Osaka
Osaka, a new addition to Main St., is simply but attractively decorated, with both a downstairs sushi bar that opens to Middletown Square and several Hibachi grills on street level. Rose ordered Hibachi Salmon, and Vernon ordered Hibachi Filet Mignon done medium-rare. We got the usual appetizers with our Hibachi, miso soup and salad with that delicious tangy dressing (Rose hasn't been to a Hibachi place that has messed that stuff up). The griller performed many of the usual tricks, clanging and spinning the spatulas and blasting a huge wall of flame. That freaked Vernon out.
Two essential tricks that he failed to perform (perform, monkey!) were the onion volcano trick and the shrimp flippy trick. The onion volcano, which is afterwards chopped into the fried rice, is when the griller separates the rings of half of an onion (all with the spatulas) and stacks them on top of each other on the grill to form a cone. Then, pouring oil into the hole at the top, the griller creates a smokestack. The essential shrimp flippy trick also occurs during the appetizer part of the meal, for the shrimp appetizer. When flipping and slicing the shrimp, the griller should use the spatula to flip or pop the shrimp into his or her pocket or hat, and proceed to act silly. The Hibachi waiter should at the very least use the flippy trick to flick the shrimp pieces onto the customers’ plates.
Back to the entrees. Vernon’s was satisfactory, but Rose’s was undercooked. A lot. Rose was not happy. Vernon also forced Rose to eat some of his not-well-done meat. Rose was unhappy, again.
Rose: C
Vernon: B-
Other reviews
- Holly Wood '08's review on Wesleying
- Mark Kelley '08's review in the Argus.