Kyoto Japanese Steakhouse

It would be fair to assume that my wife and I dine out fairly often. Whether it’s a casual bite or a formal dinner, not every experience evolves into a Table Salt article.

It was only a few days prior, that my wife  reminded me of our nephew’s birthday dinner at Kyoto Japanese Steakhouse. Kyoto, a pair of locally owned and operated Japanese restaurants–one in Sulphur and another in Lake Charles– has been part of the Asian cuisine culture for many years.

It’s a Saturday evening and Shyla and I arrive at the Sulphur location a few moments earlier than our reservation time. The ambiance is relaxed with dark features and accents and quite comfortable. There’s a social bar just off the foyer, main dining areas with a sushi bar,  and a hibachi room.

Now, this typically wouldn’t be the kind of dining experience I’d write about. Birthday or celebratory dinners with large parties are, at a minimum, semi-chaotic in nature. Several people mingling and conversing impacts my ability to give a true conveyance of our experience as attention is being pulled in different directions. And, honestly, sometimes I like to just have dinner without thinking about what I’m doing, or how I should note what’s happening.

Once the entirety of our party had arrived, we were lead to the hibachi room with several stations for your dining entertainment. We all took our seats facing center stage–the hibachi grill. We’re welcomed by Madisyn Link, our table’s server. Once seated, I remember that Shyla and I had our second date ever over hibachi, and we haven’t had the pleasure of another since then. Madisyn begins fulfilling the drink orders and taking any appetizer requests along with the table guest hibachi orders. Starting off, Shyla and I share pan fried gyoza and a pepper tuna tataki which just melts in your mouth.

The teppanyaki chef smiles to the guests surrounding the hibachi filled with birthdays revelers, couples and other families as he wheels his trusty cart loaded with an assortment of fresh vegetables, proteins and sake.  He begins his show with a nod, and lights the grill. With a few dazzling spatula tricks, chef lays out the vegetables across the sizzling cooktop, erupting into an alcohol induced fireball capturing everyone’s attention.

The alcohol burns off quickly and is safe for minors and children. As each patron’s order is sectioned and cooked accordingly, the mass of rice and noodles steam in a pile and are evenly distributed among the plates. Shyla, enjoyed the shrimp and chicken hibachi. Glancing through the menu full of combos and options, I kept coming back to the filet mignon. I asked Madisyn earlier if it was legitimate. She, reassured me and even though I remained skeptical, I took a chance.

Hot off the hibachi and presented to me, my first bite is about the beef. How does this stack up? Honestly, I was impressed. The cut was tender and perfectly temped in a medium rare, seasoned by the soy sauce as it cooked. The evening finished with a little cake and a happy birthday serenade to Hayden.

As I mentioned earlier, I hadn’t planned on writing about this experience. Luckily, I took a few photos out of habit.

Recapping our dinner the following day, Shyla mentioned Kyoto has a happy hour menu filled with a variety of adult beverages, sushi rolls and appetizers on the cheap. By the sounds of it, and our upcoming wedding anniversary, it’s like this is the perfect opportunity to turn this into an article. With Happy hour occurring Monday through Friday from 3 pm to 6 pm, we made plans to share a Friday afternoon together sitting at the bar. Shane Jackson a cool, hip and informative bartender hosts our happy hour menu tour. Shyla starts with a little warm sake, and I go with the melon ball martini, an easy sipper of Malibu, Midori and pineapple, garnished with a cherry.

It took no time for us to start firing off appetizer requests. Again, a favorite, that we will likely never pass up given the opportunity, the pan fried pork gyoza, and harumaki. These little gems are smaller deep fried versions of spring rolls, tightly wrapped and packed with flavor, served with a Thai chili sauce. At $2 a piece, I requested a variety trio of nigiri sushi, with white tuna, pepper tuna and shrimp. My beautiful bride honed in on the Super Crunch sushi roll, a beautiful presentation consisting of tempura, snow crab, and avocado with a dusting of crunch.

I couldn’t resist taking a peek at the regular menu and immediately thanks to the description ordered the Tuna Truffle Nachos, Shane concurred it was an excellent choice. Ruby red yellowfin tuna chunks are placed upon delicately fried wonton, drizzled in a white truffle oil and drops of savory soy sauce. It was a fantastic choice.

Overall, between the two visits, we had a wonderful time, presented by a welcoming and amazing staff, serving an abundance of great food.