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I have been to this restaurant on numerous occasions. It is a traditional Japanese restaurant, but being at a hotel you have many choices of food. You can have Sushi, Shabu-Shabu, Sukiyaki or just a very nice steak.
The service has always been great; the only thing I don’t like is the ambiance. It is too much like a cheap Japanese restaurant you’d find in the United States. I could live with this because the food is fantastic.
I arrived in Japan after a disappointing trip to Taiwan and I was looking forward to eating here. I have never had reservations in the past, so I was surprised when I showed up and they were booked. I was asked to come back in 20 minutes and they would have a seat ready. I showed up 25 minutes later and still had to wait 10 minutes before I was seated. Then it took forever for someone to take my order and then I waited a long time for my first course to arrive. I ordered a seven course tasting menu.
As I sat there waiting the restaurant became more and more empty. I then figured out what happened. They were offering very inexpensive dinner meals and the locals were taking advantage of the fact. There is nothing wrong with this, but when your service suffers because you think an Early Bird special is going to bring in some extra cash you have, as they say on TV, “Jumped the Shark”.
Just so you know the meal was fantastic; as usual the food is worth the trip.
My recommendation is that you show up after 7:00 PM for better service.
http://www1.hilton.com/en_US/hi/hotel/NRTHIHI-Hilton-Tokyo-Narita-Airport-hotel/dining.do;jsessionid=8154A3CDA603B62CB6919384661BE150.etc84#2
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Sebastians - Racine, WI - UPDATE
We have been to Sebastians many times and I must say, the new menu is unbelievable. I think the service is best in the bar area, but lately we have had good service in the restaurant.
Tonight we started with the Lump Crab Cakes with apricot and mustard sauces. I wasn't sure about the apricot, but the flavor worked well with the crab. The crab tasted very fresh.
For my entree I had the Lobster Dumplings that were pan-fried and topped with a shitake-mirin butter sauce. Oh my! It was unbelievable.
My husband had the scallops that were served wtih potato croquettes, spinach and a smoked tomato butter sauce. He really liked it, but I think mine was much better. Although I tasted his croquettes and they were really good.
This restaurant never ceases to amaze even if it seems in the middle of nowhere (at least for us). It's worth the drive.
http://www.sebastiansfinefood.com/
Tonight we started with the Lump Crab Cakes with apricot and mustard sauces. I wasn't sure about the apricot, but the flavor worked well with the crab. The crab tasted very fresh.
For my entree I had the Lobster Dumplings that were pan-fried and topped with a shitake-mirin butter sauce. Oh my! It was unbelievable.
My husband had the scallops that were served wtih potato croquettes, spinach and a smoked tomato butter sauce. He really liked it, but I think mine was much better. Although I tasted his croquettes and they were really good.
This restaurant never ceases to amaze even if it seems in the middle of nowhere (at least for us). It's worth the drive.
http://www.sebastiansfinefood.com/
Carlos' - Highland Park, IL
This marks about our 15th visit to Carlos. It is our favorite restaurant and not only because of the food. The service is excellent and many of the staff has a great sense of humor. The atmosphere is romantic, the lighting and décor are perfect. There is no stuffiness here. You feel comfortable the minute you walk in.
We have dined here for business and pleasure. Even though it has a romantic atmosphere, it is perfect for business dining also. We’ve been here with family and friends, and everyone comes away agreeing with us: this is the best restaurant in the Chicago area.
For this particular visit, we were with our nephew. It was his gift to me for my birthday. Now keep in mind that he’s only 23 years old and for him, it’s a huge gift monetarily.
I made up my mind beforehand to try to be frugal when ordering. I had not intended on getting the degustation, but my husband and my nephew were both getting it, so I decided to also. I decided to just order wine by the glass instead of getting the wine pairing. Oops! I did not realize how much the wine was by the glass!
Both my husband and nephew got the Meat and Game Degustation and I ordered the Shell Fish and Fish Degustation. Let me backtrack a little. In all previous visits there was always a degustation menu that you could order, but substitute some items from the regular side of the menu if there was something you didn’t like. Some of these items had an upcharge, which was fine. Now, the first thing they tell you if there are no substitutions. I understand the reasoning behind it, but previously you could always ensure that every course was perfect and exactly what you wanted. I understand that change is sometimes necessary, but I wish we could return to the way it was.
In spite of all that, both degustations were out of this world! Both were 6 courses plus Petits Four. Some of the game courses were:
Grilled California Squab Breast with Tart of Spinach and Mushrooms with a natural jus.
Pan Seared Duck and Duck Confit with Hudson Valley Foie Gras
Cocoa Crusted New Zealand Venison with Caramelized Fennel
The seafood one included:
Smoke Trout and Butter Poached Fingerling Potato Terrine
Maine Lobster Ravioli with Julienne Vegetables
Norwegian Salmon Pinwheel with Fava Bean-Wild Mushroom Fricassee (I don’t like salmon, but this was really good)
I forgot to mention that they sat us in a little cubby-hole, which has more privacy than any other place in the restaurant. I always wondered how you got to sit there. Now I realize it’s the perfect place for 3 and that’s probably why we ended up there.
I won’t let these changes affect our #1 rating. We look forward to returning soon.
http://www.carlos-restaurant.com/
We have dined here for business and pleasure. Even though it has a romantic atmosphere, it is perfect for business dining also. We’ve been here with family and friends, and everyone comes away agreeing with us: this is the best restaurant in the Chicago area.
For this particular visit, we were with our nephew. It was his gift to me for my birthday. Now keep in mind that he’s only 23 years old and for him, it’s a huge gift monetarily.
I made up my mind beforehand to try to be frugal when ordering. I had not intended on getting the degustation, but my husband and my nephew were both getting it, so I decided to also. I decided to just order wine by the glass instead of getting the wine pairing. Oops! I did not realize how much the wine was by the glass!
Both my husband and nephew got the Meat and Game Degustation and I ordered the Shell Fish and Fish Degustation. Let me backtrack a little. In all previous visits there was always a degustation menu that you could order, but substitute some items from the regular side of the menu if there was something you didn’t like. Some of these items had an upcharge, which was fine. Now, the first thing they tell you if there are no substitutions. I understand the reasoning behind it, but previously you could always ensure that every course was perfect and exactly what you wanted. I understand that change is sometimes necessary, but I wish we could return to the way it was.
In spite of all that, both degustations were out of this world! Both were 6 courses plus Petits Four. Some of the game courses were:
Grilled California Squab Breast with Tart of Spinach and Mushrooms with a natural jus.
Pan Seared Duck and Duck Confit with Hudson Valley Foie Gras
Cocoa Crusted New Zealand Venison with Caramelized Fennel
The seafood one included:
Smoke Trout and Butter Poached Fingerling Potato Terrine
Maine Lobster Ravioli with Julienne Vegetables
Norwegian Salmon Pinwheel with Fava Bean-Wild Mushroom Fricassee (I don’t like salmon, but this was really good)
I forgot to mention that they sat us in a little cubby-hole, which has more privacy than any other place in the restaurant. I always wondered how you got to sit there. Now I realize it’s the perfect place for 3 and that’s probably why we ended up there.
I won’t let these changes affect our #1 rating. We look forward to returning soon.
http://www.carlos-restaurant.com/
Friday, October 24, 2008
Medusa - Lake Geneva, WI - UPDATE
We have been back to Medusa's several times over the past year and have never been disappointed. Our most recent trip introduced us to a brand new menu. There are some new items and some familar items.
We started with a special appetizer, which was a bruchetta with grilled calamari on top. Excellent!
I had the special fish, which was Mahi-Mahi with their lobster butter on top. We travel to Hawaii a lot and I've never had Mahi-Mahi that tasted this good. It had a smokey flavor to it, which made the dish.
My husband had scallops with a basil pesto sauce on top. The flavor was really good.
Both dishes were accompanied with sticky rice with a squash puree on top. The puree was sweet. You would not think that those two items would be good together, but it was unbelievable!
Their wine pours continue to be generous for the price.
We started with a special appetizer, which was a bruchetta with grilled calamari on top. Excellent!
I had the special fish, which was Mahi-Mahi with their lobster butter on top. We travel to Hawaii a lot and I've never had Mahi-Mahi that tasted this good. It had a smokey flavor to it, which made the dish.
My husband had scallops with a basil pesto sauce on top. The flavor was really good.
Both dishes were accompanied with sticky rice with a squash puree on top. The puree was sweet. You would not think that those two items would be good together, but it was unbelievable!
Their wine pours continue to be generous for the price.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Canoe Bay - Chetek, WI
If you are looking for the most romantic and relaxing evening or weekend of your life you must go to Canoe Bay. It is truly a remarkable place, so remarkable, in fact, that it is part of the Relais & Chateaux collection!
The rooms are fabulous. We recommend that you stay at the Rattenbury or the Edgewood. Both are very expensive, but if you want to really have a special occasion, take the hit and fork over the cash.
As we said the rooms are beyond incredible, but they don't compare to the food at their restaurant. I'd like to give you details of the meal, but it changes from day to day. All I can say is that if we were to give this restaurant stars, there would not be enough.
We have one complaint, you can only get the prefix menu, which is okay in itself, we like when the food is picked for us. The problem is, we felt a little slighted. We like having a appetizer, salad, main course and desert. To be truthful we both could do without the desert, but this is the order we like. If they throw in an amuse bouche that adds to the evening, but when you only get three courses it does not seem right. Also, every night we were there we had the same bread.
Overall though, the food was fantastic. We are just a little picky.
By the way, the service is fantastic and the view priceless. If you have an opportunity to go here, don't skip it!
http://www.canoebay.com/foodwine/dinner.htm
The rooms are fabulous. We recommend that you stay at the Rattenbury or the Edgewood. Both are very expensive, but if you want to really have a special occasion, take the hit and fork over the cash.
As we said the rooms are beyond incredible, but they don't compare to the food at their restaurant. I'd like to give you details of the meal, but it changes from day to day. All I can say is that if we were to give this restaurant stars, there would not be enough.
We have one complaint, you can only get the prefix menu, which is okay in itself, we like when the food is picked for us. The problem is, we felt a little slighted. We like having a appetizer, salad, main course and desert. To be truthful we both could do without the desert, but this is the order we like. If they throw in an amuse bouche that adds to the evening, but when you only get three courses it does not seem right. Also, every night we were there we had the same bread.
Overall though, the food was fantastic. We are just a little picky.
By the way, the service is fantastic and the view priceless. If you have an opportunity to go here, don't skip it!
http://www.canoebay.com/foodwine/dinner.htm
Friday, September 5, 2008
Charcoal Grill and Rotisserie - Kenosha, WI
We have been dining at this restaurant for years, mainly for lunch. They have the best chicken dumpling soup in the area.
Last night we decided to go there for a quick, inexpensive dinner. We enjoy rotisserie chicken and they are not many places in Kenosha that serve chicken cooked this way.
My first question is: why has the Kendall Jackson salesman not been in there? I think a restaurant should have more than one brand of wine, especially if half the restaurant is a bar. I hate having cheap wine as my only choice. Not that KJ is my favorite, it's one step up from what they serve.
We started with the chicken dumpling soup and it was not as good as the hundred other times we've had it. Something was totally different about it.
Our server brought out our entrees while we were still eating our soup, which is a hugh pet peeve of ours. She apologized as she arrived at the table, but our feeling is that she just should have waited.
Now we realized that not only was the soup different, but the quality of our entrees was not up to the standards we've come to expect from this restaurant. Plus they have removed all the sauces that they used to have on the tables, so I had to ask for BBQ sauce for my chicken and she brought it in a small bowl. I don't believe it was Sweet Baby Rays, which is what used to be on the table. You may think this is minor, but I've been putting that sauce on most sandwiches I've ever ordered there.
The vegetables were a green been and carrot saute and it was horrible. I can't even begin to tell you why. The taste was nothing I've ever had before. It didn't look like there was a sauce, but the carrot didn't even taste like a carrot and I wasn't even going to try a green bean.
I hope this change isn't permanent. I'd hate to write this restaurant off.
www.charcoalgrill.com
Last night we decided to go there for a quick, inexpensive dinner. We enjoy rotisserie chicken and they are not many places in Kenosha that serve chicken cooked this way.
My first question is: why has the Kendall Jackson salesman not been in there? I think a restaurant should have more than one brand of wine, especially if half the restaurant is a bar. I hate having cheap wine as my only choice. Not that KJ is my favorite, it's one step up from what they serve.
We started with the chicken dumpling soup and it was not as good as the hundred other times we've had it. Something was totally different about it.
Our server brought out our entrees while we were still eating our soup, which is a hugh pet peeve of ours. She apologized as she arrived at the table, but our feeling is that she just should have waited.
Now we realized that not only was the soup different, but the quality of our entrees was not up to the standards we've come to expect from this restaurant. Plus they have removed all the sauces that they used to have on the tables, so I had to ask for BBQ sauce for my chicken and she brought it in a small bowl. I don't believe it was Sweet Baby Rays, which is what used to be on the table. You may think this is minor, but I've been putting that sauce on most sandwiches I've ever ordered there.
The vegetables were a green been and carrot saute and it was horrible. I can't even begin to tell you why. The taste was nothing I've ever had before. It didn't look like there was a sauce, but the carrot didn't even taste like a carrot and I wasn't even going to try a green bean.
I hope this change isn't permanent. I'd hate to write this restaurant off.
www.charcoalgrill.com
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Bank Lane Bistro - Lake Forest, IL
One word, "Wonderful"...
This restaurant sits on the second floor of another good restaurant called South Gate Cafe and you overlook the quaint town square of Lake Forest.
We almost always get the tasting menu where they create the meal for you, we love surprises. Regardless, everything is fresh and exciting. From first courses like Black Truffle Infused Cauliflower Soup to the Sweet green pea dusted Australian Barramundi as a main course, you will not go wrong enjoying an evening here.
The service is exceptional and the prices reasonable for a restaurant of this caliber. Executive Chef Michael Gottlieb has a talent everyone should enjoy.
http://www.banklanebistro.com/
This restaurant sits on the second floor of another good restaurant called South Gate Cafe and you overlook the quaint town square of Lake Forest.
We almost always get the tasting menu where they create the meal for you, we love surprises. Regardless, everything is fresh and exciting. From first courses like Black Truffle Infused Cauliflower Soup to the Sweet green pea dusted Australian Barramundi as a main course, you will not go wrong enjoying an evening here.
The service is exceptional and the prices reasonable for a restaurant of this caliber. Executive Chef Michael Gottlieb has a talent everyone should enjoy.
http://www.banklanebistro.com/
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