Hibachi Grill (in Jillian's)
Anne Arundel Mills Mall, MD
 Price:$$$$ Decor: Jillian's has a casual but respectful policy (ie. nothing obscene and no hats)
 Summary: Eat and Party
(3 crabs out of 5)


Karen-Chaos! Colors! Soul Train! Stripping! After our blur of an evening at the Hibachi Grill in Jillian's, where one minute the table next to you is screaming for the next round and the next you find yourself bopping down to the aisle to "She's a Brickhouse," I can safely say, anything goes. On our St. Patrick's Day trip the beer was flowing and plastic shamrocks they gave out were blinking like mad. And oh yeah, and food was tossed in there somewhere-quite literally. Let's put it this way: I found dried fried rice in my hair and socks the next day.

Paul- Yeah it was pretty wild....Of course my favorite part was the stripping...Now calm down guys it didnt go that far. It was some guy birthday so this female chef blindfolded on of her customers and started to do a little strip for him. She only got down to her tank top but it was the though that counts.....I mean it was totally disrepectful and I didnt watch a bit of it...no sir...not me..........ahem.


Karen-The chef/wait staff of Hibachi have taken the Japanese steakhouse to a lunatic extreme, throwing huge globs of rice everywhere and putting on a show which lasts your whole meal. They yell, they joke, they put on a striptease for the shocked (and certainly pleased, I'm sure) men at the next table over. They will also grill your food at your table with striking acrobatic effect-although each person's mound of pre-picked meat was definitely on the skimpy side. Of course, it doesn't take you long to realize that the chicken, shrimp, or steak bits on rice is not why you come. Food is merely an accessory in the heart-pounding club atmosphere, which provided the only restaurant environment I've ever experienced in which I felt totally free (and indeed obliged) to hurl my dinner at the guests across the table.

Paul- That is for sure, dont come for the food. It is ok and over priced. You come totally for the atmosphere. I am a pretty quiet guy and even I started dancing. And to be fair to the ladies, I've been told that the guy chefs are cute and flirty so you'll have something to do while we males mindlessly enjoy the other goings on.
Karen-This evening will leave you out about 15 dollars per person, but plan to spend more on the tip than normal (hard to say no to a man who's been at his frantic antics for hours, especially when you're tipsy).

Paul- oh yeah the tip. You almost have to tip at least 20% for the show. They do all these tricks right in front of you and get you the food pretty fast once they get there. They all seem to be pretty nice and they seem to have a feel for a crowd. Like the stipper chef knew that her table would go for it while our table was more of a dork party so our chef was a bit more calm and went along with that while properly prodding us into a playful mood.

Karen-Don't dress nicely, and don't expect white linen table cloths-but do make sure you get reservations, as the joint can be quickly packed. We did not get reservations till 10:00, and even then there was a wait. Still, even though Hibachi Grill was a madcap experience that made me wonder if the cooks themselves hadn't had a little too much of the brew, it makes a good to cap off an evening of games and drinking in Jillian's itself.

Reviewed-March17, 2001

$$$$$-over 20 dollars
$$$$-15 to 20 dollars
$$$-11 to 15 dollars
$$-5 to 11 dollars
 $-Below 5