that I was a bit underwhelmed; the decor and the food presentation is lovely, the service was good and friendly, while the food was fresh and nicely prepared with high quality ingredients overall there was a lack of excitement or boldness.  I have a lot of experience with Asian cuisine especially Japanese cuisine and I just found Umami’s food to be a bit flat in the flavor profiles.  With a very limited menu and the prices for the amount of food I expected some fireworks, instead I got a nice, but not sensational lunch.  As always, your experience can vary.

Update on Watami Buffet and Wendy Park

Just wanted to drop in a quick update on Watami Buffet in Parma (the full review is here); I dropped by this Saturday lunch with my new little brother and have to say that I was impressed.  I had liked Watami before, but I actually think that it has improved since then, which is especially impressive for a buffet.

The decor is still the same, nice and clean in the Japanese style, the upkeep of the place looks very good as the dining room and buffet areas are neat and clean with no signs of wear.

The buffet seems to have improved a little bit, with a bit more variety and an improvement in food quality, especially on the hot side.  Part of this may have been being in when they were busy, but the hot food was well prepared and tasted very good.  Even some items that I found lacking were much better, such as the tempura shrimp were far better.   The sushi side was still pretty good, with the emphasis on combination maki rolls, but the fish seemed fresh and while still not real sushi bar quality, this is a good deal for the money.

I do have to mention that I was especially happy to see that they have added the small custard pies that I usually get at Dim Sum to the hot line as a desert item, so that was a nice suprise.  Overall Watami has held up well and actually slightly improved its food quality; while still not at the level of a real Japanese Restaurant, it is one of the top buffets I have tried in the Cleveland area and certainly a good value if you are looking to fillup on Japanese food at a reasonable price.

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I wanted to also mention that I stopped by Wendy Park on Whiskey Island later in the day on Saturday.  With the weather warming up, I managed to get the motorcycle out and headed downtown to check out this new park at the mouth of the Cuyahoga.   For those unfamilar with this park it is a nice little potential jewel that came about mainly through citizen action and some generosity from Ed Hauser.  You can get more information at the website here.  The park is a work in progress right now, but it does have some spectacular views of the Cuyahoga, the old Coastguard Station and Downtown Cleveland.  I have included a couple of pictures I took, but you can see more at this link.

Shuhei Update - Beachwood Star

You may have read my previous review of Shuhei Restaurant (review is here), but it has been a while since I have had a full meal there; luckily with some family in town for my Niece's Bat Mitvah, we ended up there after quite a bit of discussion. So I wanted to update my previous review and mention some new things. Based on the discussions, many people have strange ideas of what is served at a Japanese restaurant. While Shuhei has the best Sushi Bar in town, the rest of the menu is even more extensive and has something for everyone. Japanese food is generally lighter and simpler then Chinese or other Asian foods. The Japanese like to take high quality ingredients and prepare them in ways that accent their flavors and then compliment those with simple flavor combinations. Even though I was told that "we don't eat Japanese", everyone found a number of things that they could have, and the meals that we had were all exceptional. The prices at Shuhei are actually fairly moderate; sure you can spend a lot if you want, especially if you order Sushi al la carte, but most of the meals on the menu are priced under $20 and that includes, soup, salad, rice, vegetables and tea. Considering the portions are generous and the food is excellent, this is what you call value. So Mom had the Kogani Age (Soft Shell Crab) dinner, her long time favorite. The tasty little critters are lightly floured and then quickly fried to a delicious state. Served over fried rice with sprouts, carrots and green beans, a very wonderful meal. The crabs are perfectly prepared and sided with a simple rice vinegar sauce for dipping. Aunt Helen had the Shrimp Tempura dinner, and if you haven't tasty tempura at Shuhei, you are missing something special. The shrimp and vegetables come wrapped in a perfecly light and crispy tempura batter that is fried to perfection. The crust is a light golden with the insides cooked perfectly. Save the fried banana as a special little treat for the end. Mort has the Kushiyaki, skewers of shrimp, scallops, salmon and vegetables covered in Shuhei's home made teriyaki sauce. A great and classic combination, expertly prepared and cooked. I had the Chirashi Sushi dinner; Chirashi is gathered sushi, with a large bowl of the sushi rice topped with slices of some of the freshest seafood you can find. The fish was impecible, fresh and clean tasting. The tuna was especially good, with each slice just melting in my mouth. Shuhei remains one of the finest restaurants you will find. The decor is excellent, the atmosphere both sophisticated and relaxed. The food is truly outstanding. The servers are friendly and knowlegable, willing to guide you through any questions you may have. Plus you get a lot for you money. What more could you ask for? Give them a try.

Shuhei - Best Restaurant Ever

I have been promising for some time to give my review of Shuhei Japanese Cuisine and Sushi Bar, well here it is. I do think that I have to start off with a bit of a disclaimer, Hiroshi and Sonja who own Shuhei are very close personal friends and I worked at Shuhei and Shijuro (its predecessor) while putting myself through law school. I will try to give a objective view, but at least I am upfront about any bias. Shuhei is located at 23360 Chagrin Blvd, close to Green Road in Beachwood. The restaurant is in the back of a set of a small colonial style office building. There is a small sign out front and plenty of parking in the back. The entrance is under the awning Once you enter the restaurant it is a different story. Tan walls with ash wood accents set off Shuhei's impressive collection of prints and other art. Among the highlights is the display case in the waiting area which shows off a beautiful and highly detailed wedding kimono. The overall feeling is of classic Japanese style. The dark tables and chairs present a nice background for the simple table settings and the wonderful food. The servers wear traditional Japanese clothing, with the waitresses in kimonos and the men in "happy jackets". Shuhei has an experienced and knowledgeable wait staff that do a great job of taking care of their customers. The food, well that is hard to beat. Having spent a lot of time in the kitchen here I can tell you that the vast majority of sauces and dressings are made fresh from scratch. The ingredients are of incredibly high quality and are carefully prepared. What would shock most people is the amount of prep time that goes in a Shuhei, they work hard all day to be ready to make the best food possible. For the most part food preparation and presentation stays close to the traditional Japanese style, which is a good thing when it is done as expertly as this. Lets start at the sushi bar where the highly skilled sushi chefs combine the freshest fish and seafood with rice, seaweed and other vegetables to make the best sushi in the area. Whether you order a simple maki roll up to the large assorted sushi and sashimi platters, presentation is carefully considered and the plates are works of art. One of the tests of a good sushi bar is how they do on the simple straight forward nigiri sushi, where the fish is presented on top of a rice pellet. At Shuhei the freshness of the fish along with the skill of the chef shines through, the fish melts in your mouth with a nice contrast from the vinegared rice and the wasabi. Some of my favorites and suggestions to try are the scallop sushi, large fresh scallops served raw allow you to experience the slightly sweet taste and the wonderful texture; the spider roll, taking a perfectly fried soft shell crab and rolling it with lettuce and slightly spicey mayo for a great flavor combination; and the Nippon Kai Salad, an assortment of raw fish and seafood cut up into smaller pieces and served over a light vegetable salad with special miso flavored dressing that allows you to try a wide variety in an appetizer. You cannot go wrong with any of the sushi dinners, but if you want something a bit different try the Chirashi dinner. Instead of individual pieces of sushi, you will get a very nice assortment of fish and seafood on top of a bed of the sushi rice. The rest of the menu is perfectly prepared Japanese food presented simply, but elegantly. Japanese cooking tends to emphasize simple flavors using the freshest foods available. It is hard to go wrong with anything on the menu, but once again some of my favorites. The tempura at Shuhei is how I think tempura should be. Shrimp and vegetables are battered and then deep fried in such a way as to result in an incredibly light and flavorful, but cruchy outside with the inside being perfectly cooked; you cannot go wrong with any of the tempura items. The fish dishes are all incredibly fresh and perfectly cooked and then mated with an appropriate sauce. The hot pot meals come out in a large iron pot steaming hot and loaded to the brim with goodness. The salad entrees and noodle dishes are outstanding, especially as a lunch. If your idea of Ramen is the little packets you buy at the Supermarket, you should try Shuhei's version. A bowl of noodle with a slightly spicy broth is topped with shrimp or beef and stir fried vegetables. If something on the menu sounds good, give it a try since it should exceed your expectations. Shuhei is certainly not the cheapest restaurant and with the number of Japanese restaurants that continue to open in the area there are a lot of choices, but Shuhei shows that value comes from excellent food expertly prepared and served in a well designed restaurant. The food, service and ambience are all top notch and there is a reason that Shuhei has remained one of Cleveland's top restaurants.