Dining Review
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Benihana
by DeAnna CameronPublished: March 01, 2009
Was there teppanyaki before Benihana? Sure, but if you’re like me, your first introduction to this Japanese style of dining probably took place at one of the restaurant’s tables for eight, where a knife-wielding chef slices, dices and fries each diner’s meal at breakneck speed as he entertains the group with a smoking onion volcano, beating heart of fried rice and shrimp tails flipped into his tall red hat.
It’s that combination of fine food and fun that has propelled Benihana’s success since founder Hiroaki “Rocky” Aoki opened the first one in 1964 in New York. It’s also what established the restaurant as a favorite for diners celebrating just about any special occasion.
But change comes to all things, and last year Benihana in Newport Beach underwent a renovation and reopened in late August with what it touted as a fresh, new interior look.
When I returned recently, I was happy to find that, while the restaurant has updated its appearance – darker ceilings and floors, more dramatic lighting, organic textures and fabrics – the teppanyaki tables are still the center of attention.
The menu still features the classics: hibachi chicken, teriyaki steak, filet mignon, hibachi chateaubriand and an assortment of seafood, each accompanied by Japanese onion soup, fresh green salad, shrimp appetizer, hibachi vegetables, steamed rice and hot green tea.
My husband and I treated ourselves to the Manager’s Special, which offers a bit of everything: chicken, shrimp and steak ($45 for two people). It’s a yearlong promotion to commemorate the company’s 45th year, and it’s a tasty way to sample all our favorites.
If you don’t have the hour and a half to enjoy the table show, the sushi bar offers a great alternative. You can order sushi, sashimi and hand rolls, as well as full hibachi dinners, in this casual and contemporary dining space.
But if time isn’t a factor, order your sushi to accompany a dinner at the teppanyaki table, so you don’t miss out on the good food and good times that have lured diners back to Benihana again and again.
Where: 4250 Birch St., Newport Beach
Phone: 949.955.0822
Hours: Monday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., and 5 to 10 p.m.; Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., and 5 to 11 p.m.; Saturday, noon to 3 p.m., and 5 to 11 p.m.; and Sunday, noon to 9 p.m.
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It’s that combination of fine food and fun that has propelled Benihana’s success since founder Hiroaki “Rocky” Aoki opened the first one in 1964 in New York. It’s also what established the restaurant as a favorite for diners celebrating just about any special occasion. But change comes to all things, and last year Benihana in Newport Beach underwent a renovation and reopened in late August with what it touted as a fresh, new interior look. When I returned recently, I was happy to find that, while the restaurant has updated its appearance – darker ceilings and floors, more dramatic lighting, organic textures and fabrics – the teppanyaki tables are still the center of attention. The menu still features the classics: hibachi chicken, teriyaki steak, filet mignon, hibachi chateaubriand and an assortment of seafood, each accompanied by Japanese onion soup, fresh green salad, shrimp appetizer, hibachi vegetables, steamed rice and hot green tea. My husband and I treated ourselves to the Manager’s Special, which offers a bit of everything: chicken, shrimp and steak ($45 for two people). It’s a yearlong promotion to commemorate the company’s 45th year, and it’s a tasty way to sample all our favorites. If you don’t have the hour and a half to enjoy the table show, the sushi bar offers a great alternative. You can order sushi, sashimi and hand rolls, as well as full hibachi dinners, in this casual and contemporary dining space. But if time isn’t a factor, order your sushi to accompany a dinner at the teppanyaki table, so you don’t miss out on the good food and good times that have lured diners back to Benihana again and again. Where: 4250 Birch St., Newport Beach Phone: 949.955.0822 Hours: Monday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., and 5 to 10 p.m.; Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., and 5 to 11 p.m.; Saturday, noon to 3 p.m., and 5 to 11 p.m.; and Sunday, noon to 9 p.m. |
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