We came here for the first time a couple weeks ago and it was a blast; our servers was fun, inviting, and very interactive with my godson. We all ordered different plates and everyone's order came out great. Overall, this is a great family place and I will be back again. read more

Benihana is tough to rate. To break it down. Atmosphere 3 , service 5 , food 3.5 . Fun 5 . My favorites- salad, soup, fried rice. The veggies and steak had way too much oil/butter/salt. They were drenched and veggies limp and unhealthy. For birthdays- the days of the fun Buddha with candle and the memorable Polaroid picture are gone. Too bad. The lighting in the restaurant is horrible- stark, white, bright-you don't even realize it's night time. The romance of Benihana is no longer there because of the lighting. The ice cream at the end used to be presented nicely. Not this time- partial rocky looking scoop , no mint garnish. Looked like a child scooped it. Not professional. The service was great and the chef's performance was amazing- the draw of Benihana. read more

Benihana - Encino - Sushi Bars Near Me - Encino, California

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I love Benihana always come here. I don't know what's going on but I called 5 times and they keep hanging up on me. I don't know if someone doesn't want to do their job, but this is beyond ridiculous! read more

Made a reservation for 6 people@ 8:30pm for a bachelorette dinner party, when we arrived the line was out the door. I made my way through and checked in they said we would be seated in 15-30 min. After 30 min I went up and asked what was going on and they then told me that they had a couple more tables to seat before us. After another 15 minutes and multiple other tables being seated one of our friends asked what was going on and they told her 3 tables were ahead of us. We ended up waiting almost 2 hours before we were even seated. Our waiter was extremely rude and so was our chef. We didn't get any of the fun shows that everyone around us got. A couple that happened to be sat with us was so mad the man didn't even eat his food. he said they go to that location all the time and it is normally good. We were extremely disappointed not only in the staff but also the management who did not seem to care and blamed everything on corporate. read more

Would have given them a 3 star but service was great. Our chef Hunter was amazing, had some tricks up his sleeve we hadnt seen before & the food tasted amazing. Our waiter was also awesome, his last day there so he def had excuse not to give good service but he was great. Loved both their energies. Aside from bomb food and great staff, the 3 stars I would give is because they need to fix their system or change some rules. We had 8 o'clock reservations, a group of 7 & they hadnt yet seated the 7:15 and 7:30 reservations so the lobby was PACKED with upset people. read more

mimi is iconic, I love her. my queen. good service - the best. im vegan and the food is also so good

Our server Tony was amazing! He was very attentive and enchanted my experience here. He had a very positive attitude and consistently made sure we were enjoying our time. I never had to ask for anything as he was ontop of everything! The food was good but the service from Tony was impeccable. Thanks Tony! read more

January 2020: just to update my review. Honestly the chefs really make or break the experience. There are times where the chef's are inexperienced, like the last two times my fiancé and I were here. Just wanted to recommend Chef Miguel for his excellent service and experienced cooking skills. He definitely went above and beyond & provided a fun show. My family is so specific with our food but he was more than willing to make sure we were all completely satisfied with our order. Food came out amazing and we had a fantastic time. Definitely ask for him and you'll love it here! December 2019: Five starts for the service... Ali was amazing. She was so sweet, very detailed, and very understanding when our food came out wrong the first time. She took care of us really well the whole time through. We really felt the love. Five stars for Hunter the chef who came through and saved the day. We had a horrible situation with the first chef who had a bad attitude and our food came out just as bad. We told him everything we wanted from the get-go and he got defensive throughout the first experience. Hunter was a completely different chef...he gave so much love to the food that I finished my entire plate for the first time. No left overs. Thank you guys for turning the whole experience around. We had an amazing time. Thank you to the manager Sam for taking care of the situation right away. read more

Our reservation was for 7:30, it's 7:55 and we are still waiting. What's the point of reservations anyway? Will update if we ever sit! UPDATE: We were seated at 8:00 pm... my 1 star remains. Although our chef was nice I feel like the whole thing was rushed. He did the usual tricks to a minimum. Food was bland. We ordered sushi and the rice was very dry almost crunchy. Chicken was dry, filet mignon needed more seasoning. Just a blah experience. Also the place is run down. They need to remodel. I won't be returning. read more

I was actually pretty surprised at how good it was this time going to Benihana, after over 10 years not having been to one. First time I went was in Torrance and it left much to be desired, being that it's basically glorified fried rice prepared in front of you at a Teppan table by someone putting on a show. Second time I went was the location in Newport Beach, because they were open for Thanksgiving, and I was at the sushi bar for just their sushi, which was decent. So aside from those two experiences, hearing about coming back here again didn't bode for much of an enthusiastic reaction for me. We went for a kid's birthday for something different and made reservations that night on a Friday at 9:20PM. Came in and the place was packed, so we still had to wait 10 minutes to be seated. EVERY table in there had them singing happy birthday, so apparently it's the go-to for birthday parties. Our chef was Jean Pierre, who couldn't have been more pleasant. The kids at our table really loved the show, and he was quite charming with us throughout. Food was good and most of us couldn't finish. I forgot how it all works but what happens is you pick your protein: shrimp, chicken, beef or tofu. Choosing 1 protein was more than enough for me. Initially I selected 2 because everyone else at our table did that, but it's a lot, and the fried rice he puts together for everyone already has eggs and chicken in it so ordering chicken would have been overkill. I requested tofu from the waitress taking our order to write down before the chef came out but when he came out things got a little hairy with a table of 8 and trying to get it all straight. I personally wouldn't come back, but I'd recommend it to anyone who hasn't--and request Jean Pierre if that's possible. He's great! read more

Went to Benihana to celebrate a friends birthday. Parking is private with a $5 fee. There is one lane to enter and another to exit. The staff does not monitor these lanes resulting in us being stuck for 10 minutes behind another car for no reason. As for the restaurant, you are required to wear masks when you walk anywhere inside. The only time your mask can come off is if you are seated at a table. The tables themselves are very close to one another and there is little ventilation inside. Staff constantly walks around to take orders and ensure rules are being followed. The food was a good size, but nothing super special. We each ordered the 5 course dinner. The mushroom soup and salad were quite plain. Their rice was very good and served in a larger portions. I ordered surf side which contains colossal shrimp, calamari, and scallops. The seafood was cooked very well. As for drinks, we split a blue ocean hurricane. It was very refreshing and extremely sweet. I couldn't even taste any of the alcohol! I'd highly recommend this drink for a group that's looking for something sweet and light. Service was overall mediocre. read more

We had reservations for my husbands birthday dinner celebration with his family. The staff knew what we were celebrating but unfortunately the experience that you look forward to was unpleasant and non existent. Let me start by saying we usually go to Yamato's and they provide a Great chef experience ( they actually communicate with you and make you feel welcomed) we love going to Yamatos's due to their chefs ALWAYS giving us "a show". My husbands family suggested we try out Benihana but I really am disappointed that our chef didn't even try to be personable or friendly. Our chef made minimal to no eye contact, only when confirming who ordered what before cooking. Our group offers great vibes and always makes jokes and when they tried to talk to the chef and even compliment his cooking tricks and how good the food was he didn't engage AT ALL. Before I talk about the good part of the night I want to say the women's Restroom was a nightmare! I don't want to get into detailed due to the fact that I was Literally gagging in there. Only two stalls and in one stall there was throw up that was somewhat already hardened on the floor and in the second stall dirty tampon's thrown on the floor and you can tell the poop that was splattered on the wall had been there for a WHILE! Please hire someone to come clean this filth or put on a pair of gloves and mask to come clean your bathroom this is the last thing customers want to see while their having a meal...... The waitress was great if it wasn't for her I'd give this overall rating a 1 star, she made the night manageable by being personable and friendly to our whole party. I wish I got her name but she did have a piercing below or above her lips ( can't remember the placement) doesn't matter but I hope that helps staff understand who I am talking about. She was the ONLY part of the staff that made us feel welcomed, so thank you to her! Now the food... It was great and we Loved the quality of it along with the amount you get. I'll end this review by saying, I'll give this location another chance in hopes that the next time I come we have the actual chef experience everyone talks about and expects when eating at a hibachi style Restaurant. read more

Service is great. Everyone's very nice but the food is very bland and has little to no seasoning. It has no flavor and is very expensive. The rice is probably the only thing that tastes ok. The atmosphere is very loud and you're basically full on sweating after ur food is done. It's VERY hot inside and has no ac even when ur in the waiting area. I dont recommend and I will not be coming back. read more

Benihana - Encino - Close to the grill and very hot - Sushi Bars Near Me - Encino, California

Marvin and Moises gave us excellent service like always. My family and I visit this location at least once a month and the food is always the best. I am a very picky eater and they never make me feel like I'm inconveniencing them when I ask for my food a special way. All the helpers are always super nice and the management is always extra attentive. I love coming here and look forward to coming back in two weeks. I did. read more

Worse service ever don't waste your time even with reservation they make you wait 3 hours.

Very disappointing anniversary visit. We were forced to use the valet which we didn't expect, so after having to go down the street to an ATM, they wouldn't seat my wife and were very rude about her whole party not being present. The only option to look at a menu was on our phones on the way to the table because once we got to our seats, we were in a complete dead zone and lost service completely. Our chef came but left the grill 3 different times to go get our food items that were forgotten, so there was really no production of food cooking. It was very boring. I had about 7 pieces of chicken in total, which were long gone by the time we got our bowls of steamed rice mush that were also forgotten. We expected a lot more for $110 and will absolutely not be back. read more

I have been coming to this location for a few years now and food is yummy as always! My family and I had the best luck of having the same waitress help our table! Ali knows the menu very well and made great recommendations with appetizers and drinks. Spicy chicken dumplings were delicious and the sangria was tasty. Her relationship with the chef provided a great atmosphere. We enjoyed the show very much! What made these past experiences memorable is that she genuinely cared about our table and her personality made the experience perfect from beginning to end. Wish I could request her again! read more

Food was great but the service was even better. Ali made sure to take care of all of our needs and made us feel very welcomed. By far my favorite location! read more

You're getting a 1 star review because of your employee, a very rude employee who doesn't know what customer service is! I thought Benihana was a classy place but she made me change my mind about this place! Im way too hungry to leave the place and I have a guest from out of town who I invited that is the only reason why Im not canceling my reservation altogether. The employees name is Yaneli Contreras! Benihana if you wanna keep operations you have to take action about your RUDE employee who does not know what being POLITE is!!! read more

Benihana - Encino - Name of the RUDE employee - Sushi Bars Near Me - Encino, California

I've never been disappointed here. The food is consistent and reliable (for the most part) which is very important to me. The service is always good too. I would give them 5 stars but the shrimp was fishy tasting today and they could've been more generous with the mushrooms. You can't go wrong with their filet mignon / steak or chicken tepanyaki dishes though. read more

Benihana - Encino - Sushi Bars Near Me - Encino, California

The worst cook ever. Her name is Christina. We have been to this Benihana and a number of other Benihana"s for many years. Tonight's service from cook Christina has horrific. From beginning to end is was bad. We requested certain way to cook our food and she ignored us completely , We asked for ginger sauce that they always give you in the beginning but she only gave it to us when the meat came out and by then 3/4 of our food was eating. The fried rice they cook with butter which is ok. Christina put way to much. So much that the rice was saugy with butter and tasted horrible. Lastly food feel on the black table top and instead of throwing it away she actually put it in our plate , That was disgusting, We will never return to this location again. management needs to retrain read more

Lately, the value of the food has gone down they used to have a really good show with the chefs interacting with the kids and the audience but now they do the bare minimum the chicken and the steak really tough last time. We found a local joint that we like a lot better and the quality is a lot better. read more

This is how Benihana treats its 40 year customers. They have a promotion where if you purchase gift cards in advance you get $10 promo gift card for ever gift card purchased. We do this every year. Last year we did it right before COVID. You would think they would honor but they did not and their very rude manager Patrick could care less so I wrote their corporate office and got just as rude of a response. I would think twice before giving them your business and or purchasing gift cards from them! Here is my response to their corporate office and original email below. I guess loyalty counts for nothing these days! From: Benihana Website Sent: Wednesday, April 21, 2021 10:14 PM Location: Encino, CA Comment: Horrible experience at your Encino restaurant. Have been attending Encino restaurant for over 40 years. Manager Patrick was a complete jerk. Even during Covid we ordered take out from you twice a month. We were members of the Benihana Club all of the years you did this. We all are members of the Chefs Table. We but gift cards when you have your promos for the extra $60 and purchased right before Covid in February 2020 when we were there for my sons birthday. We came back in when things opened up for a bit in the fall and they gave us an extension and things shut down right away. We went last night for my birthday and he refused to take these cards. Said they were expired and didn't care it was during Covid. You are lucky to have loyal customers like us that you kept your doors open. He should be ashamed to treat people this way. I have six cards for a total of $60 and I would greatly appreciate someone sending me 6 valid cards. On Apr 22, 2021, at 7:10 AM, Giftcards wrote: Konnichiwa, Thank you for contacting Benihana. With regards to your inquiry, our $10 Holiday promotional cards have a pre-set redemption window. These redemption dates are printed on each promotional card and are also explicitly stated in all email communications sent out promoting this offer. In an effort to provide reciprocity to our guests during the COVID-19 shutdown, Benihana promotional cards were valid on all take-out orders processed in our restaurants. Therefore, these promotional cards have since expired and no longer hold any value. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your loyalty and understanding. Creating Great Guest Memories‼ Josh G. Benihana Aventura, FL 33180 This is unacceptable to me. We were never told we could use during takeout. I had my husband print out our credit card statement and during Covid we ordered take out from you 7 times and placed a party order on December 12 for $400. In total during a Covid we spent $1200 at Benihana Encino and you are going to fight me on $60 in promotional gift cards that were not used during a pandemic bc we were never told we could use? Customers have a choice in where they dine and I would think you would do better for a loyal customer especially since your loyal customers are what kept you open during a pandemic. I am also happy to post my refrigerator which contains dozens on photos we take each time we visit. I ask you to reconsider. $60 to your company is nothing. Word of mouth and losing loyal customers is everything! read more

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Unbelievably delicious. Definitely one of my favorite restaurants. It's a bit expensive, and a bummer to have to pay for parking but it might very well be my favorite restaurant ever. I can only afford to go for special occasions but it is most definitely worth it. read more

Benihana has a different style than most restaurants. The food gets cooked in front of you. The service is not the fastest but get the drink/food I want. read more

I've been to multiple Benihana's locations and have always had a good experience. However, I had a pretty bad experience the other day at this location. We had a 6:30pm reservation and had to wait well over an hour to be seated without any explanation from the staff as to why they were so delayed. We also checked several times with the front desk and they kept saying we're next in line only to see other tables sat before us. The waiting area was jam-packed without adequate places to sit and the door to the building was malfunctioning with what felt like a cold gust of wind hitting us every time someone opened or closed the door (not sure what the issue was, but it wasn't cold or windy outside). When we were finally seated our experience was a normal Benihana experience (although more crowded and louder than usual) and we enjoyed it from that point on, but it definitely wasn't worth over an hour wait. Also, there was no effort on the part of the staff to apologize for the wait or offer anything for the inconvenience. The reason I'm giving two stars instead of one is because the chef and server tried to make our dinner enjoyable. read more

The food and service is amazing! Always super packed in there though so make sure you make reservations!

This place is racist, I see all the non minorities get seated first, asked the receptionist 3 times , they said you will be seated in 30 mins. An hour and a half later we are still waiting and they said some people have reservations. They should tell the customers it would take an hour and a half, I was so piss off and hungry, I could have gone anywhere. We have our choice. Never recommending this racist place. I would tell all my family and friends about this racist place. Never been disappointed like this. read more

Let me give you the Ginsu what an amazing place pack to the walls with Happy Patrons and punters Security was awesome patient and friendly. We met with Matt & Dani long over due. We decided on drinks whiskey for Matt. Dani off course was good with soft drinks. Our Chef was awesome what a show the food is your typical experience. However the experience being with friends was worth it I'm very pleased with the service the food was superb. I left there with the feeling of could experience more we celebrated Matt's birthday the staff super friendly. The menu offers your typical options with the surcharge for fried rice which was an added expense to your bill dropped a few Benjamin's totally worth the trip. Great place E had the filet I had the Sumuari along with Matt and Dani. Great place plan ahead and make reservations early. Thank you wonderful experience. Kind regards Dr. G read more

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Incredible! I was here on Tuesday, July 20th, 2021 celebrating my 29th birthday with my home-girl. We were seated promptly upon arrival. We ordered for appetizers a plate of teriyaki chicken wings and a sushi sampler, and she had the diet Pepsi to drink while I had the passion fruit lemonade and a pint of beer. Our server Marcus was very professional, transparent, and genial. He did everything, and all in his power to make sure that my party's needs were met and was very straightforward when he told us some of our orders were a little delayed. Our table's chef, Hunter, was really cool. He did some tricks with the fried rice that I never saw before. One of those tricks was where he put an egg under a bowl, and it came out as two eggs. My home girl ordered the splash and meadow with chicken fried rice, and I ordered the Hibachi Supreme with an extra order of shrimp and a chicken fried rice, as well. Everything we ordered, down to the last grain of rice was well worth the $156 bill we both incurred. Fortunately, I had that $30 off the dinner bill for my birthday and a $36 gift card that I was saving. At the end of the night, we spent a cool $90 difference including the tip. For reason that I cannot fathom, I find all the 1 star and 2 star reviews of this place very amusing. I will certainly be coming back in the near future. read more

Benihana is always the choice for any birthday dinner celebration. As a matter of fact, I cannot count on my fingers the number of times we have been here. Why? Food is consistently good and we love the idea of seeing food prepared before your eyes so you're sure it's freshly cooked. Also, $30 off birthday coupon comes handy. First time we went here, we were very much impressed of the chef's mini show while preparing our meals but over the course of time, I felt is old and nothing changed over the years. Same goes with the decor. It's so outdated that it badly needs a major uplift. I could see spider webs and grease build up in the hoods. Carpets are also worn out and in desperate need of replacement. The servers always seem so serious because they are kind of timid and never smiles. The chefs, on the other, seem bored with their routines. I can't blame them because I'm felt bored, too seeing same routine all these years. The wait to be seated is ridiculous. We had a 6:30 dinner reservation but still had to wait until 7:00. What's the point of calling for reservations? read more

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Yaneli and Jessie are the best ! We had the best service from them like no other and we will definitely be coming back and requesting them ! 10/10 experience read more

I just want to come on here to say that out of all the times I've been here I've never had such a great experience as I did today . Starting from our server Yaneli , she was super sweet , friendly , and very attentive. Our chef Jessie was excellent , everything was perfectly seasoned and we loved ALL of our food . read more

Delicious food. Great service. It's an experience. It's been a family favorite for decades. Highly recommended.

Leaving another review to make sure corporate sees this ! As I'm going to call too if you keep Ashley and Maia employed there you will lose customers they have the nastiest attitude are not professional at all put themselves before customers are not helpful and rude to adults and even KIDS at this restaurant ! Please make note of this as I'll be calling cooperate tomorrow morning ! Ashley has long black hair and Maia has darker red hair for anyone who goes if you have a takeout order and get them you've been warned ! read more

My yearly below average outrageously expensive diner for my daughter's birthday. Her choice not mine for sure. As before this restaurant needs a total remodel but they are constantly busy which blows my mind. The food is not that good. The restroom are filthy but I'm forced to come here Thankfully not for another year. read more

So, a couple of simple things. Parking is NOT free in their lot. It's valet only, at least during dinner time anyway. I'm not sure what the charge is but I couldn't tell you since I ended up parking on the street right in front of the restaurant. The valet folks aren't the friendliest but then again I'm sure he was upset that I'd even entered the lot considering I didn't stay. The wait times were bananas for those who were just walking in, even for a party of 2. I think at around 8PM the wait was a minimum of a one hour wait. I saw plenty of people walk in and out of there because the wait was terribly long. The food here is just OK, in my honest opinion. Of course the only reason that people come, really, is the flair in the cooking process. Our chef says that the reason people come is for the fried rice. It isn't anything special. The ingredients aren't anything special or premium at all. One of the supposed courses is a strip of cut up zucchini. Another is a measly green salad, again nothing fancy. The teriyaki chicken wasn't terrible but it wasn't something great either. It was a tad try and the teriyaki sauce wasn't real plentiful nor did it taste real teriyaki like. It was just a tad salty without that tangy sweetness. Sitting with our group, everyone pretty much ordered something different from one another. So, we got rid bits of each other's accompanying sides. My meal wasn't supposed to come with shrimp, mushrooms, etc but I still got these things put onto my plate. Good thing the shrimp didn't touch any other food on my plate considering I'm allergic. I ended up ordering a teriyaki chicken meal, a supposed 5 course meal. The onion soup wasn't terrible. My lil one really enjoyed it. She had most of it, really. The onion volcano was fun for everyone, especially the kids in our group. Unfortunately, the smoke was too much for them to handle. it got into their faces and they both began to cough a bit. That wasn't nice. Another thing that was rather dangerous was that during the chef's "green tornado", he flashed a green light/laser beam into the eyes of the lil ones. I feel like the folks here are sloppy and very inconsiderate. I really wasn't happy with the fact that our group had a reservation but that they weren't able to hold to it. Half of our group was able to be seated and the other half had to wait almost 30-40 minutes to be seated. At one point, they were going to split up our group and have the rest of our group sit on the opposite side of the restaurant from us. Ummm, that kinda defeats the whole idea of having a group birthday dinner. RUDE!! I don't know why I didn't expect it either but I was really upset somehow when the chef arrived with his sad "konnichi wa" greeting. Somehow it just didn't sit well with me and I had this really odd disgusting feeling come over me. I was displeased with so many things about this meal and this whole experience. I didn't want to make a fuss since we were there for a friend's birthday dinner but had the not been the case, management would have definitely heard from me and/or my hubby as he would not have let a lot of things that went wrong stand. I hope this restaurant will shape itself up. They need to really find someone who can help to run this spot. Their hostess isn't only all over the place and pretty much horrible and making the correct accommodations for incoming guests with reservations but they also do NOT know how to communicate effectively or as though they are apologetic at all for parties having to wait so terribly wrong for their mediocre food. Talk about disappointed. After leaving from dinner, my family and I went elsewhere to have a 2nd meal. The food was dissatisfying at Benihana's. And not to mention, it was over priced for the amount of food that we received. And it was interesting how 2 people in our party were given ice cream complimentary but the rest of the group was not. It was horrible that we had to ask for refills on soft drinks constantly only to have the server forget them over and over again. It was just NOT a pleasant experience at all. I feel like the hibachi type grill spots in mall food courts are better than this place. read more

Benihana - Encino - Sushi Bars Near Me - Encino, California

The food was good, just nowhere near $112 good. This was the first time I ordered from Benihana too and I was so excited for this, only to feel half-way impressed, if that. I ordered two meals, The Emporor's Feast & The Benihana Trio as well as their Strawberry Lemonade in a bag. The food was good. Nothing to write home about with vegi's that looked old and meh, a sparing amount of steak and shrimp, and when picking up the order, it says on their website you receive green tea and ice cream with your order, which is left out due to "not having the right packaging". The Strawberry Lemonade tasted like processed sugar with no real fruit flavor. Not what I expected from Benihana. I know Covid is tough but I try to make the effort to call in my order instead of placing through big delivery apps, I tip well (since I'm a server too, dealing with covid and the shutdown), and I try to be understanding of mishaps. But getting only part of what shows on the website without any acknowledgement from the staff that not everything is being provided, is a little off-putting. I definitely expected more out of Benihana and would pay extra, if it meant a better experience than the one I had. Times are tough for restaurants, I know...but as a consumer it can be tough too and we just expect quality and the complete order, if that's what we are paying for! Maybe it is better to dine at Benihana when you can sit down and enjoy the meal in-house...who knows. Better luck next time. read more

This place is always decent. Sometimes you just don't want to get the show and you want to get straight to the eating. We had the twin lobster tails plate with chicken fried rice and extra garlic butter. This is so goooood! We also had like a frozen margarita I custom made overal good food and experience read more

DO NOT EXPECT REGULAR SIZED PORTIONS, VERY SMALL PORTIONS! I WILL NOT ORDER AGAIN, NOT WIRTH THE PRICE. I placed a delivery order for the family meal of 6 people costing $180 and the food was not enough for 6, there is no way. It is for maybe 3-4 people. On my way now to return the food and get a full refund. Ridiculous, if you are going to charge your regular prices at least provide enough food for the amount of people the order is supposed to feed. I will not be ordering from Benihana again. read more