20120105

Okami Japanese Steakhouse

Okami Japanese Steakhouse
614 S. College Road
Wilmington, NC

My wife and I tried this place when it first opened. Stood in the waiting area to be seated for 10 minutes and no one offered to sit. With service like that I wrote them off. After reading this article from the Star News I am glad I did.

From The Wilmington Star News.
Published: Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 11:11 a.m.
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At Okami, which opened in September, the former ice cream bar is a Tokyo-chic, gold and black spot for drinks and sushi. The modern space divides two hibachi dining rooms, where chefs perform to “oohs,” “aahs” and applause heard throughout the grand space.
Every now and then, patrons bang a big, brass gong to express joy over the chefs' skills rather than stop the program al la “The Gong Show” style.
Such enthusiasm is perhaps less frequent in the center dining area where al la carte offerings, including hibachi meals, are served.
Friendly and accommodating as servers are, they can't carry the show when soggy, shrimp-stuffed shumai arrive. Fried spring rolls' crispy exteriors fare slightly better but the mostly cabbage filling is sticky.
One evening, spicy cream-sauced shrimp slipped from their tempura coats as the seafood pieces were plucked with a fork from their odd container: a taco salad shell.
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Please follow this link to the full article.

http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20120103/ARTICLES/120109959?p=all&tc=pgall