Kyoto Japanese Steakhouse flourishes in new home
Kyoto Japanese Steakhouse & Sushi Bar has been operating in Crystal Lake for a dozen years, but only since it moved into a more visible spot earlier this year have people really taken notice. Judging by a full house on a recent midweek night, diners are having no trouble finding the place that calls a former Applebee's home.
Caught in the midst of cashier work, the hostess didn't acknowledge our presence for several minutes. That was OK, though, because it gave the three of us time to decide whether we wanted a sushi or a steakhouse experience. The two sections, plus a separate barroom, are visible from the entrance.
We chose the steakhouse for a change of pace and found the room nearly full at 6:30, suggesting that reservations are a good idea, especially on weekends. Two other parties of two were seated at our communal grill table, as is the custom, leaving a couple of empty seats and plenty of elbow room.
It had been a number of years since I'd been to a Japanese steakhouse, but the showmanship was familiar: chefs juggling utensils, setting puddles of an oil and vodka mixture on fire to test the grill. Occasionally a gong sounded to announce a birthday in the room, and servers gathered to sing, borrowing a custom from the likes of T.G.I. Friday's.
We began by perusing the lengthy printed list of sakes, wines and cocktails and chose a moderately priced bottle of 2009 Fairvalley Sauvignon Blanc from South Africa. The light and refreshing wine with a hint of pear and good acidity proved a good match for the seafood to come.
Although there are plenty of side dishes included with the hibachi entrees, all three of us love sushi, so we shared a red dragon maki of tuna and avocado wrapped on the outside of a spicy tuna, rice and seaweed roll. The roll, cut into eight bite-sized slices, tasted as good as it looked - impeccably fresh, a good blend with the creamy avocado and just spicy enough.
Cups of chicken and rice noodle soup arrived a little too soon and could have been hotter. The flavor tasted homemade and was a good start to the feast to come.
The second side dish, a small iceberg lettuce salad with a house-made creamy ginger dressing, represents a fusion of East and West, according to a manager, and seems to be oddly popular at Japanese-American restaurants.
Several folks at our table ordered the optional side of fried rice instead of white rice, which enabled our chef, Sai, to make a great show of first juggling a raw egg in the shell, then, cracking it on the grill, separating the whites from the yolk and proceeding to juggle the yolk without breaking it. Finally, he scrambled some eggs and stir-fried scallions and other chopped vegetables, packed them into a small bowl and flipped it in the air with his spatula. Most of the rice stayed in the bowl.
One issue with serving the rice at this juncture in the meal is that it gets cold before the proteins and vegetables are ready.
As he prepared to grill the meats and seafood, Sai grew quiet and serious, presumably to focus on not overcooking the proteins. Everyone got two shrimp nicely seasoned with a garlic/butter sauce as an included appetizer. He demonstrated deveining and chopping the tails off a few shrimp, while the rest for an entree had been prepped in the kitchen to save time at the grill.
Our other two entrees were filet mignon and sesame scallops. We ordered the filet medium-rare. Sai cut it into bite-sized chunks while grilling. The meat was tender and flavorful but turned out a bit more medium that we preferred.
We liked the scallops sprinkled with sesame seeds but found them to be slightly oversalted. Some of the other choices we didn't try were chicken, salmon, tuna steak or calamari, all with teriyaki sauce, lobster tail and a vegetable mixture. Two other steak choices were New York sirloin with mushrooms and New York strip. Combination platters also are available.
A vegetable blend of Spanish onions, zucchini, carrots and broccoli came with our meals as did a dipping sauce of ginger, mustard and other ingredients that went especially well with the vegetables.
After all of this food, we accepted Sai's offer to sample a last course of stir-fried bean sprouts. The ultra-fresh sprouts were a good palate cleanser before our ice cream dessert.
Ice cream flavor choices were plum wine, green tea, red bean, mint chocolate and rainbow sherbet. We ordered the first three and liked them all, especially the green tea and red bean, which were not overly sweet.
Our hibachi grill dining experience was a lot of fun - an entertainment bonus in addition to enjoying some tasty and good-quality food. The steakhouse side of Kyoto is especially good for celebrating festive occasions with family or friends.
Kyoto Japanese Steakhouse & Sushi Bar
5690 Route 14, Crystal Lake, (815) 477-8300,
Cuisine: Japanese
Setting: Traditional hibachi grill room and separate sushi room
Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Saturday; 5 to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 5 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 4:30 to 9 p.m. Sunday
Hibachi entrees: $12.50 to $48