 Wasabi Steak House 236 N. Broadway, Salem 890-1688; nhwasabisteakhouse.com Serving: Lunch: Monday-Friday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Dinner: Monday- Thursday, 4:30-10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 4:30-11 p.m.; Sunday noon- 10 p.m. Cuisine: Japanese Dinner entrees: $9-28 Visit the Dining section of NewHampshire.com to read previous Our Gourmet reviews listed by town. |
I shy away from Japanese steakhouses for two reasons: One is the long-lasting memory of a four-hour meal at a similar restaurant in New Hampshire; the other is the feeling that Japanese steakhouse hibachi food is for people who don’t like Japanese food. Don’t get me wrong, the hibachi experience can be a lot of fun, but when it comes to dinner for two, just give me plain-old table service.
The Dining Companion: I come from a different direction, and I use to love Japanese steakhouses as a first-dinner-date place. At the hibachi tables, you share this meal with a group of people that you have never met before and it is half show and half eating a teppanyaki meal cooked right in front of you on a large iron griddle by a (usually) flamboyant chef. Usually at these steakhouses, they not only offer the teppanyaki style meal, but also offer, usually in a separate room, other standard Japanese faire such as sushi, teriyaki, hot pots, tempura, katsu, udon and soba noodle dishes. We decided to try the other side of the Wasabi’s menu and try their sushi and such.
OG: I started with miso soup ($2), which I almost always do at Japanese restaurants. It’s so simple, but miso soup is comfort food to me. The mix of miso paste and (usually fish) stock, tofu and seaweed is light, flavorful and oddly satisfying. Wasabi’s is no different.
TDC: I started with a salad, but it was not just any salad, it was a spicy crab seaweed salad ($5) consisting of crab meat, edible seaweed, flying fish roe and panko bread crumbs. I know ... seaweed? But this is a specially grown variety that has a subtle sweet taste, is not salty, and is very healthy for you. The salad worked for me as it had great flavors with a little crunch.
OG: The extensive menu has standard Japanese fare – teriyaki, tempura, sukiyaki and sushi/sashimi. I was in a sushi mood and Wasabi offers the usual suspects – maguro (tuna), tamago (egg custard – yes, not all sushi is raw), saba, mackerel, etc., plus the requisite assortment of specialty rolls. I ordered several pieces a la carte: maguro ($4.25 for two pieces), tako (octopus, $4.50 for two) and Suzuki (striped bass, $4 for two). The preparation was right on, nicely presented and wonderfully fresh – especially the striped bass, which was my favorite of the three. In addition I ordered a spider roll, which consists of deep-fried softshell crab, avocado, cucumber, lettuce and mayo, rolled up in seaweed and cut into six pieces ($8). The softshell crab was perfectly battered with a nice light tempura and was meaty and flavorful. I was in heaven.
TDC:I also went the sushi route and ordered the tako, saba (mackerel, $4 for two pieces), ikura (salmon roe, $4.50 for two pieces) and a dancing eel roll ($10), which was filled with avocado, panko bread crumbs and spicy tuna with a piece of fresh water eel on top. I found the fish to be fresh and delicious. I did have a slight problem with the spicy tuna in the roll as it was a bit too loose and tasted as if it had a bit too much mayo in the mix.
OG: The little room we sat in was off to the side, but was quite noisy — the groups at the hibachi tables tend to be a little boisterous and the sound carries into the next room quite well, so if you’re looking for a quiet dinner, it isn’t the place for you. But the food was excellent, as was the service, so I’d have to recommend Wasabi to those who enjoy Japanese food. And I think we’ll have to make a trip back to try out the food at the hibachi tables since TDC enjoys them so much. (I learn something new every day.)
TDC: There is no waiting area other than the sushi bar, so if you’re waiting you have to stand there as folks are trying to eat there. We had a 35-plus-minute wait for a table, so I would suggest that you plan accordingly, as it seemed to get very busy the night we dined there. Would I go back? Probably, but it would be for the hibachi side.
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