So, it's a friend's b-day on Christmas Eve. Some pals have made 7PM reservations at the Ron Of Japan on Ontario St. (just east of Michigan); since one of the party is treating us, I figure "What the heck? I'm hungry...". We get there and it's pretty busy. Our merry party is seated at one of the big round banquettes with the "Teppan - yaki" grille in the middle -- very comfy and cozy. Our waitress is nice and sweet -- gets drink orders (beers), menus, etc. pronto. We each decide to order the $26.95 dinner (choice of two entrees from the list, soup, fried rice, veg, ice cream, tea). We each get an appetizer - various decent maki little rolls and a nice beef "sashimi". For entrees, everyone orders the shrimp with "egg sauce" and sirloin, chicken, or prime rib. The chef guy comes to the table and starts cooking our food.... First he does the rice and vegetables. The rice is *just* that -- plain white rice cooked with a couple of eggs. We each have enough for a small bowl (about 1 1/2 cups). The vegetables are coarsely - sliced carrots, a few button mushrooms and LOTS of onions. No red or green bell peppers, "exotic" mushrooms (enoki, portabello, etc.), pea pods, or even bean sprouts. NO flavoring, except for the container of Kikkoman on the table.... We get our "noodle soup". Folks, the water in my water glass was tastier. Have these people never heard of such exotic ingredients as miso??? Then he did our meat. My sirloin was grilled rare and tasty, but there was probably only about 5 oz. of it. One of the gals had chicken breast that was good, but how difficult is it to screw that up? And My Friend The Executive Chef had ordered "Prime Rib", which in *reality* was Filet.... We all had this butterflied grilled shrimp with "egg sauce". Prognosis: "soggy". The shrimp had obviously been spending some leisure time soaking in a brine bath. They had become spineless, vapid little creatures. And that "egg sauce"! It's like a combo of raw eggs and mayo that is poured atop the shrimp on the grill. At finish, you get a couple of shrimp covered with this runny, yellow glop.... So we finish and go -- at least the green tea ice cream was okay (didn't bother with the tea -- it was probably made out of the same stuff as the "noodle soup"...). Oh, at the end, they brought out some plastic pineapple thing wrapped in old, crinkly, foil with a sparkler on top and sang "Happy Birthday" in Japanese. It was a nice gesture but I'd trade in that old pineapple for a new one.... So, for a tab for five of about $260.00, this was pretty thin gruel. This joint has been around for years, and I guess that they haven't heard that we USAins have "discovered" the joys of good Japanese food. They seem stuck in a c. 1975 time warp -- and that includes the decor. I wasn't paying, and we were in a good mood, so we didn't complain about anything. And the staff *was* nice.... But I wouldn't go back. It's EXPENSIVE -- poor value for money. The entrees are about $15.00 and up. There are steak and lobster items for up to $75.00, and they even have Kobe Beef "when available" (it wasn't). I could go to any of the Japanese places (Nohana or any the places up in Wrigleyville) and get MUCH better for the price (although they aren't "Teppan Yaki" places -- you could to Korean places and get grilled stuff, I guess).... Other little things that bothered me: 1) No Ron of Japan matchbooks -- just those cheap generic white ones. And when one of my friends wanted to write something down, she was given a napkin and pencil stub -- no notepads or a pen available. 2) Cheap table accoutrements -- those cheap amber water glasses and ashtrays that one sees at the Golden Nugget or Denny's or yer local greazy spoon. This stuff *ain't* expensive (I know these things from my Friend The Executive Chef...). 3) Dirty restrooms.... Oh, and I had a roiling stomach (I'll spare y'all the details) for the next 36 or so hours.... Mr. Potters "P" ratings for Ron Of Japan (scale of 1 - 10) Food: 2 Service: 8 Ambiance: 5 Best Greg
Chicago, IL