501 West Garfield Boulevard
Chicago, IL 60621
Cook County
Phone: (773) 846-7374
Fax: unknownWebsite: no website on fileEmail: no email on fileHours: unknown
by Richard L. on FIRST AND FOREMOST: I had such high expectations that it isn't surprising how easily they were dashed. We've been going to Yoshi's Oakland for years, since it was on Claremont. We've always loved it. Always look forward to going back. The whole package, the scene, the food, the acts, and the incredible sound. Can't be beat. THAT SAID: It can't even be beat by their own San Francisco location. The S.F. restaurant is easily twice the size of Oakland, maybe more. It's all neo-Japonesque inside, with towering metal and glass detail and curving, sexy walls. Arty stuff hangs from the ceilings, and interesting, indirect lights give the place a soft, comfy glow. IMAGINE MY SURPRISE: As our meal progressed, we descended from high expectations to lowbrow humor. The restaurant experience became a cliche: dramatically overpriced menu items that arrived with tiny little portions, and an obsequious waiter saying things like, "Fine choice" and "Ex-cellent" and "Would there be anything else." We were laughing behind our menus and, I'm so sorry to admit, behind his back. YEAH, THERE WOULD BE SOMETHING ELSE: If I could afford it. We paid over $50 for about a two-ounce Filet; it came with five (we counted) halved brussels sprouts. $35 for their flown-in-from-Japan sashimi sampler, that couldn't have had more than an ounce of food. It just went on like that. All the appetizers, entrees and sides were very expensive and very stingy. Oh, I know it was ultra-deluxe Kobe beef and exotic bits from the most farthest-reaching corners of Japan. In all fairness, the food WAS spectacular. But c'mon ... And, in all fairness, the waiter did warn us that we might want to order more. Maybe they should include paperwork for a 2nd mortgage. BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE: Then we went into the Jazz club. The six of us couldn't sit together, and it's a good thing. Four of us were compacted into a tiny corner with barely room for two. The waitress was surly. She advised me right away that I was blocking her path and suggested I move back - which I could not do because of the cramped conditions. So she proceeded to bump me at every pass. I finally got up and stood against the wall for the rest of the show. When Karen asked for unfiltered sake, the waitress told her there isn't any, and besides it's no good. The filtered sake is better anyway, said the waitress. I suppose her opinion is as good as any, but since Karen made a knowledgeable and well-considered choice, it felt insulting. And when Karen (somewhat brusquely, I'll admit) pointed that out, the waitress became confrontational. Swell. But, in all fairness, the club itself is state-of-the-art. It sounds great, acoustically transparent. Lines of sight are fine. It's spacious yet intimate. This alone got them an extra star. SO: How can I resist going back? To Oakland.
