Overall GrubGrade B-
The Breakdown:
Atmosphere: Grade B: We stopped by Koto Japanese Steakhouse in Cincinnati on our way home from Nashville. It just happened to be Katina’s birthday on the evening we visited, so I was hoping for a really nice experience. I was disappointed. There’s nothing wrong with Koto, but it is not a place to take someone for a romantic experience. First, the place was nearly impossible to find. My car’s navigation system and Katina’s Magellan-like sense of direction were both challenged trying to locate Koto. Once we finally arrived, we found a pretty typical looking Japanese steakhouse with typical Japanese steakhouse décor. There were only a few other diners in the place, and that was a good thing since Koto’s appeared to be woefully understaffed. But it was quiet while we waited to start our meal, and that at least gave Katina and I a chance to chat.
High marks: Quiet and almost empty
Low marks: Hard to locate
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Service: Grade C+: Our server’s name was Julie, and she did a fairly commendable job in taking our order and snagging us some drinks, although it did seem to take a bit before the drinks actually arrived. The poor service grade comes from the fact that there appeared to be only one hibachi samurai manning the table-side grills. So, after we arrived we had to watch this guy cook for the two tables next to us. Add the fact that we had been driving pretty much the entire day, and the restaurant staff were lucky I didn’t brain them with a wooden bowl and grill them right next to the traditional onion volcano that is always present at Japanese steakhouses. Once our “chef” got going, he whipped the food up fairly quickly and with a decent amount of showmanship. It’s just a shame there weren’t two or three of them on duty.
High marks: Decent showmanship from hibachi chef
Low marks: Very long wait to get meal started
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Food/Spirits: Grade B: Koto Japanese Steakhouse is not the best Japanese steakhouse we’ve been to, but it certainly isn’t the worst either (that would be you, Benihana). For drinks, I opted for a couple of giant-sized Sapporos, and Katina opted for a drink called Constant Buzz. The Constant Buzz was good, but not really strong enough to warrant an awesome name like Constant Buzz. Most of the beer drinkers out there have had a Sapporo before, but if you haven’t tried one you should. You might find the light taste to be right up your alley. For our entree, we ordered the Dinner for Two, which came with chicken, shrimp, lobster, and filet mignon. The food was actually pretty good once cooked, but again, we might not be objective since we were hungry enough to briefly consider cannibalism. Plus, Koto Japanese Steakhouse had their own version of Genji’s Yum-Yum sauce, and it tasted pretty close to the original. And finally, we got more fried rice with our meal than we have ever received at a Japanese steakhouse before, and the fried rice was really good.
On a side note, even though Katina and I love the hibachi style food served at Japanese steakhouses, our visit to Koto underscores one of the drawbacks to this style of dining – the other diners. Sitting at a table with a bunch of strangers inevitably leads to a conversation with said bunch of strangers, whether it is wanted or not. The other people at our table weren’t bad, though. But the real action was happening next door, at the table to our right. It was here that Katina and I watched a couple of late twenty-something/early thirty-something “studs” doing their best to pick up a couple of “wholesome young women” that were seated at their table. The “studs,” in this case, were a couple techno-nerds visiting the Queen City for something to do with cell phones. The “wholesome young women” were a couple of late 30’s/early 40’s Kim Cattral wannabes who were not playing hard to get. I imagine if we would have stuck around for another half-hour we could have watched them play spin the bottle. That was much more entertaining than our hibachi chef’s onion volcano.
High marks: Pretty good food and lots of rice
Low marks: Weak mixed drink, same old Japanese steakhouse tricks
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Value: Grade B: It’s hard to score Koto Japanese Steakhouse any higher because of the very long wait and apparent staffing issues. However, food quality and portion size were a little above average, and the entertainment was top notch. While not able to supplant Genji’s as our all time favorite in this category, Koto performed well enough on most fronts to make us feel comfortable recommending you give them a try if you’re in the neighborhood (and you can find them).
High marks: Portion size, quality
Low marks: Nothing able to make up for eternal wait
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