The Grumpy Gourmet dines out almost nightly. While he may find it difficult to make the dining scene in all 2,000-plus fine and Casual establishments, he will review his more favored venues. Dates used indicate when last he was in a particular restaurant.

Ratings are in pluses, NOT stars which doesn’t mean a damn when rating food. In Columbus, mattresses and lap dance joints get star ratings.
(One plus mark to five plus marks, the latter the best anointment.)
RATING: + + + + (out of five)
Restaurant Japan
14 January 2005
1173 Old Henderson Rd.
614-541-5411

Of the 12 true (*) Japanese restaurants in Columbus, this has been my favorite for the 16 years it has been open.

Set the scene: I enter a crowded dining room early on a Friday night. It is a brightly lighted restaurant, clean, clean. Service is brisk. My check for two is $47.30.

restaurant japan
On the way out I inquire of the hostess: “Does the restaurant have a Website?” My intention was to pass it on to www.columbuschefs.com.

Reply: “What’s that?” I stepped away to one of the owners who was acting as cashier. “Do you have a Website?”

Reply: “No. No Website.” She laughed as if to say it is a bit strange that a Japanese restaurant isn’t up to the times. Thus, consider this a public service by blessing Restaurant Japan with exposure on www.columbuschefs.com.

Suggested: Start with a glass of plum wine, which conditions the palate for everything on the menu, $3.50. Mrs. Chenoweth du jour shared her chicken teriyaki, $13.95; I shared an appetizer of shrimp and vegetable tempura, $5.75. Be advised the app has just two jumbo shrimp in the perfect batter. The serving includes a slice of pumpkin, zucchini, sweet potato and a huge broccoli floret, all tempura style. All plusses – save the floret, which was dated by the brown stem that should have been caught in the kitchen.

The sushi: We shared asparagus roll, the required California roll and a new version with baked scallops in sticky rice and a topping,
alaska roll
Alaska Roll
all baked into a mass of six slices. The sushi bar has six working chefs on the line.

As always I go to Restaurant Japan just for tempura. As always, I seem to eat the menu. Open for lunch daily except Sunday. Open 5 p.m. daily.

* Columbus has a large Japanese population thanks to Ohio State University and Honda in nearby Marysville. As best determined, the 12 true Japanese restaurants are not to be confused with other Asian places advertising their operations as Japanese.

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