The chefs at Ginza have just the right balance of entertainment moves and actual cooking skills - which is, as far as I'm concerned, a minimum of the former and a maximum of the latter. The soup is a clear, peppery broth with a Zen-like arrangement of one mushroom slice and a sliver of green onion floating decoratively in it. The salad is the usual iceberg lettuce mix with a mayonnaisey dressing sparked with ginger. The real draw, though, at a Japanese steakhouse is that meats and seafood are cooked while you watch, then placed immediately on your plate. If the chef is skilled, you get your food exactly as ordered, and the grilling produces tender, flavorful results.
Portions are generous.
Dinners include a couple of appetizer shrimp sizzled on the grill. While the various meats and seafood are cooking, the chef slices, dices and cooks vegetables - onions, cabbage and zucchini. He seasons them with a firm hand. You can order more shrimp as your main course, or you can have teriyaki chicken, New York strip steak, scallops, filet mignon or lobster. Then there are combinations for those who can't make up their mind.