Tokyo Steakhouse - Findlay - TravBuddy

When we arrived at the restaurant, the front area was very crowded and the three hostesses were acting as if they didn't quite know how to handle the crowd. It was Valentine's day and things were very busy, but they were extremely frazzled. In their defense, a few of the customers were being a bit out of line to them by loudly proclaiming that the front service was poor, demanding bills changed, and demanding to be sat immediately. However, there was a walk-in family that was seated before us at our reservation time (we were seated about 10 minutes after our reservation time). The hostess stand just seemed to be unorganized. I think other customers were much more bothered by it than us, but we're pretty easy-going.
We were seated around the hibachi with another couple and a group of 4 adults with one middle-school aged student. We casually chatted with the other parties as our waitress took our order. She was very prompt and friendly. The wait staff seemed to be right on top of everything as we didn't want for anything once we sat down.
If you've never been to this type of restaurant, don't be in a hurry. Think of it as dinner and a show. The chef comes out and performs with his cooking utensils and various food items. BEWARE families with young children, there are a few portions where the surface of the grill is set ablaze and can frighten young ones. There is a warning pertaining to this on the front door.
As far as the food quality, it was excellent. I had steak and scallops, both of which were very good. My wife (PhinsAndGills) had salmon and steak. She let me try the salmon claiming that "if you don't like this salmon, you don't like salmon, because this is the best there is." I'll admit, it was the best salmon I've ever had, but I still didn't like it. I guess I don't like salmon.
After our meal and tip, we spent just under $60. Neither of us ordered an alcoholic drink. We felt that this price was reasonable for the experience.

The hostess stand and front waiting area of the restaurant was chaotic. However, we were sat in a reasonable amount of time (within 10 minutes of our reservation). If you go, order the hibachi. I was going to get a sushi appetizer, but when I saw the prices, OUCH! They were a little high. Now, I only saw menu prices, not the quick order tablet. The tablet may have had better prices. Chef special rolls were $19 and $20. I wanted a $7 cucumber roll. Ah well. So no appetizer for me, which was okay because I ended up with more than I could eat without it anyway.
I had hot tea to drink. I don’t know if refills were free because I was not offered one, but my water was never empty. The tea was okay, but I’m a big tea snob and exceptionally picky about my tea. So, to an average tea drinker, I’m sure it was excellent.
The meal starts with a clear soup that was wonderful. I’m amazed how they packed that much flavor into a clear soup. It had a few chives, but otherwise was broth. But YUMMY! It was an appropriate temperature and had wonderful flavor.
Then came the salad. You have a choice of ranch or ginger dressing. Both Dan and I picked ginger. The salad was very fresh and had a good amount of dressing. It was very tasty.
Next the chef comes to your table with his cart. We’ve been to Tokyo Steakhouse 3 different times, had three different chefs, and each one has been excellent. I had salmon and steak, Dan had scallops and steak.
The entire meal from this point on is entertainment with your food. I debated bringing my 7 year old niece here, but the fire show made me think otherwise. It was shocking to even adults. However, I’m a pyro at heart, so I loved it!
I could make a whole meal out of their rice and noodles, they are that good. The veggies were cooked just right with a bit of crunch left but cooked all the way through. The shrimp appetizer was good enough that I’ll probably order shrimp next time. (By the way, I caught the egg again!) My salmon came next and it was, simply put, the best salmon I’ve ever had. My medium-rare steak was done perfectly and extremely tender. I have to admit that I like the filet a BIT more, but the regular steak is yummy as well. I was a little disappointed to see they removed the fresh fruit dessert portion of the meal, but I certainly didn’t need anymore food.
One quick giggle, Dan and I always eat with chopsticks when we’re here. They give you 3 options, fork, “cheater” chopsticks (tied together at the top) and regular chopsticks. The others at our table elbowed each other and told us they were impressed by us eating our meal (okay, I didn’t eat the salad with chopsticks, but everything else) with chopsticks. I really didn’t think it was that tough of a skill. Maybe I have hidden chopstick talent… or not…
For the entertainment and amount of food, I didn’t feel the $60 was terrible. (included tip, which, being a former waitress, I tip WELL.)
Next time I’m craving a Japanese steakhouse, I’d like to try Japan West (also in Findlay) just so I can compare for myself. I’ve heard very good things about them, too. I’d like to try and get my parents to come to Tokyo Steakhouse with us someday, I really think they’d enjoy it!