Ukiah Japanese Smokehouse — Restaurant in Asheville

This restaurant is branded as a "Japanese Smokehouse" but the only thing about it that's Japanese are the ingredients. It felt like an episode of Chopped where they gave a BBQ guy who wasn't familiar with Japanese cuisine a bunch of Japanese ingredients and he had to make something. The concept represents itself as being way more Japanese flavor focused than it really is and they didn't execute well on most of the flavors listed. It was pretty disappointing considering both the price and how good everything on the menu sounded. If, like me, you go in believing that this concept will be Japanese flavors executed through a southern/BBQ perspective, you will be let down. It's basically whatever ingredients are listed with some vaguely Japanese inspired accompaniment. The things that were trying to be strictly Japanese (ex. unagi skewer) were not prepared as well as a Japanese restaurant would prepare them so it ended up feeling like a bad cover song.

Also, I'm not sure if something was going wrong staffing wise but the service wasn't what I would expect for the price. The manager kept yelling "Service Please!" to try to get servers that were yapping to run plates and it was harshing up the vibe. I must have heard that echo through the restaurant at least 20 times in the hour and a half that we were there. Which brings me to my next point: service was very slow. We ordered 3 small plates, then when the first one came out we ordered 3 more. The server came over 3 times to ask if we had received various items from the first set of plates we ordered (we hadn't). Then, after those first 3 came out, it took a really long time for the next set of things to come out. I wasn't watching the clock but I would estimate that it was 25 minutes before anything else started coming out, and then it was staggered after that. I don't mind waiting for food, but the pacing was just not good. Having plates come out steadily and then a long gap breaks up the continuity of the meal.

Back to the food. Where is the rice guys? If you replaced the burned and greasy rye bread on the pork shoulder plate with some well prepared short grain Japanese rice, it would be a much better plate. Also, that plate had nothing Japanese whatsoever on it. We had: pulled pork. It was good but just regular old pulled pork. "Yuzu pickle" that was not a pickle and was not good. Replace that with sunomono and it would be way better. The BBQ sauce was just sweet mustard + vinegar bbq sauce, and then there was a korean teriyaki that tasted processed like they mixed premade teriyaki and bulgogi sauce together. Then fire roasted kimchi which was the best thing on the plate but still not Japanese. That plate was a perfect example of the lack of refinement, direction, and execution that made this meal disappointing overall.

It's sad because the idea of the concept itself is so cool. With the right editing and direction, this restaurant could be one of the best concepts around. They got the BBQ part down, but they need someone at the helm who actually understands...

Edited in September 2024 to give five stars:

We visited a year ago and you can read that below. Last weekend we had friends visiting from out of town and we were catching a show so decided to get hotel rooms nearby and grab dinner.

My sister recommended we revisit Ukiah because she said that service had drastically improved. My husband and I decided to take a chance and made a reservation for four.

I'm so glad we did.

The food was just as good as it was last time - which is really excellent. This is big city quality food. We're lucky to have it nearby.

This time service was great. They told us what each dish was as they set it down. Our server and the food runners were attentive.

I think that what really made this visit enjoyable was that none of the staff seemed overwhelmed.

Whatever is happening is working.

I won't wait a whole year before I eat here again.

Original review from October 2023:

I've really been wanting to try this place. We live about 30 miles away and we LOVE good food. So, I was excited when we decided to book a romantic night in Asheville and got a reservation here.

We did the tasting menu and I added drinks to mine.

The food was excellent - top tier, loved it. But, we were really put off by the service and unfortunately it ruined the experience.

The first five courses came out in very quick succession in the first ten minutes or so and we felt overwhelmed. Also, the food runners just plop everything down and don't tell you what anything is, or in some cases the best way to eat it. I have no idea what I ate.

Meanwhile the drink add-on was supposed to feature 4 drinks. I had only had a Sapporo when I had to ask our server where my second drink was. He explained that the drinks aren't pairings. They just come out when they come out. I told him that I understood that but that we were on the sixth course already and I should have received a second drink. Two of the four drinks weren't drinkable and I didn't drink them.

The rest of the courses were brought out very slowly. At the end we were offered coffee, which they forgot to bring (I think just forgot about us in general) for a long time.

I think they're either having issues with staffing and training or something about their system just doesn't work. Our server was also bartending and having to make drinks for his own tables. I felt bad for him because it seemed like everyone was stretched a little thin and he was really personable and was trying hard.

In the end they took the drinks and espressos off the bill, which was a really nice gesture because we didn't ask and would have just paid for them anyway.

My recommendation is to NOT get the tasting menus. Just order what you want and enjoy yourself. The pace of the tastings felt chaotic and made me kind of anxious.

I'll definitely go back for the food but not the...

Dinner with friends as we experience new restaurants in town, especially Japanese cuisine which we all really enjoy.

I read many reviews before coming so I had an idea of what Ukiah was about and what dishes people talked about. It was super helpful to me to know that it's like tapas, where you order several plates of small portions to share.

Parking is often a problem in Asheville. If you go for dinner, off street parking after 6pm is free, FYI.

I learned the broth in the bowls was mild for many palates, including my friends that evening who ordered the duck hot pot and spicy pork bowl. No noodles in duck pot. Noodles in pork bowl were wheat. Unsure if they offer GF options for noodles. They serve the bowls with a ladle, no spoon, and chop sticks. I just slurped from the bowl when I tasted my friend's dish.

Their thoughts: more flavor in broth, add extra hot spice, more vegetables, and more duck in the hot pot.

I tried the duck broth and it was a pleasant taste, but my palette desired more of something missing, especially if I continued to have only that as my dish. It fell flat which was similar to other reviews.

Beech Mushroom Tempura was a favorite amongst 2 of the 4 of us, and many reviewers! I liked it a lot, but the batter can get too much for me, even though it tasted divine and the sauce was yu-mmmy!

Two out of four loved the Sea Bass on sticks best. The lemon and spices made this fish pop with delightful flavors in the mouth.

Salmon Sashimi was perfect in is tenderness. Avocado salad was refreshing and light. Reviews suggested the salad for it's abundant and fresh microgreens and avocado. A definite must!

Friends ordered the Crispy Pork Bao. They are big dumpling folks. They really enjoyed it. I tried a few bites and loved the flavor of the pickle with each bite.

Two ordered the sake in this little blue can(photo attached.) One of the best nigori sakes I ever tasted.

To top of the dinner, Coconut Cake to share. Tall and dense layered cake with cream cheese cake as the filling and top. It has a side of delicious coconut ice cream and toasted coconut. This would be too much for one person. Extremely tasty.

While we had one waitress, we noticed each dish was brought out by a different person. I think it would be a really nice added touch of customer service and for dining experience if each who brought a dish, described it a little too those at the table. The waitress who brought the cake described it and I appreciated it very much.

A bit expensive - $90+ for each couple. Tapas restaurants are usually more money. I think it's worth it for those who are foodies and enjoy eclectic, pleasant, and tasty bites.

Overall, we enjoyed the outside patio dining and the Japanese...