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“A bath and a tenderloin steak. Those are the high points of a man’s life.”
Curt Siodmak
I love hibachi. What’s more fun than not only NOT having to cook dinner but to be able to watch it being cooked for you and with a show! A new hibachi place I just recently tried out was Hana (1620 Western Ave). 
My boyfriend and I sat at a table with two other groups of people, a party of 3 and a party of 4 with us in the middle. To start we ordered drinks and I saw something called Japanese Marble Soda that I’d never heard before and therefore had to try. The soda arrived in a funny bottle and the waitress showed me how to open it. It comes with a little tool to pop the marble down into a section of the bottle to hold it. It’s hard to explain but the marble is in the bottle so no worries you can’t swallow it.
As for the food, fantastic. The hibachi chef puts on a little show with the food showing his skills balancing an egg and flipping food into our mouths. There’s a whole menu of food to order but I found the best deal to be picking any two proteins and it comes with a starch. I decided on salmon and steak on rice (noodles are also available) with a side of vegetables.
He cooked them beautifully. He asked right at the start how I’d like my steak and cooked it to the perfect medium. I really didn’t notice the other people at our table, I felt that I was sitting at a private table with my boyfriend so it was good for our date. They also give two different types of sauce to dunk in though I don’t know what they were, they were tasty. Everything tasted good and though it was a bit pricey, it was worth it. If I could afford to eat here more often, I would but it was a good place to eat for a special occasion or just a special food related treat. Yumm!
**Edit, based on questions in the comments: As per most restaurants, there are cheaper options on the menu but this meal, the hibachi combination (2 meats, shrimp, vegetables & starch) was $25 and 3 meats for $35. Plus side, my two meats were salmon and steak so you can make a good deal out of the $25 and it’s enough food, at least for me, for dinner. You can add a garden salad for $2 and a miso soup for $1 among other things for under $5. If you’re looking for a cheaper option, I recommend eating during lunch time and taking advantage of their lunch specials from 11am-3pm. Hope this helps! Any other questions are always welcome on the Facebook page or comments section and I’ll answer them as soon as I can!
“I will not eat oysters. I want my food dead. Not sick, not wounded: dead.”
Woody Allen
I don’t know about any of you but I’ve wanted to go to Nikko’s Hibachi/Buffet since it opened on 1893 Central Ave, Colonie. The price for dinner is pretty steep but I eventually gave in and went with my friend Maggie for dinner and it was fantastic.
You have the option of paying for hibachi or the buffet but if you get hibachi (which is located in a separate back room behind the buffet) you can add the buffet to your meal for just $5. In total with tax and a small tip, we each paid $25 for just the buffet which is worth it for all the seafood you’re offered.
On the first wall of the square pattern, when you first walk in, is a selection of various caviars like wasabi caviar for example, seaweed salad (which I highly recommend if you’ve never tried it) in a small dish, wasabi, ginger, sliced fish on ice (such as red crab, salmon, yellowtail, etc) and clams on oysters on the half shell. Behind you is two rice cookers, one filled with fried rice and one with white rice along with miso soup.
On the second wall of the square pattern (to the left) is sushi. I couldn’t name for you all the various types of sushi but some include a “Green River Roll” (avocado), california rolls, Philly Roll (salmon/cream cheese), dragon roll (eel/avocado rolled in rice, avocado and salmon), etc. 
Next to that is a selection of fish on rice: eel, squid, tuna, salmon, etc. Next to that are two soups, Udon and another in which I didn’t recognize. After that, was chicken skewers, dumplings and shrimp shumai. The dumplimgs were good but even after tasting it I couldn’t tell you if it was pork or chicken (I assume pork). One thing I was worried about was that the sushi was going to taste like it had sat there and that wasn’t the case, it was very fresh. The sushi makers are in the middle of the buffet box so if you have any questions, feel free to ask them as they make the sushi rolls.
The the third wall, in the back of the restaurant is the dessert area. 
There they have little cakes (the brown one is coffee NOT chocolate, don’t make the same mistake I did if you’re not a coffee fan), elephant ear cookies, macaroons, a cream filled pastry, etc. The cookies were fantastic, as you can see, I grabbed 3 of them because I just couldn’t get enough! Also, the cream filled pasty was phenomenal so take one of those to try too! Don’t fill up too much on dessert here, after dinner you have the option of Green Tea, Strawberry and Red Bean Ice Cream so make sure you save room!
The last wall seemed like the miscellaneous section. Food over here included BBQ Calamari which I don’t recommend. That was the only thing on this buffet that I disliked. I was unable to break through it with my teeth, it was like rubber with BBQ sauce on it. I also had the crab legs, which were good but I was very frustrated with getting the meat out so I gave up. A favorite of mine was the Garlic Ginger Lobster, I just wish I saw that when I wasn’t so full so I could’ve had more. Next to that is Cesar salad, seafood salad and various fruits like pineapple, honeydew, cantaloupe, edamame and tomatoes.
I was surprised by how busy it wasn’t, but I went at 7:00pm on a Wednesday so that could be the reason. My friend Maggie, who I went with, who had been there before, said that she’s never seen it that empty. I was worried about the price being too steep but I definitely feel like I got my money’s worth. There is so much food to choose from and it was all very good. The best part of a buffet is that you can try anything you want, even if you don’t think you’ll like it or you’re scared of Japanese food. If you’re unsure, lunch time is around $12.00 but there isn’t any lobster available. So if you’re worried, try it for lunch before you dig into your wallet for dinner. Next time- Hibachi for sure!
“Without the curry, boiled rice can be very dull.”
C. Northcote Parkinson
I’ve mentioned before that I frequent Mr. Wasabi (1671 Union Street, Schenectady) often and this time, I tried something new! Read my previous blog entry on Mr. Wasabi for more ideas if this isn’t what you like. 
I had craved curry for a few weeks and luckily I saw Mr Wasabi had “Japanese Vegetable Curry” on their menu. They also have chicken, tofu, etc if you’re looking for some protein. The difference between Japanese curry and Indian curry, in my opinion, is that Japanese curry isn’t as strong. The vegetables were very good, even after having been sitting in the curry, the flavor was there but the spice was lacking- which may be good if the spice is usually what keeps you away from curry. For some protein, I ordered an eel avocado roll (my favorite, mentioned in my previous blog).
With the dinner special, came an option of miso soup or salad, I ordered the salad. 
They also gave us, my boyfriend and I, each a container of their ginger dressing. Most people I’ve met don’t like it but I don’t know why. It doesn’t have a strong taste of ginger, it’s light, very liquidy and the color of honey mustard. It’s flavor is very mild, lets the salad taste come through but taste it before you pour it all over your salad.
This time, I had the food delivered but go visit the restaurant your first time. The waiters and waitresses are very knowledgeable and very sweet and would love to help you find something you like. If all else fails, order the chicken teriyaki!
“Fish should smell like the ocean. If they smell like fish, it’s too late.”
Unknown
Those of you who know me, know of my love for all things sushi. One of my favorite places to eat when I come home is Mr Wasabi (1671 Union Street, Schenectady). I live in a pretty close distance to the restaurant so when I call for delivery, they already seem to have my address on file. My favorite sushi is an Eel Avocado Roll. In every case I’ve come across eel, it’s cooked. Those of you who don’t wanna to eat raw fish, maybe you should try eel, but be forewarned that from what I’ve heard, you must have a particular taste for it. I’ve been to many the sushi establishment and Mr. Wasabi is one of my very favorites (and that includes NYC too).
- Eel Avocado Roll
Seared Tuna
I feel every time I get Japanese food I need to get edamame ($3). These soy beans are great with just about anything you can order but expect to share. You eat them by popping out the bean from inside the pod. I never got an answer from anyone about why you don’t eat the pod but when I first started eating it, I followed the crowd and that’s what I was told and that’s what I did.
