Shabu — Restaurant in Park City

I’m not trying to bum out all the 5 Star reviewers here, but as someone whose had my fair share of cuisine from the far off east, and after an evening at Shabu with a group of 5 that felt like a typical night here, I’m feeling like Shabu lands more around the 2.5-3 Star range. Let me maybe throw out a caveat here and state that this range may be more appropriate for those traveling from the coasts ☺.

So, why the mediocre feel you ask, well, let’s dive in! You walk down into the restaurant and it feels more like your local spot for beers as opposed to a $$$ restaurant that’s also noted as one of the top spots in Park City. Service came with a smile, that was nice, but after a sampling of several sushi plates, a ramen bowl and the FireCracker Shrimp, everyone promptly lifted their heads with that “meh” look. The FC Shrimp was the highlight and actually was pretty good.

You compare the price of any ramen bowl around the world in any style of ramen shop and overlay this on a Shabu bowl, containing what felt to be spaghetti noodles and broth that seemed like warmed over gravy, and you’re going to get the “what the” look at your table. Add to that the sushi, although very presentable and ok, had a somewhat moist and tasteless sensation to it (does anyone know what I’m talking about here!), and our 5 independent minds were peering around the room asking what did we get into.

I’m not a ramen snob, I actually hit up Whole Foods for a tasty bowl frequently, as well as trips to D.C.’s Daikaya and of course Ivan Ramen (who hasn’t seen Chef’s Table!?!), and even my rookie mindset knew something was amiss.

Ok, if this place was a $-$$ pricing system and you wanted to go somewhere with the mates to crack open some beers and eat some east cuisine, I’d be totally down with that. Like the Cabin with ramen, that would be cool, but Shabu isn’t representing themselves as that type of place so I have to put a hold button out there for you. Per Google though, “Warm, sophisticated ding room & sake bar with refined Japanese fare including sushi and...

One of the best dining experiences I've had in Utah, and the quality of the fish is absolutely amazing.

First, one of the members of our group has a severe gluten allergy. The staff were so friendly and accommodating with regards to making sure that certain parts of our meal were gluten free. There's even a whole gluten free menu that's available upon request.

We ordered a bunch of food to share, so I got to try a little bit of everything.

Appetizers: Blistered Green Beans - YUM. So delicious. The sauce was a perfect companion to the perfectly cooked beans.

Firecracker Shrimp - A huge win. The shrimp was battered perfectly, and cooked to perfection. Not at all overcooked and rubbery like other fried shrimp I've had.

Hot Beef Rock - They bring out thin raw slices of meat, a buttery sauce in which to dip the slices, and a super hot sizzling rock on which to sear them. We got one of each, Japanese and American. While both are amazing - the Japanese is the clear winner. The meat is perfectly marbleized and melts in your mouth. Worth the pricey upgrade. They even brought out a separate rock and gluten-free sauce for our friend.

Sushi:

Ikura (Salmon Roe) - One of my favorite types of sushi. I've tried this at several other Utah sushi restaurants and it was obvious to me it wasn't the freshest. This version was AWESOME. Supreme quality, no fishy taste, and looked super fresh.

Honey Roll - I really enjoyed it, but it was a pinch sweet for me. I preferred the Yellow Widow roll which was simpler.

Yellow Widow Roll - The soft shell crab was cooked perfectly. Out of the two rolls, this was my favorite.

Our friend with the gluten allergy had miso black cod. She absolutely adored it - said it was one of the best fish dishes she's ever tried.

The service was perfect - very attentive and our server Lisa was knowledgable about the sake selection and dishes.

I highly recommend trying Shabu. Make reservations in advance if you go. They're quite busy on the weekends. We had to wait about 45 minutes for a party of 4...

I read horror stories about service. For me, it wasn't too shabby. They called a night prior to my reservation (Valentine's weekend) to confirm. We arrived about 10 minutes early and they seated us promptly and took our coats. We sat in a chef table, I never knew what that kind of table was but apparently, it's the table next to the chefs and one of them is also your server. Freddy was our server, he was great! However in the middle of our meal it was clear that he was swamped (as the place started to get packed!)

Appetizers: Seaweed Salad Squid Salad Both were great at the start, but after time, the taste was overpowering. I want to say they were overly vinegared. They give you a great portion for appetizer, but it becomes difficult to finish.

Sushi rolls, nothing to rave about. Was so so. Rainbow Roll Saki Maki Roll

Japanese hot rock - It was delicious, but for $50, the amount you get is absurd. You could get a melt in your mouth steak at a fancy restaurant for that much! But I can vaguely remember you get about 10-12 thin slices of meat. I was left starving for more. They are supposed to be an equivalent to Kobe beef, and I've had Kobe beef for much cheaper.

Sashimi- AMAZING. Salmon was just beautiful. I actually dislike the taste of salmon but the wife made me try it and I had a major change of heart. Blue fin, not for me but the wife, thumbs up!

We ordered dessert but the kitchen was so swamped and we had to catch our show. After about 25 minutes, we weren't able to receive our dessert and cashed out. This is where my huge downside was.

The bill came to about $160, $191 after tip. I could have had a less of and up and down taste rollercoaster for almost half the bill at a...