Kitakata, Arlington Heights

Kitakata
20 E Golf Road
Arlington Heights Illinois 60005
847-364-7544
http://www.kitakatarestaurant.com

Just saw Million Dollar Baby at Streets of Woodfield, and we laughlingly thought we could get a table at Maggiano's at 7PM on a Saturday. 2-2.5 hr wait. I figured as much before going in, but didn't feel like arguing with Mrs. F, who wanted their Maggiano's salad and some gnocchi.

So we started heading in the direction of home thinking of places to eat, and stopped at an old fave, Kitakata. It's a tiny place, but great Japanese food at reasonable prices, with a very authentic feel to it all. Their varieties of ramen are huge, but tonight neither of us felt like noodles, even after attempting to eat Italian. As usual, the place is full of local Japanese folk, plus a few westerners who know about this unassuming-looking noodle shop.

Mrs. F ordered Combo D, which included Steak Teriyaki, 2 gyoza, an egg roll, tempura, a dollop of goma ae, a dollop of some unknown salad (it was bland enough to be tuna or chicken, I couldn't swear it wasn't shredded potato), a large slice of canteloupe (although Alton Brown says it must be a muskmelon), rice, salad and miso soup. All for $17.95. (Varieties with Chicken or salmon were $12.95 and $13.95 respectively). I had the Combo B, $13.95 with a somewhat different mix: 6 slices of california roll, a skewer each of yakitori and tsukune (meatballs), plus the tempura, rice, salad, miso, goma ae and melon.

The miso soup was excellent: a good-sized bowl of yellowish clouds of flavorful miso with lots of chopped green onion and seaweed, perhaps a little skimpy on tofu.

The salad was unremarkable iceberg with shreds of cabbage and carrot and a sad slice of tomato with a ginger-soy dressing. Overall this was somewhat bitter, the low point of the meal.

Tempura was light and crisp -- a more-generous portion than I would have expected in a combo platter: eggplant, zucchini and sweet potato plus two shrimp!

Goma ae was barely condiment-sized: a nice sesame-drenched bite-sized morsel of sweet spinachy goodness nevertheless.

Melon: Pretty good for January. Pieces were cut perhaps a bit large for chopsticks.

Rice: perfect. That's all you ask of it is to be simple and perfect.

Steak teriyaki: sweet grilled steak. A nice large portion (more than Mrs. F could finish).

Gyoza: I didn't get to taste, but she said they were very good, but lacking a dipping sauce.

Egg Roll: Perhaps a bit undercooked and greasy outside, but the inside was flavorful with discernable meat and vegetable pieces, not just cabbage that I'd expected.

California Roll: Excellently made, but nothing really special (hey, if you're only supposed to dip the fish, what do you do with maki?). Textures were just right, but I can't get too excited about krab.

Yakitori: same teriyaki sauce as the steak. The tsukune meatballs on the skewer had that slightly rubbery texture you come to expect from asian meatballs (probably more egg and cornstarch than I'd use) -- tasty but nothing to write home about.

Overall, we had an excellent value and a heck of a lot of very well prepared food. I detected a curry go by behind me during my dinner, and it smelled just right. Lots of good soy smells from ramen. Go, eat!

Thanks for the report! I sometimes go by there and have often wondered what it was like. Sounds right up my alley.

I haven't been there in several years, but they used to have very good yakisoba, too.

I had such a taste for katsu-don on my way home last night, so I stopped in Kitakata. It wasn't on the dinner menu but they made it anyway. It was very good , large tender pork cutlet , sweet onions, eggs over a large bowl of rice with a light sauce $8.95. My husband had the combo dinner A with chicken teriyaki which you have a choice of skin on or skin less, a couple of shrimp tempura and japanese sweet potatoe which could have been crisper. I agree with Joelf on the goma ae it was half a bite if that, and some kinda of tuna salad, a egg roll, nice slice of honey dew melon $12.95 , and some nice green tea. All in all it was very tasty and a very good value. My real complaint is the two young girls talking on their cell phones . One girl is talking with her boy friend and the other is talking to a nurse about her brother's colonoscopy, bowel movement in detail. You would think she would have had this call in the car or in the ladies room. Enough with the cell phones ! We just want to have a nice dinner out.

It's been a few years, but when I used to work out that direction, I often stopped at Kitakata for a plate of yakisoba. Fried soba and okonomiyaki are popular in Japan, but I don't often find them in local Japanese restaurants.

Choey wrote:It's been a few years, but when I used to work out that direction, I often stopped at Kitakata for a plate of yakisoba.

They used to have delectable yakisoba, and great noodle dishes generally, but I haven't been there since new ownership took over a couple of years ago.

Watching the Japanese patrons, the thing to do there was order a great many appetizers and then ramen or soba. They also used to offer a terrific light dessert of gelatin made from fresh orange or grapefruit juice served in the fruit shell and cut in wedges, but I don't see it on the menu on the website.

Speaking of that neighborhood, does anyone know what happened to Bowl House, which used to be near there at 1918 S. Arlington Heights Road? The site is now a Korean place called Woo Ri House, about which I know nothing, but I was told Bowl House might have moved rather than shut down.

Could this be it?

Japanese Bowl House
1921 Algonquin Road
Rolling Mdws, IL 60008
847-398-7878