Saturday night around seven, the teppanyaki grill in front of us erupts in a column of flame about two feet high, and the woman next to me — a stranger ten minutes ago — grabs my arm. That moment is the whole point of Kiri Japanese Steakhouse on Schoenherr Road, and yet I showed up expecting to be bored by it.
I’ll tell you what I thought I’d find: a tired hibachi routine, the same onion volcano every chain does, mediocre fried rice scooped onto plates by someone going through the motions. Warren has a few of these spots and they range from fine to forgettable. Kiri looked like it might be more of the same — a strip-mall location, a sign that doesn’t shout for attention, a parking lot shared with a cell phone store. I almost skipped the teppanyaki tables entirely and just sat at the sushi bar.
I’m glad I didn’t. The chef assigned to our communal table that evening was genuinely skilled and, more importantly, seemed to enjoy his work. The knife tricks were clean, the timing was good, and he had this dry sense of humor that kept the whole table laughing without turning dinner into a children’s birthday party. When he asked how one of the guests wanted her steak cooked and she said medium-rare, he actually delivered it medium-rare. That sounds like a low bar, but at hibachi restaurants it almost never happens.
The food itself is better than the atmosphere would suggest. The filet mignon, priced around $32 depending on what combination you order, arrives with a clear, bright flavor rather than being drowned in sauce. The shrimp appetizer — those little tossed-in-the-mouth theatrical bites — is fresher than you’d expect. Fried rice is properly seasoned. Vegetables aren’t mushy. Everything is cooked to order, one table at a time, which means things don’t sit.
If you bypass the teppanyaki side and go straight to the sushi menu, Kiri holds up there too. The rolls are generous without being absurd towers of cream cheese and tempura crunch. I had the spicy tuna and a rainbow roll on a separate visit and was satisfied with both — fresh fish, rice that had the right texture, sauces that complemented rather than overwhelmed. The miso soup is honest and hot. The gyoza, pan-fried, made a good starter.
Service can be uneven on busy nights. If the restaurant fills up around seven or eight on a Friday, expect some delay between courses and a little chaos at the host stand. Go at six on a weekday if you want a smoother experience and your choice of seating. The sushi bar is usually more relaxed than the teppanyaki room.
Dinner for two at the teppanyaki tables, with a couple drinks and tip, will run you somewhere around $80 to $100. Sushi bar dinners come in lighter, more like $40 to $60 for two. The lunch menu, which runs through the week, is a solid deal if you work nearby.
What I didn’t anticipate was how much I’d enjoy the communal table. You end up seated with people you don’t know, which sounds uncomfortable until the chef does something that makes everyone laugh at the same time. By dessert — green tea ice cream, nothing fancy — we’d compared notes on which Warren restaurants we’d been to, traded a few recommendations, and made plans to come back in a larger group. The food earns the visit. The table makes it a night.
