DINING OUT:Mori Teppan Grill for fun and fare

If you were a new restaurant critic, where would you dine first? I chose Mori Teppan Grill, and was happy I did. The atmosphere was fun, the food superb and the service delightful. The menu accommodated a variety of tastes and dietary needs, portions were right-sized and the prices reasonable. Try it. You’ll like it.

Teppan is fun. Diners sit around a hot griddle watching the chef brandish sharp knifes and furiously slice, dice and season meats and vegetables. There is a tradition of showmanship and one-upmanship among teppan chefs.

Anne, my better half of 35 years, and I were treated to an ingenious way to crack an egg. Tasty morsels of shrimp were flicked into our mouths. A sake-fueled onion volcano spewed flames straight up. Not what we do, or even can do if we wanted to, at home.

One of our dining challenges is that my son is a vegetarian who is allergic to garlic. No problem at Mori’s, because everything is fresh, and freshly prepared. I prize this in a restaurant.

For dinner, the main menu starts at $13.95 with a vegetarian grill. It then ranges from chicken ($16.50) and top sirloin ($16.75) to shrimp ($19.95) and lobster ($25.25), with New York steak, Filet Mignon, scallops and swordfish (as well as various combinations) in between.

Anne ordered the shrimp and I the top sirloin. Dinner started with soup and salad. Flavorful with just the right amount of onion, the soup is a Mori’s concoction, definitely not the run-of-the-mill mizo shiru that is typical of Japanese restaurants in California.

The salad provides a counterpoint, crisp and cold, with Mori’s own dressing.

Then the chef started up the grill and began the show. First he ladled out two sauces, one hinting of ginger and the other of wasabi. But only hinting, so they complemented the flavors of the courses rather than dominated.

First off the grill came shrimp as the appetizer, sliced into tasty morsels and quickly grilled. Hot and flavored with freshly squeezed lemon, it provided yet another contrast, this time with the salad.

My sirloin was well trimmed and came out just as I ordered it, medium rare. If you like rare, teppan is a great way to go.

It smelled so good when cooking, and came out tender and lightly salted. The chef then grilled an assortment of peeled onions and zucchini, as well as bean spouts, flavored with a hint of sake, soy sauce and lemon. We had not room left for dessert, and left Mori’s happy.

One of the nicest combinations is New York steak and shrimp, well-priced at $15.95. These meals include shrimp appetizer, soup, salad, steamed rice, and assorted grilled vegetables. You can order fried rice, too, which is not only tasty but fun to watch. There also are three choices for children ($8.95), plus appetizers like a California Roll ($5.95).

Mori Teppan Grill is open for both lunch and dinner. The luncheon menu is pretty much the same, except for lower prices. For example, the vegetarian grill is only $9.25 and the shrimp grill only $12.50.

One of Mori-san’s innovations was a chicken or shrimp pasta meal, lighter for those who want a good meal but not a big one. At only $13.95 ($9.25 for lunch) the pasta meals also are a real bargain.

No thick wine list. Instead there is a well-chosen selection of beers and wines on the menu. A modest $10 corkage fee encourages patrons who want to enjoy special vintages.

One last thing. Mori Teppan Grill is easy to get to, and easy to find parking. And the neighborhood is nice to walk in, for those who enjoy a stroll after a good meal.