When queried, our waitress explained that things were slightly backed up at the sushi bar. Since the restaurant was rather sparsely populated at the time, I would hate to hazard a guess as to how long one would have to wait if the joint were really jumping.
Entrées have their ups and downs. On a positive note, the steamed red snapper was perfection itself. The flesh was moist and flaky, rife with flavor, and the ginger & black bean sizzle and splash of scallion oil added immeasurably to the sumptuous presentation. The pork cutlet à la Japan - deep-fried, panko-crusted and served up with a spirited tonkatsu sauce and small mound of zippy wasabi mashed potatoes - was also right on the money. On the other hand, the pork loin, while nicely grilled and quite tender, was sabotaged by an off-puttingly odd ginger-teriyaki sauce.
The kobe beef, however, turned out to be the real problem… And at $48.00 for a few thin slices, this is an expensive problem, indeed. The slices of raw beef are presented with a mini-hibachi for tabletop cooking. Unfortunately, they come wrapped in the throes of a marinade that ultimately masks rather than enhances the natural flavor of the meat.
But the greatest faux pas is the fact that the raw beef arrives on a single plate already adorned with a prepared vegetable medley that is meant to accompany the kobe. It is obviously assumed that one will cook the slices of meat on the hibachi and then - and there is no alternative unless one immediately summons a server and asks for a clean plate - return the cooked slices to the same plate that originally held the raw meat.
A hygienic nightmare, to say the least. "Never place cooked food on a plate that previously held raw meat, poultry or seafood. When grilling meat and poultry, a clean plate should always be used when taking these foods off the grill." When it comes to the safe and sanitary handling of food, these words are gospel… and the fact that such an experienced kitchen, with such an experienced and celebrated chef at the helm, could err so flagrantly is cause for considerable skepticism if not downright alarm.
When it comes to dessert, the two made-in-house entries - chocolate crème brûlée and banana tempura - are obviously the best. The former is laced with kahlúa, the latter adorned with vanilla ice cream and honey. The Key lime pie is strictly generic and overpriced at $7.50.
The Bottom Line: There is no question that, in many respects, Fuji is a fine restaurant and "Matt" Ito an accomplished chef. Perhaps the incident with the raw kobe beef was simply an unfortunate mistake that is never likely to be repeated. It is still, however, more than enough to give potential patrons considerable pause.
