Japonais [by Morimoto, March 2014]

Hey Gang

It's my wife's b-day on Thursday. She mentioned Japonais.
Any thoughts? We're 40ish with kids, not scenesters at all.
But hey 7:30ish on a Thursday in March. Might be manageable

Share thoughts, food service etc

Domestic harmony is bliss

Dave

Bluesman:

You should have fun because, particulary since your not a scenester, because it's fun to see scenesters in their native habitat. As for the food, I have a couple of office luncheons there, and nothing from the kitchen ever left much of an impression. However, my wife and I sat at th sushi bar one night and asked the chef to prepare his 10 or 12 best pieces of nigiri, and it was right up there with the best sushi in Chicago. That was the first time I had monkfish liver, if I recall correctly.

Jonah

bluesman wrote:Hey Gang

It's my wife's b-day on Thursday. She mentioned Japonais.
Any thoughts? We're 40ish with kids, not scenesters at all.
But hey 7:30ish on a Thursday in March. Might be manageable

Share thoughts, food service etc

Domestic harmony is bliss

Dave

Instead of going to Japonais, why not go to Mirai downstairs? Equally good sushi, though less hot appetizers, same exec chef and less of a scene downstairs. I absolutely love the food at Japonais but I cannot stand the crowd. It's very hard to hear one another and the crowd is downright rude.

jpschust wrote:

bluesman wrote:Hey Gang

It's my wife's b-day on Thursday. She mentioned Japonais.
Any thoughts? We're 40ish with kids, not scenesters at all.
But hey 7:30ish on a Thursday in March. Might be manageable

Share thoughts, food service etc

Domestic harmony is bliss

Dave

Instead of going to Japonais, why not go to Mirai downstairs? Equally good sushi, though less hot appetizers, same exec chef and less of a scene downstairs. I absolutely love the food at Japonais but I cannot stand the crowd. It's very hard to hear one another and the crowd is downright rude.

Agreed.

The only time I've liked Japonais was on a Tuesday night when I friend and I ate in the bar downstairs. It was dead, which was a vast improvement over the usual scene there.

jpschust wrote:

bluesman wrote:Hey Gang

It's my wife's b-day on Thursday. She mentioned Japonais.
Any thoughts? We're 40ish with kids, not scenesters at all.
But hey 7:30ish on a Thursday in March. Might be manageable

Share thoughts, food service etc

Domestic harmony is bliss

Dave

Instead of going to Japonais, why not go to Mirai downstairs? Equally good sushi, though less hot appetizers, same exec chef and less of a scene downstairs. I absolutely love the food at Japonais but I cannot stand the crowd. It's very hard to hear one another and the crowd is downright rude.

The downstairs of Japonais is also named Mirai? Huh.

Christopher Gordon wrote:

jpschust wrote:

bluesman wrote:Hey Gang

It's my wife's b-day on Thursday. She mentioned Japonais.
Any thoughts? We're 40ish with kids, not scenesters at all.
But hey 7:30ish on a Thursday in March. Might be manageable

Share thoughts, food service etc

Domestic harmony is bliss

Dave

Instead of going to Japonais, why not go to Mirai downstairs? Equally good sushi, though less hot appetizers, same exec chef and less of a scene downstairs. I absolutely love the food at Japonais but I cannot stand the crowd. It's very hard to hear one another and the crowd is downright rude.

No, Mirai is a separate restaurant, same exec chef. Downstairs in Mirai is not particularly clubby or sceney at all (that's a bit more upstairs and even less so since the smoking ban)

The downstairs of Japonais is also named Mirai? Huh.

jpschust wrote:

Christopher Gordon wrote:

jpschust wrote:

bluesman wrote:Hey Gang

It's my wife's b-day on Thursday. She mentioned Japonais.
Any thoughts? We're 40ish with kids, not scenesters at all.
But hey 7:30ish on a Thursday in March. Might be manageable

Share thoughts, food service etc

Domestic harmony is bliss

Dave

Instead of going to Japonais, why not go to Mirai downstairs? Equally good sushi, though less hot appetizers, same exec chef and less of a scene downstairs. I absolutely love the food at Japonais but I cannot stand the crowd. It's very hard to hear one another and the crowd is downright rude.

No, Mirai is a separate restaurant, same exec chef. Downstairs in Mirai is not particularly clubby or sceney at all (that's a bit more upstairs and even less so since the smoking ban)

The downstairs of Japonais is also named Mirai? Huh.

Ahhh...I see. Your sentence confused me for a moment. I'm already aware of the J&M connection. Does Japonais even have a downstairs?

The downstairs of Japonais is the bar/lounge.

jesteinf wrote:The downstairs of Japonais is the bar/lounge.

and even more fun than the crowd upstairs!

jpschust wrote:Instead of going to Japonais, why not go to Mirai downstairs?

I second this recommendation. Mirai downstairs feels more casual, but it's still nice--not shabby at all, definitely suitable for a birthday dinner. It's an intimate space. Even upstairs at Mirai is too much of a scene for me, so I would never consider Japonais for a meal.

Hello,

We received a gift certificate and are eating there tonight. Anybody have recos on what to order?

rachel2025 wrote:Hello,

We received a gift certificate and are eating there tonight. Anybody have recos on what to order?

a table outside on the river, and a bottle of good champagne. Then stop for some cheap thai food on your way home.

It's a nice day today, and the relatively serene and romantic riverside seating is the most positive thing I can recall about Japonais.

I had lunch there once, and the cooked items didn't do much for me. However, my wife and I once sat at the sushi bar and asked the chef to give us his best nigiri. We had one of the better sushi meals we've had in Chicago. I remember it was the first time I had monkfish liver.

Jonah

Don't listen to the haters: the fresh fish is always fantastic; the Kani Nigiri is also tasty (baked crab, wrapped in nori served warm with a lemon wedge). As far as the rolls go, I would definitely order the Tuna Tuna Salmon.

Also the waiters will not miss a chance to remind you that "the Chef recommends no sauce".

I can see how my post above might be interpreted in a way I don't intend. I do not hate the food at Japonais. In fact, it might even have been pretty good. I've been there 3 times, and I honestly don't remember a thing I ate except that one item had to be cooked on a hot rock to which it stuck to the point where it was impossible to peel off. But I do remember gorgeous women in short skirts sitting outside on feng shui style bamboo lounge chairs overlooking a pristine part of the Chicago river.

Thanks for the advice on all ends! I will definitely try the Kani Ngiri (sounds delicious), and since it's mine and Mr. 2025's first anniversary, a good bottle of champagne is also in order.

BTW, anybody know anything about their sakis? I have always liked saki, and this might be a good opp to try some of quality, which I have never done either.

I'll report back later tonight, if I am sober enough to type.

rachel2025 wrote:I'll report back later tonight, if I am sober enough to type.

To the best of my knowledge, sobriety has never been a requirement for posting on LTH ...

Kennyz wrote: I've been there 3 times, and I honestly don't remember a thing I ate except that one item had to be cooked on a hot rock to which it stuck to the point where it was impossible to peel off. But I do remember gorgeous women in short skirts sitting outside on feng shui style bamboo lounge chairs overlooking a pristine part of the Chicago river.

Visually, Japonais is pleasant, but that hot rock cooking was, I thought, a mis-step. I've eaten there only once, and that was earlier this year with a contingent of California wine folks. During the early part of the meal, several of our party commented that they smelled something burning; turns out, the hot-rock-cooked food was giving off what smelled like a mistake. It's a Kute Koncept, but I don't think the rock cookery works from an olfactory, taste or logistics angle. Still, like other aspects of the place, it was fun to look at.

I'm not a femi-nazi, but more and more on this site people are making comments like below on this board. Is this really necessary? If it's okay, then I'll start commenting about the hot men with tight pants that I saw at Kuma's the other night.

But I do remember gorgeous women in short skirts sitting outside on feng shui style bamboo lounge chairs overlooking a pristine part of the Chicago river.

Shaggywillis wrote:I'm not a femi-nazi, but more and more on this site people are making comments like below on this board. Is this really necessary? If it's okay, then I'll start commenting about the hot men with tight pants that I saw at Kuma's the other night.

But I do remember gorgeous women in short skirts sitting outside on feng shui style bamboo lounge chairs overlooking a pristine part of the Chicago river.

If the hot men in tight pants are the most memorable part of your dining experience, you should feel free to mention it, especially if, like kenny, you can do so in a non-gratuitous manner. I'm guessing he would have appreciated more memorable food, which I took as the real meaning behind his comment.

Have you eaten at Medieval Times? The food's pretty bad there but all the men wear tights (and carry weapons)!

=R=

Have you eaten at Medieval Times? The food's pretty bad there but all the men wear tights (and carry weapons)!

LOL, not since 6th grade. And if we're talking fetishes, then this is definitely the wrong place.

Shaggywillis wrote:

Have you eaten at Medieval Times? The food's pretty bad there but all the men wear tights (and carry weapons)!

LOL, not since 6th grade. And if we're talking fetishes, then this is definitely the wrong place.

I take it you have not been to the torture dungeon?

nr706 wrote:

rachel2025 wrote:I'll report back later tonight, if I am sober enough to type.

To the best of my knowledge, sobriety has never been a requirement for posting on LTH ...

OB chi.eats

Please do not post while dronck

but all the men wear tights

AHEM. Speaking of which...

I take it you have not been to the torture dungeon?

18th and Halsted, across from the red line, oh I've heard about it.

There's no red line stop at 18th and halsted!

There's no red line stop at 18th and halsted!

Well, there is some El stop across the street, maybe brown then. But I think I'm right.

There's a Metra stop, but that's it.

That's at 16th

Reporting back on Japonais anniversary dinner:

As expected, most of our meal was good but not memorable. Service was spotty: The hosts were great, manager was very nice, bussers were fantastic; but our server was disinterested at best.

That said, there was one thing that was outstanding: the saki martini. I'm a vodka martini lover, and I've always enjoyed saki. When the two come together, shaken not stirred...holy crap. Thinking about it is making me drool a little. A little bit of saki, a little bit of vodka with a few of cucumbers lining the bottom of the glass. I can think of nothing more refreshing, nor can I come up with a better pairing for sushi. I only wish our server had been paying enough attention to offer me a second before the end of the meal!

I will definitely be back to the bar downstairs just to have this again. I'm not normally one to spend $13 on one drink, but it was absolutely worth it.

Also very good were: the Kani Nigiri (thanks for the reco!), the bbq short ribs w sweet potato fries and spicy mayo (actually, these were delicious), kobi beef kebabs, and the unagi.

We avoided the hot rocks, as advised, despite getting the hard sell from our server! Tempura was kind of sad, seafood consumme (with shrimp balls) was bland, sashimi and rolls didn't seem any better than your general non-hyped sushi joint. Based on everything I've heard (except for you, loyal lth-ers), I was expecting an amazing meal. And maybe that's the letdown. For the money, you can get a better meal or several!

Thanks so much for steering me toward the crab and away from the hot rocks! It definitely positively affected our experience!

p.s. We followed up dinner with drinks at the Violet Hour. Delicious. But that's another entry.