Capital Region restaurants offering hibachi grilling at home:
https://www.timesunion.com/food/arti...ship%20updates
"Flying zucchini, squirting sake into people’s mouths and tons of laughs all happened poolside this summer for Jason Pierce and his friends after he came across a deal he couldn’t pass up.
The social media post by Sake Japanese Steakhouse in Latham was simple: Get 10 of your friends together and have hibachi at home. But what really caught the Copper Crow restaurant owner’s eye was the price point: $50 per adult and half that for children, he said.
After stumbling upon that post, it was settled. Pierce would round up 10 of his friends and host a poolside hibachi party at home in August.
“It seemed like something that could be really fun to do and it turned out it was nice. And that price point made you say, ‘Well, this is a good deal,’” Pierce said.
The party follows a trend unfolding around the Capital Region in which hibachi restaurants including Hana, Koto and others have gone mobile, bringing all the hibachi flavors and frills to folks at home from flipping knives to fiery onion volcanoes. It follows the highlight on experiential dining, a hot dining trend this year, according to several industry experts, including the National Restaurant Association.
The process of bringing the savory experience home is also smooth and seamless, according to Pierce.
“We had to do surprisingly little to prepare,” he said. “We put out plates, silverware and the restaurant really did the rest. They showed up with cooking equipment, utensils, all the food. And they just made it a really good time.”
Hana, a hibachi steakhouse in Albany different from the one Pierce used, started offering mobile hibachi meals with teppanyaki grills in the summer of 2021. People didn’t want to go to restaurants, so the restaurant’s owner, Jay Gao, thought it best to bring the experience to them at home.
Hana caters two to three at-home parties a week, offering the traditional hibachi menu fixings with a similar price point to Sake’s, at $50 per adult and $25 per child. Hana requires a minimum of 10 people per party and typically takes orders for up to about 20 attendees.
See your top-rated Japanese restaurants in the Capital Region.
Each party is led by one chef and a helper who can come to your home with a grill, balloons for children’s parties, sake for adults and plenty of tricks up their sleeves.
Hana floor manager Jeffrey Chang, who helps coordinate the restaurant's at-home hibachi catering, said it’s recommended to do it outside, either in a front or backyard, for safety reasons. The restaurant requires a deposit about a week or two in advance alongside confirmation for each participant's dinner order. Hana brings all the food requested but not any extras, according to Chang.
The restaurant will also provide sauces, chopsticks and to-go boxes for anyone who might need them. Hana is considering a similar sushi offering for its catering menu in the future, but is still working out the idea as well, Chang noted.
Since his hibachi pool party, Pierce said several people have asked about the service and he always recommends it.
“Everyone who was there had an exceptionally good time. The hibachi chef who came was a lot of fun and I think, from start to finish, it was a great experience,” Pierce said. “It was something different, and a way in which everybody could enjoy the equivalent of an evening out but right in the comfort of one's backyard.”
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