Dinner Is the Show at Okawa Steak House and Sushi in Santee

Overview: Similar in style to the popular Japanese chain restaurant Benihana, the performance is even more exciting than the food. Okawa Steak House and Sushi is known for Japanese grill artists who put on a wild show for the guests. The fresh sushi bar is just as delicious—just remember it's the grill chefs who turn up the heat at this restaurant, not the sushi chefs.

Decor: The walls are bright red and have a few, artfully placed Japanese hangings to adorn the walls. The large tables seat several parties around them, with a grill in the middle of the table for the chef to cook in front of you. 

The show usually begins with a burst of flame to the ceiling, which is very exciting and a little scary to some of the very young children in the room. The children soon forget to be afraid as the show goes on and the chef begins juggling raw eggs, tossing one up into his hat or his jacket pocket, then breaking them into the fried rice.

Perhaps the most exciting part is when he shouts “SAKE!” and grabs a squeeze bottle off his cart to shoot a stream of sake (a Japanese rice wine) into a patron's mouth from three feet away!

The show leads up to grilling the meat you have ordered—shrimp, lobster, scallops, chicken and steak are on the menu. It is so much fun to watch, and then you get to eat what you have seen prepared. The whole family will go home happy after this meal. 

This family-style restaurant has a very relaxed and fun atmosphere. Since everyone is seated around the table together, it is a nice opportunity to meet some new people and maybe make some friends.

Entrees and Sides: The menu is extensive. There are a variety of appetizers and soups to start. The sushi and sashimi menu features several signature rolls from which to choose.

The main part of the menu involves choosing the meat to grill and additions such as fried rice. The grilled dinners include a soup and salad, noodles, rice, grilled fresh vegetables, and your meat selection. They serve several sauces alongside the meat and fish to enhance the flavors of each meal. We wanted to try several things, so we opted to split a grilled dinner for $4 extra, which came with a soup and salad for each of us and half portions of the meats.

We also ordered a gyoza appetizer which was one of the best I've had. Tender gyoza skins lightly browned with a light, pork filling and tasty traditional mirin-based dipping sauce. The restaurant's signature roll, the Okawa roll, was packed with three kinds of raw fish, ahi, hamachi and salmon, and loaded with masago (tiny red fish roe).  The fish was very fresh and delicious—I would certainly go back and just have sushi!

The scallops and steak we ordered were perfectly cooked and nicely seasoned.  There is something lacking in presentation on the plate, however, but it gets made up for in the performance of the cooking process.

Service:  The service is fast and friendly. My water glass was always filled, which is an important indication of good service to me.

is located at 9720 Mission Gorge Road, Santee. The  phone number is 619-258-9988. Hours are Monday-Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., and 4:30 to 10 p.m.; Frdiay-Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.; and Sunday, 12:30 to 10 p.m.

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