Japanese Steak House Wins the World

Added: 11/02/2005

No one will deny - the Country of the Rising Sun is very exotic. We think that people there eat only the traditional sushi, miso and fresh fish. Fried meat and salads seem to be excluded from their ration. But it's not true. Fast-food chains, as well as ethnic-styled, Indian, Italian and European restaurants also attract many customers. But Japanese steakhouses are the most famous and beloved both in the country and all over the world. One of them is Benihana Tokio("a red flower" in translation ), founded more than 30 years ago.

It seems that in Japan, where theritual of eating is treated so quiveringly, cannot have any steakhouses or fast-food restaurants. But the country boasts not only traditional Japanese restaurants, the number of other kinds of public catering is very big.
Speaking about local Japanese restaurants, they are represented by the so -called "rertays". These are very expensive, chic places designed in Japanese style with festive national meals. Family restaurants, more democratic ones, offer a large menu of Japanese, Chinese and European food. Japanese bars- "idzakaya"- are very popular, too. The menu there is rich in alcohol and appetizers- pods of beans, fried chicken, sashimi, baked potatoes, sausages. Japanese love the "idzakaya" because of the informal atmosphere. Fast -food chains, as well as ethnic-styled, Indian, Italian and European restaurants also attract many customers. The county is lined with chains of various cafes, tea-houses, and special business canteens. Situated in downtowns, they offer complex dinner boxes with an appetizer, rice, fish and a soft drink.
But a Japanese steak house is the most famous and beloved both in the country and all over the world. One of them is Benihana Tokio( "a red flower" in translation ), founded more than 30 years ago by an American of Japanese origin Roki Aoki. First he sold ice-cream in the streets of New-York and within three months saved enough money to set up a restaurant. But Japanese food was unknown at that time and the businessman incurred great losses - there came one or two visitors a day. It was Klementina Paddleford, a famous restaurant critic, who brought him success by publishing laudatory response to the outback steak house. Since then, the business started picking up and nowadays there are over 100 Japanese steak houses in the USA, the UK, Canada, Europe and Russia.
In the cooking process only fresh meat, chicken, vegetables, fruit and spices are used, that`s why all the dishes have a simple natural taste of the ingredients. The menu includes meat - fried, extinguished, boiled with sauces and garnish; fish, sushi, sashimi, tempura and other beloved Japanese meals will please your palate. Besides, they are very healthy and cost less than in a traditional Japanese restaurant. But the main secret of success is not only, and not so much the Japanese food, but the way it is cooked and served.
The thing is that Japanese steak house chain belongs to the so -called "meal as entertainment" movement. It means that everything is done before the clients` eyes, moreover the cook juggles with all the ingredients, cracks jokes. Of course this manner of processing food requires special design of space.
Th interior of each Japanese steak house of "Benihana " is designed in such a way that the cook stays in the middle of a table, with about eight guests sitting round it. These places are also called "tepanyaki -restaurants, after the name of the tables - "tepannes". A common Japanese steak house includes about 150 visitors.
Roki Aoki is proud of the fact that it were his steakhouses, where people from different parts of our planet discovered a new and wonderful world of Japanese food.

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