2008 Woodie Awards
Koto restaurant review
Jim Elliot
Issue date: 10/5/07 Section: FUSE
Originally published: 10/4/07 at 10:07 PM EST
Last update: 10/4/07 at 10:06 PM EST
- Page 1 of 1
For those who have some extra spending money, are going on an extremely hot date or visiting relatives willing to pay for a fancy dinner, Koto, the new sushi/steak restaurant in Plattsburgh, offers a dining experience unlike any other place in town.
Before even getting far enough into Koto to talk with the hostess, you may find yourself staring wide-eyed toward the central dining area where hibachi cooks are flipping food, knives and spatulas with ninja-like skill and precision. If those impressive slicing and dicing skills aren't enough to catch your attention, the plumes of fire occasionally leaping up from the cooks' grills will be.
These immediate, entertaining displays firmly establish the fun and exciting atmosphere that Koto has to offer. And, as I was surprised to find, these first displays are just a taste of the whole hibachi experience. A trained hibachi cook turns the preparation of your meal into a performance that's so delicious and fun to watch you'll wonder why you ever ate anywhere else.
Immediately after my girlfriend and I were seated, our waitress arrived, took our drink orders and set the standard for the night's theme of prompt, friendly service.
When she returned, we ordered our appetizers: miso soup, and two sushi rolls - a tuna avocado roll and an Alaskan roll, which has salmon and avocado in it. The soup and sushi were both light and delicious and left us wanting more.
For my main course, I just had to get the hibachi chicken, which was served in a mound of hibachi-grilled rice, carrots and onions. The rice, veggies and chicken were all spiced and cooked to juicy perfection. The dish also came in a portion large enough for me to eat my fill and still have enough to bring home for a sweet lunch the next day.
My girlfriend, Jess, ordered the hibachi vegetable dish that, I thought, turned out to be just as delicious as my chicken. This dish had the same grilled rice, carrots and onions, but also had a number of other vegetables such as red peppers and a couple of other things I could not identify.
Jess claimed that the vegetables were a little overcooked for her taste, but that otherwise the dish tasted fantastic.
For dessert we ordered a serving of deep fried ice cream that we were too full to enjoy as much as we should have, but come on, who can resist the crazy notion of deep fried ice cream? To say the least, it was a sweet finishing touch to an incredible meal.
The final bill for the evening came to a fairly steep $65 for both of us, not including any of our numerous drinks or a generous tip for an awesome staff who deserved it. Yet, as expensive as this was, it's important to keep in mind that Koto provides a dining experience offering everything you could want in a good meal: it was delicious, fun, exotic and entertaining.
While it's definitely out of the price range for the average college budget, you should definitely keep it in mind for when you find the right special occasion.
Before even getting far enough into Koto to talk with the hostess, you may find yourself staring wide-eyed toward the central dining area where hibachi cooks are flipping food, knives and spatulas with ninja-like skill and precision. If those impressive slicing and dicing skills aren't enough to catch your attention, the plumes of fire occasionally leaping up from the cooks' grills will be.
These immediate, entertaining displays firmly establish the fun and exciting atmosphere that Koto has to offer. And, as I was surprised to find, these first displays are just a taste of the whole hibachi experience. A trained hibachi cook turns the preparation of your meal into a performance that's so delicious and fun to watch you'll wonder why you ever ate anywhere else.
Immediately after my girlfriend and I were seated, our waitress arrived, took our drink orders and set the standard for the night's theme of prompt, friendly service.
When she returned, we ordered our appetizers: miso soup, and two sushi rolls - a tuna avocado roll and an Alaskan roll, which has salmon and avocado in it. The soup and sushi were both light and delicious and left us wanting more.
For my main course, I just had to get the hibachi chicken, which was served in a mound of hibachi-grilled rice, carrots and onions. The rice, veggies and chicken were all spiced and cooked to juicy perfection. The dish also came in a portion large enough for me to eat my fill and still have enough to bring home for a sweet lunch the next day.
My girlfriend, Jess, ordered the hibachi vegetable dish that, I thought, turned out to be just as delicious as my chicken. This dish had the same grilled rice, carrots and onions, but also had a number of other vegetables such as red peppers and a couple of other things I could not identify.
Jess claimed that the vegetables were a little overcooked for her taste, but that otherwise the dish tasted fantastic.
For dessert we ordered a serving of deep fried ice cream that we were too full to enjoy as much as we should have, but come on, who can resist the crazy notion of deep fried ice cream? To say the least, it was a sweet finishing touch to an incredible meal.
The final bill for the evening came to a fairly steep $65 for both of us, not including any of our numerous drinks or a generous tip for an awesome staff who deserved it. Yet, as expensive as this was, it's important to keep in mind that Koto provides a dining experience offering everything you could want in a good meal: it was delicious, fun, exotic and entertaining.
While it's definitely out of the price range for the average college budget, you should definitely keep it in mind for when you find the right special occasion.
Be the first to comment on this story