Ebisu

I have to admit that I have always kind of passed Ebisu by. Their web site has always made me think that the restaurant is sort of the Asian food equivalent of a Cactus Club or Earls or other chain. There is nothing wrong with those places other than that they seem to keep pretty much to the road most travelled and don't really specialize. Not to sound like a food snob (well maybe just a little) but that's just my thought process. We were intending to eat at a place along Broadway for dinner on Boxing Day but it turned out to be closed (they had posted the closing on Instagram so I can't be too grouchy about it). As we walked it seemed that every other place was closed also but then there was Ebisu. So getting hungry and being grateful to find someplace open, we decided to give them a try. 

We were seated right away at a nice big booth by a window (always happy to have space for taking pictures) and spent some time perusing the extensive menu.

It did not take me long to overcome my reticence about Ebisu as I decided to order freshly shucked oysters to start. I had not realized that they were on the Happy Hour menu at $6.50 for 5 so that made me happy! These little Royal Maiyagi oysters were delightfully cold and fresh and just nicely briny and served with a slightly spicy sauce! As Mharie is not a fan, I had them all to myself! Score!

We ordered Ika Karaage also off the HH menu and they arrived hot and crispy and served with spicy mayo. Nice!

Mharie chose the Bento Box with Sukiyaki and Karaage. Both were tasty enough but the chcken had a couple of inedible gristle pieces. The assorted tempura was OK as were the Dynamite and California rolls. It came with miso soup (you've seen that before) and a nice refreshing dish of ice cream to finish.

I had the Curry Katsu Rice. This was also tasty enough if not mind-blowing. I enjoyed it including the side salad. 

Ebisu is a comfortable place with very friendly and efficient service. They will have something for just about everyone so it might be a good place for the picky or the unadventurous. I feel like it was just about what I expected it to be but maybe a little better. And loved the oysters!

Food                 3 out of 5

Comfort            4 out of 5

Service             4 out of 5

Value                3 1/2 out of 5