Hibachi Grill - Wheeling

I had read about this place on ‘Openings/Closings’. I thought I would give it a try. I went there for lunch and I think the price was around $10. They had a very large selection of items, with a concentration on seafood.

To me it was a standard Chicago area Oriental buffet, quantity over quality. If an average Oriental buffet is a 5, then this was a 6. The notice on its opening mentioned that they offered sushi and sashimi. I never saw the sashimi. They did have a variety of sushi, which I thought was good.

I had a piece of baked salmon that I would rate as good, for a buffet, but it was on the dry side. I had a fried white fish fresh off the grill that was very tasty. I asked what kind of fish it was and didn’t get an answer.

I guess this points up my biggest problem with this place. I am ignorant as regards Oriental foods and I only speak English. It seemed every question I asked was met with a response I just didn’t know what they were saying. Some of the items had labels, but others did not. I had some boiled shrimp with what I thought was cocktail sauce, but it was extremely hot. I tried another and that was ok.

They have a lot of condiment type items and Dim Sum, that I didn’t know. Next time I should ask for a tour guide.

They had a sign that said snow crab legs available for dinner only. I would imagine their dinner choices (and price) are better. But if you are in the area I think it is worth the $10 lunch price.

D.

Hibachi Grill
548 W Dundee Rd
(between Mchenry Rd & Wheeling Rd)
Wheeling, IL 60090

I work pretty close, and I'm very bullish on this place for lunch. I've been 5 times or so since it has opened. For the price, it's quite decent. Up this way, a respectable dog, fries, and coke is 7 bucks. You're not in Kansas anymore up here. That said, if you know what to get at Hibachi Grill, you are definitely doing good for the price. When my workmates and I come here, it's primarily for the sushi. The fish is much better than any of us had expected for the price. At lunch, I've mainly seen maki - only a VERY limited nigiri offering once. Rumor is, that at dinner, there is much more. Usually, I simply stick to spicy tuna, tuna with avocado, and salmon with avocado. There are usually 6 or 7 other maki offerings, but I shy away. From the hot food section, the clams are surprisingly good, as are the potstickers. They have a dish labeled black pepper chicken that I always get if it's out as well. It's fried chicken chunks with a very lite sweet/sour thing going on. Never swimming in sauce - more like a glaze. I normally grab a chunk of their General Tso's Chicken if I see it coming out fresh too. The food is not laid out in massive vats, and seems to be replenshed frequently. The joke around the office is that we should "enjoy it while we can" before they start slopping the troughs with garbage. One drawback about the sushi however, is that they just don't season the rice well, IMO. If they did, I'd go back more - the fish is pretty good for that price point. Everyone from the office I know who goes there is surprised by the fish quality (for the price, mind you.) I know I was expecting it to be dreadful. A few workmates also really enjoy the Hibachi section, but I'm going there for sushi first, and other things second.

I kinda dig the place for the price, but I've honed in on what to target:
clams
tuna and salmon maki with avocado, spicy tuna rolls
Black Pepper chicken
potstickers
And generally nothing else.

The wife and I stopped in for dinner last Friday ($15.95, drink extra). I was anxious to try the place since I posted it on "Coming and Goings."

I agree with the dodger and seebee that it is a good value for the money. There was a nice selection of sushi and california rolls as well as some fresh tasting sashimi. The peeled shrimps were OK and they had some cold baby octopus that I enjoyed. The steamed crab legs were better than most other buffets - firm and with some taste rather than mushy and tasteless. A nice selection of hot items too featuring lots of seafood. The disappointment to me was the "hibatchi" grilled steak. Very chewy with little flavor. I'd pass on it next time. But, my wife had grilled shrimps and scallops that were very tasty.

Overall, it's worth a try and I think, right now, it's better than other buffets in the area. However, as seebee said, "The joke around the office is that we should 'enjoy it while we can' before they start slopping the troughs with garbage." That happens too often. I hope it doesn't happen here.