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Shiki Japanese Steakhouse

14041 N. May Ave.
Oklahoma City, OK
(405) 751-8912

Shiki Japanese-Sushi-Seafood-Steakhouse

In my review of some other teppan grill Japanese steakhouses I have said that they were good steak houses but I would not classify them as great Japanese restaurants. This is partly because I do not believe the Japanese grill where the food is cooked on the table in front of customers to be authentic Japanese style food, and partly because I usually find these restaurants to be lacking in flavor. All of these statements are true for Shiki, although I found it to be better than average in terms of flavor. I was actually pretty impressed with the seasonings used on the meat, although less so with the ginger and mustard sauces set in front of each plate for dipping.

The menu at Shiki is limited, and mostly consists of different types of meat cooked on the grill in front of customers. Sushi rolls are served, and a few plates are cooked in the kitchen (mostly the teriyaki and tempura dishes).

With teppan grill steakhouses it is easy for me to find a lot of negatives, since I do not believe that this is real Japanese food. With Shiki, though, there were some things I liked. One was the cook that was not only skilled in preparing the food, but also made an attempt to make sure each person at the table had food that was to their liking.

Miso soup
Miso soup is included in the dinner

Miso Soup was brought from the kitchen, and had an almost clear broth. I think the best type of miso soup is with a brown color such as is served at Tokyo Restaurant, but the clear soup at Shiki was good.

Vegetables cooking on the grill
Vegetables cooking on the grill

The vegetables are put on the grill first so that they can be cooked a longer time than the meat. Shrimp is also cooked before the main course so that it can be served as an appetizer (if you do not eat shrimp it is too bad, because it is included in every meal cooked on the teppan grill). Fried rice is also prepared, and the chef makes a "volcano" out of the onions in which the inside is set on fire for part of the "show."

Steak cooking on the grill
Meats cooking on the grill (from lower left to upper right): chicken, New York steak, filet, and sukiyaki

Because of different orders by people at my table I got to see three different kinds of steaks being cooked. The sukiyaki steak was the most highly seasoned, while the filet and New York steaks were cooked with the "secret" blend of spices that came from the chef's shaker. Of the three I was only able to sample the New York steak, and I found it to be of good quality. I thought it was of comparable quality to the steak served in other area steakhouses.

Chicken and shrimp dinner
Chicken and shrimp hibachi dinner

My dinner, the Chicken and Shrimp Hibachi Dinner was good quality, and had a good flavor. Many Japanese steak houses rely on the quality of the meat being good, but I also found the vegetables to be enjoyable and better than average.

It is a good thing the dinner had a good flavor because the ginger and mustard dipping sauces, on which I usually rely for added flavor, were really lacking in the type of flavor I like. I would take this over the chicken dinner at Yamato, though, where the dipping sauce was really the best feature of the dish.

The Fried Rice was really not my favorite, and with the extra price they charge for it I really have to question whether it is worthwhile. At least, though, our cook made sure the rice was not too crispy or unevenly cooked.

Unlike some Japanese steakhouses in the city, Shiki serves hot green tea (at an extra charge). The tea was good, and refills are given.

I thought the dinners served at Shiki were oversized and overpriced (I do not subscribe to the theory that it is good to have leftovers to take home). In anticipation of this I had planned to sit next to one of my family members to share a meal, but the waitress moved me to a different seat that was empty so she could fit in more people at the table (it turned out that the additional people never came). Because of this my general dislike of the teppan grill style Japanese restaurant turned into a situation that I would be very reluctant to go to Shiki again, even though I liked the food. To me there are many better meals I could get in Oklahoma City for the same money.

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RESTAURANT DETAILS

RATING: 19

Cuisine: Japanese
Cost: $$$
Hours: Open Daily
Accessible: Yes
Additional Location: 4406 W. Reno
Tea: Green (brewed)
MSG: No
Smoking: No Smoking
Alcohol: Beer, Sake
Special Feature: Teppan Grill

Most Recent Visit
Jun. 20, 2010

Number of Visits: 1

Best Item
New York Steak

Special Ratings
New York Steak:
Chicken and Shrimp Dinner:
Fried Rice:
Miso Soup:
Salad:



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