Flying broccoli

Jim and Nancy do not disclose the fact that they will review a restaurant before they attend, ensuring their reviews are unbiased and uninfluenced by their position with the Sun Day.

We have been having a rough couple of months (health wise), and both of us needed a fun date night with dinner and a show. What better way to combine both of these than at a Japanese hibachi restaurant. We literally have to lock Rosie in her crate since she is an escape artist and opened the latches and got out twice!!! Feeling confident that she was secured, we jumped into the Mini-Mobile and headed out to Arlington Heights to dine at Rokbonki Japanese Steakhouse.

It is nestled in the middle of a shopping center and you would never guess it contains 14 hibachi tables, small and large, which seat 8 or 12 people respectively. They also have a large sushi bar in its own separate area and a smaller bar to sit and have a drink while waiting for your table.

Now for dinner. Nancy ordered the combo meal of shrimp and scallops

($48). The shrimp could be cooked one of three ways: spicy garlic (cayenne pepper, garlic butter and bread crumb topping), hibachi, or Tokyo style (egg yolk mixture as a topping). What a surprise, she ordered it prepared spicy garlic style, go figure. She loves her scallops browned and crunchy, and that’s exactly what she got. She loves this combination, especially the spicy garlic shrimp. They tasted even better with the “cheater chopsticks” that the chef gave to Nancy and the other kids at the table.

Jim ordered, the New York Steak and shrimp combo ($44). He asked for the steak to be cooked teriyaki style with mushrooms and the shrimp, spicy garlic style to combat Nancy’s garlic shrimp. Both the shrimp and the steak were cooked to perfection.

All entrees come with a hibachi shrimp appetizer, chicken noodle soup and a salad with ginger dressing. You also get a nice portion of noodles with a sweet teriyaki sauce and a pile of veggies which consisted of onions, zucchini, carrots and broccoli. All of this is grilled in front of you and seasoned to perfection.

White rice is included with all of the entrees. The combination entrees come with fried rice.

On to the show… The chef proved to be hilarious. Upon his arrival he set the grill ablaze (Jim doesn’t have to trim his eyebrows this week). His repertoire also consists of the mandatory onion volcano. Kudos to our chef, he finally found a good use for broccoli. He kept on tossing it at each one of us at the table until we caught it in our mouths. Of course, most of it wound up on the floor.

For dessert, they give you a small scoop (called a nerdle in the Eggers household) of either rainbow sherbet or chocolate ice cream. Jim had the rainbow sherbet, and I chose the chocolate ice cream.

When it comes to hibachi restaurants, this one is by far the tastiest of them all. You do get a lot of food for the money, and the chefs are really talented, and their cooking skills will entertain you with a non-stop show.

FYI: This restaurant is handicap accessible and reservations are a must on week-ends, otherwise be prepared for a long wait.

The price for our entertaining date night was $110.69. Throwing broccoli on the floor, priceless…

Jim’s take: The sweetness of the teriyaki steak and the spiciness of the garlic shrimp was an out of this world combination.

Nancy’s take: Of all the hibachi restaurants we have frequented, this is the only one that gives you those delicious teriyaki noodles included with your meal. They were so good…

Have comments or restaurant suggestions for the Dining Duo? Send them an email at thediningduo@gmail.com.

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