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Food and ambianc
make Kenzi sizzl

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KENZI

JAPANESE STEAKHOUSE'

29267 Southfield Road
Southfield
(248) 569-9494

Hours:
Monday-Friday: 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.-10:30 p.m.
Saturday: noon-10:30 p.m.
Sunday: noon-9 p.m.

here can't be too many Japanese restaurants,
in my opinion. I'm a fan of Asian flavors, so
anything with a dash of soy sauce, hot mustard
or fresh ginger and a citrus splash is welcome in any
neighborhood.
Kenzi, on Southfield Road, is the latest to occupy
the space that has been home to a host of establish-
ments, among them the gourmet Duglass Duglass.
While various areas within Metro Detroit offer
Japanese-style teppanyaki restaurants — where food is
ked on flat, stainless-steel grills with industrial fans
zing overhead — Southfield has been without until
just a few months ago. Now Kenzi has filled the void.
At
A teppanyaki restaurants, anywhere from eight to
10 guests (hot necessarily from one group) sit around
''. 2 blistei*-hot grill while a chef, clad in pristine
whites and a tall, paper toque, flips and slices, tosses
nd catches, creating onion volcanoes spewing fire and
m Oke before our very eyes.
Our Kenzi chef was better at it than most and
seemed genuinely interested in our entertainment. This
was a welcome change from some local hibachi restau
raJ where service has been perfimctory at best. At
K 1, we felt welcomed and appreciated.
The restaurant looked fresh and new We weren't a large
group, but Kenzi didn't make us wait for our grill to fill
before getting started — a nice touch. After the custo
..,:-.,•:
hot towels, we were offered a menu with a wide :.
the usual, mostly traditional sushi. This is not
ery, so don't expect new-age fission here.
Dinner includes everything — ml
green salad with carrot-ginger dress'
tizer, vegetables, steamed rice and
sprouts. The only variable was the main Course. .*A.c.
our orders were placed, the "show" began.
The vegetables were al-dente crisp, the entrees siz-
zling hot and, as expected, delectable, prepared with
minimal fat and simple spices. The steaks were tender,
the salmon seared ideally medium (they'll cook it more
if you like it well done) and the chicken moist. Two
sauces — a pink mayonnaise and savory mustard mix-
ture — were all that was needed to add extra zip( 1ii$
an order from the full bar, if you choose).
Our meal for three, including gratuity, came to
about $85, without alcoholic beverages. For dinner and
entertainment, we felt this well worth the price. 0