Kegon :( what a ripoff

So my friend called this afternoon, asking if my 11-year old and I wanted to join them for an early dinner at Kegon. Her kids get the kids' menu. I haven't been there in at least 5 years so I thought I'd give it a chance.

I recall why I haven't been there in so long.

Honestly, the teppan cooking was fine if a little bit scary considering the amount of oil and butter they add to things.

The disappointments were a very modest california roll (to share with my friend's kid) that they upcharged because I said I prefer real crab. Maybe the waitress didn't get my question because I asked if they use real crab and she said yes, then said they have king crab and could upcharge. She told me the upcharge would be $4 and I must have looked surprised because she indicated with her hands that his roll is huge, so I ok'd it. Big mistake. I ended up paying $10 for a very uninspired and rather small roll.

And the nickel & diming, they should be ashamed of themselves. The two boys ordered kid meals, the girl had soup and a cup of fried rice made without eggs (therefore in back vs. on the teppan thingy).

If I tell you they charged $5.95 for this bowl of fried rice...it wasn't an entree or even side dish size you'd share at a chinese/american place, it was literally a teensy bowl of rice.

Anyway, the total for 2 adults and three kids came to $93. Before tip. With no alcoholic beverages, in fact only 2 sodas for 2 of the kids.

I have no problem paying $50 for a good meal. But this just about broke my heart. And I'm annoyed with my friend for implying that she's been there and likes it alot, she was pretty appalled too.



OK, maybe not their fault, am I allowed to rant here? If this is against policy I'll delete.

I've never even heard of this restaurant. Where is it, so we can avoid it?

It's in Deerfield/Northbrook in the same strip center as Max & Benny's, on Waukegan Rd at the tollway spur.

With Ron of Japan, Tsukasa (especially their new location) and Ichiban (closed now) in the area I've never felt the need to try Kegon and I don't really plan on it. I always expect at least $18/person at these places unless it's lunch.

My limited experiences at Kegon have been positive. I've stuck to the Teppan meals, which I think are tasty, of decent quality, compare favorably with Ron of Japan and Benihana and come in slightly less expensive, too. I'll admit to not policing (or even noticing) how much oil was used to make our meals but it didn't ring any bells for me. I also like the ventilation system which seems more effective than the ones at either of the other places -- Kegon seems to leave my clothing more scent-free.

Kegon occupies a dark, and not particularly attractive space. Both Ron of Japan and Benihana (Wheeling) have it beat in that regard. This certainly isn't a favored genre of eating for me, and I don't consider this kind of dining a value, but if I had to chose between the 3, based strictly on the food, I'd choose Kegon first.

=R=

Kegon Japanese Restaurant
569 Waukegan Rd
Northbrook, IL 60062
(847) 498-1109

Ron of Japan
633 Skokie Blvd
Northbrook, IL 60062
(847) 564-5900

Benihana
150 N Milwaukee Ave
Wheeling, IL 60090
(847) 465-6021

Sujormik,

Not to diminish your experience, but if Kegon's standard California roll contains krab/surimi, an up-charge for 'real' crab is not out of line.

I have not been to Kegon for a few years so I'd be curious about your impression of the food itself, aside from "a little bit scary.

Enjoy,
Gary

I've seen the restaurant when I've been in Max & Benny's, but haven't eaten there. The restaurant came into a conversation with neighbors last night, and two of them mentioned how much they liked the place. Also part of the conversation was the comment that a new restaurant is going into the old Trader Joe's space in that strip center - I'd not heard mention of it before, but maybe it's been mentioned and I didn't see it.

Years ago we took the kids, when they were young, to Kegon for the "show." I have no opinion on the food as that whole schtick is not my thing. However, we returned several times when the kids were older and ate in the sushi bar, which is a separate area that is on a sort of raised platform in the back (at least it was when we last did this, several years ago). We all found the sushi quite good and it was reasonably priced. They had a good selection of rolls and nigiri and it compared quite well with the other sushi bars in the area. We haven't been back in a while, so this data is a bit stale.

Jonah

ronnie_suburban wrote:My limited experiences at Kegon have been positive. I've stuck to the Teppan meals, which I think are tasty, of decent quality, compare favorably with Ron of Japan and Benihana and come in slightly less expensive, too. I'll admit to not policing (or even noticing) how much oil was used to make our meals but it didn't ring any bells for me. I also like the ventilation system which seems more effective than the ones at either of the other places -- Kegon seems to leave my clothing more scent-free.

Kegon occupies a dark, and not particularly attractive space. Both Ron of Japan and Benihana (Wheeling) have it beat in that regard. This certainly isn't a favored genre of eating for me, and I don't consider this kind of dining a value, but if I had to chose between the 3, based strictly on the food, I'd choose Kegon first.

=R=

Kegon Japanese Restaurant
569 Waukegan Rd
Northbrook, IL 60062
(847) 498-1109

Ron of Japan
633 Skokie Blvd
Northbrook, IL 60062
(847) 564-5900

Benihana
150 N Milwaukee Ave
Wheeling, IL 60090
(847) 465-6021

I respect your positive experiences at Kegon and in the light of the morning, realize my assessment came across as pretty harsh. I still think that the prices were out of line for what they provided, particularly with 2 kids meals. And that cup of soup with a cup of fried rice for $9 still makes me cringe.

G Wiv wrote:Sujormik,

Not to diminish your experience, but if Kegon's standard California roll contains krab/surimi, an up-charge for 'real' crab is not out of line.

I have not been to Kegon for a few years so I'd be curious about your impression of the food itself, aside from "a little bit scary.

Enjoy,
Gary

Agreed. However first the waitress told me they use real crab, THEN said they would upgrade to king crab and that it was worth it because the roll was really large. (which it wasn't) And I still think $10 for a cal. roll is too much.

Actually, I thought the rest of the food was acceptable. My son's teriyaki chicken was fine, the veggies were good, the shrimp was fine. And it was the amount of oil that was a little bit scary. I realize a lot of it burned off but... ...lots and lots of oil.

I'm a newbie here and got a little excited...sorry about that. I'll try to play nice.

And yes, the restaurant going into the TJ space is called Versailles. No idea of who the owner is, when it's opening, etc.

sujormik wrote:I still think that the prices were out of line for what they provided, particularly with 2 kids meals. And that cup of soup with a cup of fried rice for $9 still makes me cringe.

Yep, me too. Welcome to Northbrook!

sujormik wrote:I'm a newbie here and got a little excited...sorry about that. I'll try to play nice.

No worries. I didn't think you were out of line at all.

sujormik wrote:And yes, the restaurant going into the TJ space is called Versailles. No idea of who the owner is, when it's opening, etc.

Thanks, for the information.

=R=