Gyu-Kaku: where happy hour is all night, but tonight only!

For those of you who happen to be near Victoria Gardens this evening, Gyu-Kaku is touting 99-cent draft beer, half-price appetizers, and $2.95 BBQ items.

Gyu-Kaku is Japanese BBQ restaurant which is a little different from your average barbecue establishment: you grill the food yourself! Special braziers are set into each table for cooking up the pre-seasoned treats which are brought to you.

You really can play with your food here, folks, and for just a little bit less, yay!

Gyu-Kaku is located at 7893 Monet Ave. in Rancho Cucamonga.

Friday reviews favor the West Valley

For this week’s reviews, we get a diverse pair of West Valley restaurants — Bento Box Japanese Grill in Ontario and Jim’s World Famous Charbroiled Hamburgers in Upland.

Elaine Lehman follows the Ontario police to the Bento Box Japanese Grill (2910 S. Archibald Ave., Suite C) and enjoys their “affordable,” “delicious” food.

You can check out her review here.

Let’s Dine Out Show’s Allan Borgen, on the other hand, visits Jim’s World Famous Charbroiled Hamburgers (969 W. Foothill Blvd.), which offers much more than just burgers.

Allan mentions the following menu items: chicken fried steak and eggs; Western omelette; pastrami sandwich; fried chicken; pastrami, chili and cheese burrito; Polish sausage sandwich; shakes; and pancakes.

I guess they’re called Jim’s World Famous Charbroiled Hamburgers because Jim’s World Famous Charbroiled Hamburgers, Chicken Fried Steak and Eggs, Western Omelettes, Pastrami Sandwiches, Fried Chicken, Pastrami, Chili and Cheese Burritos, Polish Sausage Sandwiches, Shakes and Pancakes just wouldn’t fit on the sign.

Or perhaps because only their burgers are world famous.

Whatever the case, Allan gives them four out of five stars…not bad.

Jim’s is legendary…I remember my uncle talking about them being one of his haunts back when he was working for Caltrans.

I’ve been there before, but not for a long, long time. I think it might be time for a return trip.

Click here to peruse Allan’s review.

Happy birthday, Kazama

The quaint sushi spot at the Village Expansion in Claremont is marking its one-year anniversary on Saturday. All beer and house sake at Kazama will be 50 percent off.

Kazama is one of the better Japanese restaurants in the 909. The eatery, which used to be in Upland, is owned by the husband-and-wife duo Shushke and Jenny Kazama. On most days, Shushke Kazama, a Tokyo-trained sushi chef, runs the joint behind the bar. Kazama is located

101 North Indian Hill Blvd. near the Coffee Bean.

Information: (909) 450-2505

 

How do you say “orange” in Japanese?

Why, it’s Mikan, of course!

How do I know this?

Am I fluent in Japanese?

No.

I read David Cohen’s review of the restaurant of that name at the corner of Pearl and Eureka streets (at the end of the eastbound Orange Street offramp of I-10…how appropriate).

He seemed to like it well enough, except for the loud, tipsy folks who came down from the upstairs bar to dine.

I have yet to dine at Mikan, but in general, I find most of the Inland Empire Japanese restaurants a little samey.

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Missing Pei Wei? Try Iron Chef Cafe!

In case you, like me, are sad about the closure of Pei Wei last year, there’s a new place for you to try.

Iron Chef Cafe in Ontario.

The Daily Bulletin‘s Elaine Lehman went to lunch there recently and offers her comments here.

Looking over the menu, it seems a lot like Pei Wei’s pan-Asian mix, although probably a little heavier on the Japanese side than Pei Wei.

Here’s a couple of little gifts for readers of Dine 909: First, a coupon for 50% off your second item. Download it here. Of course, it expires at the end of January, so if you want to check out Iron Chef Cafe, you better do it soon.
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