Tokyo Steak and Seafood House

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By JEFF KORBELIK / GZO

Richard Kim is back on Lincoln’s restaurant scene, and diners should be thrilled.

His latest effort — the Tokyo Steak and Seafood House — is his best yet.

The new restaurant, located in the Bishop Heights shopping center at 27th Street and Nebraska 2, offers the complete dining experience — from atmosphere (check out the fish-filled fountain) to service to great food.

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Chef Andy Pham dazzles dinner guests with flame and flash at Tokyo Seafood and Steakhouse. (Eric Gregory)

Tokyo Steak and Seafood House features teppanyaki cooking, with chefs preparing meals tableside, as well as a top-notch sushi bar.

Kim has been in the restaurant business for 28 years, including 15 in Lincoln.

“I’ve been at this for a long time,” he said. “I enjoy it. I can’t change now. I’m too old.”

Kim opened the original Shogun at the Edgewood Shopping Center and later Kabuki, a sushi bar at 48th Street and Nebraska 2.

He sold Kabuki in order to revisit the teppanyaki style of cooking he introduced to the city, especially after many of his old customers kept asking him to.

“I’m more experienced at it than anybody else (in Lincoln),” he said.

It’s hard to argue with him. Kim knows how to run this kind of Japanese steakhouse.

He put his new restaurant in the space once occupied by Bob’s Gridiron Grille and, before that, Jax Shack. Patrons of those will be amazed by how different it looks now.

One part of the restaurant is set up for teppanyaki, with 12 eight-seat grills. Tokyo also has an area for sushi dining, a bar for overflow and party rooms.

Kim designed the restaurant and it has, of course, an Asian flair, with paper lampshades, various Asian script, paintings and prints. It also features Kim’s love for fish, with aquariums and the fountain.

I stopped in with my companion Saturday evening to enjoy sushi and the showmanship of teppanyaki cooking. We weren’t disappointed.

Patrons can skip teppanyaki and order from a menu in the sushi bar, but they will miss out on the fun. Servers seat patrons, bring them drinks, salads, soup and sushi until all or most of the chairs at a grill are filled.  

Then comes the spectacle.

Tokyo has six teppanyaki chefs, including Kim. They juggle cutlery, build flaming volcanos out of onion slices and toss shrimp into diners’ mouths (for the record, I caught mine).

Kids love the theatrics. A mom and dad with 4-year-old twin girls were at my table, and the little ones couldn’t stop grinning. One of them dove for cover when the chef reached for the flammable oil. It was cute.

 As Kim stressed, the show is second to the the food. He’s right. The menu features several teppanyaki dinners made with beef, poultry and seafood. Prices range from $14.95 (chicken) to $36.95 (lobster tail, shrimp, scallops).

I had New York steak and shrimp ($21.95), and my companion ordered scallops ($19.95). Each entree is served with hibachi veggies (squash, broccoli, mushrooms and onions).

Tokyo has three sushi chefs, with a variety of rolls and two-piece sushi and sashimi available. We ordered two rolls: Rainbow Maki (four kinds of fish with avocado for $11.95) and Spider Maki (soft shell crab, egg, roe and vegetables for $10.95).

Eating at Tokyo Steak and Seafood House can be expensive. With drinks, sushi and teppanyaki entrees, our bill came to $78. But you’re paying as much for the experience as you are the food.

Our experience was memorable. Kim’s restaurant should become a Lincoln favorite.

Reach Jeff Korbelik at 473-7213 or jkorbelik@journalstar.com.