The fancy rainbow roll helped salvage the non-hibachi meal.
Show me a person who claims she doesn’t enjoy an onion ring volcano, and I’ll show you a liar. Hibachi — interactive, theatrical and unapologetically campy — is undeniably an entertaining way to dine. It’s your wacky aunt’s birthday, so why not toss back a few mai tais and watch a guy fling shrimp into people’s mouths?
That’s the vibe at Sumo Japanese Steakhouse & Sushi, the new behemoth of a restaurant that opened Nov. 3 just off East Washington Avenue in the former HomeTown Buffet. The space has been extensively remodeled; patrons are greeted by a huge glistening pair of fiberglass wrestlers grappling in the entryway. There are two bars (one for sushi, one for drinks), a room lined with booths and a massive dining room dominated by 14 flat-top grills that are each surrounded by seats for about 10 people.
I learn later that what Americans call hibachi is actually called teppanyaki, the style popularized by the Benihana restaurant chain in the 1960s. In 2017 the concept feels retro, but apparently people are still into it. Sumo seems to be doing brisk business so far, and I was pleasantly surprised by my recent experience at the communal table. The chef had some neat tricks — pyrotechnics, knife skills, spatula percussion, egg toss. Perhaps even more impressive, he cooked my filet to a perfect medium rare.
The accompanying fried rice was tasty (aided by a liberal dab of garlic butter), but the shrimp were tough and overcooked. A pair of sauces (tangy soy-ginger and a creamy orange dressing dubbed “yummy sauce”) served on the side added some interest to the meal. The chef did not throw any broccoli or shrimp into our mouths, but a thin layer of detritus on the floor suggested that this is sometimes part of the show. To be fair, I think he was just reading our table, where the diners were rather subdued and admittedly not celebrating any special occasion. Across the dining room, a different group was screaming with laughter, and the chef was hamming it up for their cell phone videos.
On another visit, ordering off the menu was less successful. Most items come with miyabi soup (unremarkable beef broth with a few soggy fried onions) and salad (iceberg lettuce with creamy ginger dressing). There’s also miso soup, which a friendly server was nice enough to bring for my vegetarian companion. Unfortunately there was little else on the menu he could eat. Sumo’s specialty pineapple fried rice seemed a good option with extra vegetables instead of meat, and it’s a gorgeous-looking dish served in a hollowed out half-pineapple. But when it arrived the rice was undercooked, vegetables were overcooked and the whole thing was cold and flavorless.
Equally unimpressive was the chicken hot pot, which was not really a hot pot at all — just a slurry of chicken and button mushrooms topped with scallions in a vaguely garlicky brown sauce. The entrees arrived at wildly different times, and well before our two appetizers. Not that they were worth waiting for. Vegetable tempura had the texture of a wet egg carton. Harumaki, or deep fried Japanese vegetable spring rolls, had more of a crunch, but they were filled with mysterious goo, not recognizable as vegetables. Our server was attentive and seemed apologetic about the bizarre timing, saying the kitchen was having some trouble.
The sushi rolls were the only highlight of the non-hibachi meal, although they arrived long after we had given up on picking at the other menu items. A fancy rainbow roll was indeed fancy, and rainbow-y, with mounds of colorful tobiko decorating the layers of white tuna, salmon, red snapper and avocado. A spider roll was respectably solid as well — the soft shell crab was substantial in size and had a pleasantly sweet flavor, offset by drizzles of spicy mayo and eel sauce. I was pleased with the sashimi, too. Slices of salmon were generous and tasty, a big scallop came nicely accented with paper thin slices of lemon and albacore tuna was firm and mild in flavor. Is it the best sushi in town? No, but it’s pretty good, and the prices are reasonable. But hibachi is clearly the focus here, and everything else seems an afterthought.
Sumo Japanese Steakhouse & Sushi
1745 Parkside Drive; 608-661-5533, sumomadison.com; 11 am-2:30 pm and 4:30-9:30 pm Mon.-Thurs., 11 am-10 pm Fri.-Sat., 11 am-9 pm Sun.; $3-$39
