Japanese Hibachi
 

Is there a Japanesse Hibacci restaurant in any of the towns nears the villages?

Lsl
 

There's one in Lake Sumter Landing Square to the right of the movie theater. Ate there on Valentines Day. Food was very good. Place is quite large. Has both regular seating plus Habachi .

As Skip indicated, VKI Japaneese Steakhouse in LSL has Habachi tables but we haven't been there yet. Sakura in Colony Plaza has Hibachi on their menu, but I didn't see any Hibachi tables when we were there.
http://www.myemoticons.com/images/co.../y-z/yummy.gif Speaking of Sakura, we like Hibachi too! Maybe we can arrange to meet at Sakura's in Clifton Park Center sometime this summer and do the Habachi tables there!

There is also Fuji in Summerfield - in the shopping center near Office Depot on Hwy 27/441.

Used to go there for the Sushi which was always good, haven't been there lately because Sakura is so good and so close.

That's NOT Habachi at VKI. They're called Teppanyaki. Habachi is charcoal barbecue. First poster needs to clarify his/her question before a correct answer can be given.

Sakura Japanese Grill has many Habachi items on their menu and is the best in The Villages.

Skip

and if you like Teppanyaki, don't count on VKI. We have been every time we have been up to the Villages (3 at this point), but never again. First time is was "OK", second time it was mediocre at best, and this last time, well, suffice it to say, we aren't ever going back. No taste to anything, very small portions, and not even very warm. We were very dissapointed by them, we love this kind of japanese grill.

The OP and I come from the same town in New York State and in this town they have a Sakura's Japanese Restaurant. You may be correct about VKI and Teppanyaki, but at the NY Sakura restaurant they definitely call it a Habachi Table.

We have been to this Sakura's more than once and been to several Japanese restaurants many times over the past four decades at locations from NY to Orlando to Anaheim, and in not in a single case were the tables ever called anything but Habachi Tables. As a matter of fact I never even heard of (or at least remember) the term Teppanyaki until I read your post. Why even if you do a Google search on both terms, you will find more images of Japanese cooking tables under the term Habachi than you will under Teppanyaki... as well as more hits.

Again, I'm not saying that what you state about VKI and Teppanyaki is inaccurate, but in my experience all the cooking tables were referred to as Hibachi. So with all due respect, I don't agree that the OP needs to make any such clearification.

Yup, at Gasho of Japan in Central Valley, NY it's called hibachi and there's nary a charcoal fire of cooking apparatus in the place.

As someone who's lived in Japan, I can tell you that Skip is absolutely correct in his description of Hibachi .vs Teppanyaki. However, many of the Japanese Restaurants, in the US, use the term Hibachi and are typically owned and operated by Chinese; not Japanese.

I assure you, if you go to Japan and visit a Hibachi house, you will get charcoal grilled food. In many hibachi restaurants, the will bring the hibachi to the table and you cook your own food. Lots of fun with a group...

Teppanyaki is correct for table side grilling ...
 

Teppanyaki is the style of dining where the chef cuts up and grills the food on a large flat griddle with you watching. Made popular to the masses by Benihana. Hebachi is a grill with grids over charcoal or wood that gives a smoky flavor two very different things. I have been to Japanese resturants that have both. Just because a restaurant chain calls it something doesn't make it correct.
At least that is the way us Japanese Hawaiians see it.
Trudy Muramoto

Hey, I never said that anybody was incorrrect about Teppanyaki and I never said that calling it something else makes it correct. I've just stated the facts as I have experienced them over the years and nothing more. If a restaurant wants to call a Teppanyaki table a Hebachi Table, I'll call it a Hebachi Table. If a restaurant wants to call a Hebachi Table a Teppanyaki Table, I'll call it a Teppanyaki Table and if a restaurant wants to call a PuPu Platter a KaKa Platter... then me thinkith I'll go eat somewhere else... pronto! http://fun.resplace.net/Emoticons/Sick/Sick.gif

Trying to stay out of the discussion about what to call it, I thought I should note that the at-table-chef on my last visit to the restaurant in the Shoppes across from Walmart on US441 was, despite his great abilities at showing off and cheffing - an Argentinian!

Charming, but very far removed from being Japanese!

:D

SWR
:beer3: