Great food, great service, and a clean and peaceful environment describe Shogun, a Japanese steak and seafood house that features a full bar and performing chefs.
I went to Shogun for dinner. I entered the restaurant to a host who had a giant smile on his face and asked me where I wanted to sit.
In a restaurant surrounded by huge windows that revealed traffic outside, there wasn’t a bad seat in the house.
The perfectly clean restaurant was complete with elevated long glass tables that had fluorescent lights in them. In the middle of the table was a grill that was literally 10 inches away from the seats.
The bar, which was located near the back of the restaurant, was neat, clean, and well organized. All of these things produced a cool and comfortable feeling. The atmosphere inside was dim, but not dark, and a very peaceful mood was created as jazz music played softly in the background. There were also three flat-screen TVs that showed a baseball game to serve as entertainment.
My waiter promptly brought me my drink and waited patiently while I tried to decide what to order. The menu featured a variety of Japanese food, from different maki rolls, to sushi, and Hibachi lobster. I ordered Hibachi chicken (teriyaki style) for $16, which came with Hibachi rice, vegetables, a salad, and dessert. I also ordered the volcano roll for $12.
The volcano roll came out promptly. It was a California roll, with baked scallop, mushroom and tomato on top of it. It had a lot of flavor, was kind of sweet, and had a little spice to it.
Suddenly lights came on and out came the chef, wearing a Japanese flag headband across his forehead. He had all of the food on a little cart complete with spices and oils.
He did many tricks that included flipping his cooking utensils around, throwing an egg into the air, which he caught and cracked it with his spatula, and even flicked rice clumps into people’s mouths from the grill.
The chef was in great spirits the entire time and talked with guests as he cooked. The chef’s performance was complete with high energy and a big smile. When he was finished, he told my table to enjoy and then departed.
After the chef left, it was time to try what he made. The teriyaki chicken was very good; it was filled with flavorful juices and was not dry. The rice was delicious.
The sweet buttery taste was prevalent with other spices, and the vegetables were crunchy, yet soft at the same time.
I then ordered dessert and chose the mango ice cream, which tasted like a real fresh mango. Like everything else at Shogun, it was delicious.
My experience at Shogun was wonderful; the food, the service, and the show. I would recommend Shogun any day as a place to have dinner or a quick eventful lunch. Shogun is located at 5498 California Ave. off of Stockdale Highway.