YAMATO JAPANESE STEAK HOUSE AND SUSHI BAR
526 NW 60th St
Gainesville, FL 32607
352.332.4466
526 NW 60th St
Gainesville, FL 32607
352.332.4466
I went to Yamato on a Sunday afternoon at 1:30 with Kaicee. Yamato, despite being located just a couple minutes away from the Oaks Mall, is somewhat hidden in that it's off a side road that not much else is on. It wasn't very crowded, but not many people go for hibachi at 1:30 on a Sunday afternoon.
The atmosphere was nice; dimly lit, nice decor, soft music in the background (which later became Christmas music). Kaicee and I sat at a hibachi table but there is also a sushi bar in the back. The waitress took our order, brought our water quickly, followed by soup and, about 3 minutes later, the salad. I'm not a big fan of brothy soup so saying I wasn't a fan doesn't mean much. The salad was excellent, with a delicious ginger dressing on crisp cool greens.
About ten minutes later the chef came. He did a few tricks his utensils, nothing overly amazing but still mildly entertaining. He friend up a heaping amount of rice first, and then made the food and vegetables. I got the NY Strip steak ($15.95); Kaicee got shrimp and scallops ($17.95). He asked how I and the other two people at our table wanted our steak cooked, which pleased me because, as I've stated before, I like meat cooked well and other Teppanyaki places I've been too have sometimes not bothered asking. Tricks were kept to a minimum during the cooking process, which the exception of a volcano made out of some sliced onions. In the end, the amount of beef I got was very satisfying, along with mixed vegetables, noodles, and a lot of fried rice (picture), which I happily ate most of while waiting for the rest of the food.
My food itself was somewhat mediocre (with the exception of the salad, which I wish I could buy and take home with me in mass quantities). Nothing was bad about it, but it wasn't anything to rave about. Without telling Kaicee how I felt, I asked her what she thought of her food, and I got pretty much the same reaction. It's definitely a place you go to more for the atmosphere than the food.
Until the food was about to be made, the service was fantastic, with the waitress coming over to refill water three times in about ten minutes without being flagged down or asked. She took plates and bowls away with regularity as well. About two minutes after we got all of our food she came by asking us if we'd like takeout boxes; about two minutes after that, she came by with our bills. After that we didn't see her again until she came back to clear plates and pick up checks, at which time I asked for more water, which came pretty quickly. It just seemed like we were being rushed out of a place that wasn't all that busy. Like I said, the experience was good enough and the food was okay enough that I'd go back for a special night or a date (if I ever get one), but it wasn't good enough that I'd be going back with regularity.
Food quality: 6/10 (18)
Service: 7/10 (17.5)
Ambiance: 10/10 (20)
Pricing: 7/10 (10.5)
Menu selection: 10/10 (10)
Composite score: 76
visit: http://www.yamatojapaneserestaurant.com/ (and there's a $5 off coupon on there!)
The atmosphere was nice; dimly lit, nice decor, soft music in the background (which later became Christmas music). Kaicee and I sat at a hibachi table but there is also a sushi bar in the back. The waitress took our order, brought our water quickly, followed by soup and, about 3 minutes later, the salad. I'm not a big fan of brothy soup so saying I wasn't a fan doesn't mean much. The salad was excellent, with a delicious ginger dressing on crisp cool greens.
About ten minutes later the chef came. He did a few tricks his utensils, nothing overly amazing but still mildly entertaining. He friend up a heaping amount of rice first, and then made the food and vegetables. I got the NY Strip steak ($15.95); Kaicee got shrimp and scallops ($17.95). He asked how I and the other two people at our table wanted our steak cooked, which pleased me because, as I've stated before, I like meat cooked well and other Teppanyaki places I've been too have sometimes not bothered asking. Tricks were kept to a minimum during the cooking process, which the exception of a volcano made out of some sliced onions. In the end, the amount of beef I got was very satisfying, along with mixed vegetables, noodles, and a lot of fried rice (picture), which I happily ate most of while waiting for the rest of the food.
My food itself was somewhat mediocre (with the exception of the salad, which I wish I could buy and take home with me in mass quantities). Nothing was bad about it, but it wasn't anything to rave about. Without telling Kaicee how I felt, I asked her what she thought of her food, and I got pretty much the same reaction. It's definitely a place you go to more for the atmosphere than the food.
Until the food was about to be made, the service was fantastic, with the waitress coming over to refill water three times in about ten minutes without being flagged down or asked. She took plates and bowls away with regularity as well. About two minutes after we got all of our food she came by asking us if we'd like takeout boxes; about two minutes after that, she came by with our bills. After that we didn't see her again until she came back to clear plates and pick up checks, at which time I asked for more water, which came pretty quickly. It just seemed like we were being rushed out of a place that wasn't all that busy. Like I said, the experience was good enough and the food was okay enough that I'd go back for a special night or a date (if I ever get one), but it wasn't good enough that I'd be going back with regularity.
Food quality: 6/10 (18)
Service: 7/10 (17.5)
Ambiance: 10/10 (20)
Pricing: 7/10 (10.5)
Menu selection: 10/10 (10)
Composite score: 76
visit: http://www.yamatojapaneserestaurant.com/ (and there's a $5 off coupon on there!)
3 comments:
I'm totally your opposite - I love the soup but cannot stand the ginger salad dressing. Did you know that you can request to switch things? For example, get an additional salad instead of soup, or get extra rice instead of noodles?
I didn't know that, but I'm glad I do now! I think I'll do both those things you mentioned next time :)
I have found that with Yamatos, the food taste is really up to the chef that cooks it. Sometimes their food is awesome and other times it's ok. We still love it though.
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