Benihanas

[Juliebove]

One of my daughter's dance teacher's has a boyfriend that just inherited a Benihana's restaurant. Because they intend to get married, she (the teacher) has been learning the business and intends to host some functions there which my daughter might want to attend.

I did an online search and saw one place where a person said they got them to cook their food first using only butter and garlic. We try not to do dairy or soy either.

I know that we could get plain steamed white rice and perhaps a salad. Gluten is not an issue for me, but perhaps some of the ingredients in their sauces could be a problem for me. I don't know this for sure. I am just basing this on recipes I have seen online for their food. Daughter also has a pea allergy. So if they use a mix of veggies with those already mixed in, that could be a problem.

I know the soup is out because there is wheat in it. I guess I was hoping for smoething like a plain salad and plain grilled chicken with some plain vegetables. I don't like Japanese seasonings anyway. Not that I have eaten much Japanese food. I've tried it twice and just didn't care for it.

I know at some point down the road, I can ask the teacher about this. But right now she is just in the learning stages and is feeling overwhelmed.

[BethM55]

Our daughter-"out-law" wants to go to dinner at Benihana's for her birthday. I'm leery of going there, after reading posts here. I emailed them today, as I just found out about the plans, which are for Sunday, this weekend. We'll probably go, even if I just order steamed rice and tea, and bring my own soy sauce. In this climate of gluten free cooperation, it seems odd that a major chain would be resistant to accommodating their customers.

So. Would you or your daughter eat there?

[Juliebove]

Our daughter-"out-law" wants to go to dinner at Benihana's for her birthday. I'm leery of going there, after reading posts here. I emailed them today, as I just found out about the plans, which are for Sunday, this weekend. We'll probably go, even if I just order steamed rice and tea, and bring my own soy sauce. In this climate of gluten free cooperation, it seems odd that a major chain would be resistant to accommodating their customers.

So. Would you or your daughter eat there?

Unless things change, if we do go there, we'll just have rice and salad. They are not near where we live. So it would have to be a special thing.

[BethM55]

Well the point has become moot, as we are not going to join the party after all, for various reasons. Thank you for the great suggestions, though! It's good to have a place like this where everyone understands the issues.

[BethM55]

Well, we DID go to Benihana's. I was not impressed, as it was crowded, noisy, overpriced, and there was a definite language barrier with the staff. That was problem for me, as you can imagine. I ordered a salad, which was quite unimpressive, as it was mostly iceberg lettuce. The added bits of avocado and tomato and such were nice, but it was overpriced for what it was. Iceberg lettuce?? What happened to baby field greens?? The brown rice was nice, and I did eat a bit of the shrimp that was cooked as an appetizer on the grill table, before any soy sauce was added to the grill. No problems today, but I'm not super sensitive, so I don't know. I also had their special herb tea blend (yep, I'm a wild partier, that's me! ) and enjoyed it very much.

I doubt I'll go back there. It was fun, the chef was funny and fascinating to watch, but I'd rather take my dining-out dollars where I can eat the food and feel comfortable about it.