NOW CLOSED...Formerly: 
Benihana's "entertainment dining" concept seals its status as the Disneyland of Japanese dining. The countrywide chain is as famous for carefully choreographed cooking and theatrical presentation as it is for meaty, Japanese steakhouse fare. Here, knife-yielding performers cook up your meal teppanyaki style ("teppan" refers to the steel grill and "yaki" means boiled). In English: expect a lot of slicing, dicing and sizzling to go down right at your table.
The Superior Street location takes up two, full-o-fragrance levels. Really, be warned that you may emerge smelling like Eau de Benihana. But it's probably only natural that the air is a little frying-pan scented when there's so much, um, frying going on. Guests sit at low tables that surround hibachi grills; black and red vents hover above. Traditional Japanese images (you'll see plenty of that waving, black-and-white cat, a few happy Buddhas and a multitude of cherry blossoms) appear in prints along the walls. The lower level houses a sushi bar and a few cafe-style tables.
Around lunchtime, the place fills in with Michigan-Avenue-loving tourists and a few folks taking a break from nearby office buildings. Specials that cost about $8 include the traditional Japanese Bento Box, containing your choice of beef, chicken or salmon teriyaki served with miso or onion soup, salad, a California roll and shrimp and vegetable tempura. You'll get an equal bellyful at dinner, as traditional and specialty meals are sided by soup, salads, a shrimp appetizer, hibachi vegetables, green tea and dessert. Try the Land n' Sea (tenderloin and scallops) or the Behihana Delight (chicken and shrimp) cooked—how else—right before your eyes.
Reviewed By: Jennifer Berg
