Dining Out: Bisuteki Tokyo

I recently received an invitation to a friend's birthday celebration in which the later part of the evening was going to involve hibachi. I'd never been to a hibachi place so I was really excited. Who doesn't like pyrotechnics at dinner?

The name of the restaurant was Bisuteki Tokyo and it is located in the Courtyard Marriott in Cambridge on Memorial Drive.

The hostess walked us to our own private table. It was actually more of a bar wrapped around the hibachi. We were each given a menu and a peach colored napkin enveloping a pair of chopsticks.

Inside the menu I couldn't help but laugh at the names and descriptions of the speciality cocktails. For example, the Geisha says, "She's one to be treated gingerly. Like the vodka in her, she creeps up on you." Ha!

After seeing one go by on a tray toward another table, with envy I ordered a pina colada. The drink was exactly the right amount of coconut flavor and came topped with a bright, fun, fruity garnish.

Since most of the hibachi options involved meat or seafood, I decided to start with an appetizer. I ordered the tempura avocado. I love tempura, but this version wasn't very crisp and instead tasted too soft and soggy. I love avocado so much and it's hard for me to find a preparation I dislike, but this was just not right.

For my main course I ordered the fried tofu. For some reason the tofu, its batter and its sauce tasted fishy. I kept pushing it around with my fork looking for a sign of the sea.

Our hibachi chef arrived and immediately started with the jokes and tricks. I was highly amused.

Two minutes in he was already setting things on fire! I loved it! I think it would be so fun to take little kids to a dinner place like this.

The preparation of the fried rice was very entertaining. Who knew you could make so many jokes about rice?

While cooking the meat our chef lit tiny onion volcanoes. Amazing.

Through out his cooking show, our chef kept saying, "More sake, more happy!" and squirting sake into people's mouths across the grill. I don't know why, but I found that so funny. Every time.

To me, the hibachi dinner was more about the experience than the food. I was pretty underwhelmed by the taste and texture of my dishes, but I had a wildly good time watching everyone else's dinner be prepared with flair.

Have you ever been to a hibachi restaurant? Is there a great one I must visit?

 

Molly Galler

Welcome to Pop.Bop.Shop. My name is Molly. I’m a foodie, fashionista, pop culture addict and serious travel junkie. I’m a lifelong Bostonian obsessed with frozen confections, outdoor patios, Mindy Kaling, reality television, awards shows, tropical vacations, snail mail and my birthday.

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Address:
Bisuteki Tokyo
777 Memorial Drive
02139 Cambridge , MA
United States
Massachusetts US