Sekisui (East)

Sekisui-East
50 Humphreys Center Suite 16
747-0001

I'm pretty sure Sekisui (East) had at least one staff member resign after we left last night.

It was Jiro's second birthday dinner, so I invited my mom, my sister, and her two monkeys (ages 10 and 7) to join us in a private party room. I made reservations for 5:15pm, feeling sure we'd be among the only patrons at that early hour. I picked my monkeys (Jiro and older brother Satchel, age 4) up early from school so they'd have plenty of time to get their ya-yas out before being asked to sit still for at least an hour.

My careful planning did squat.

At 5:30, the restaurant was pretty full of people taking advantage of the early bird specials and confining the monkeys to a party room only made them feel 100% comfortable to climb the walls and run amok. As an added bonus, everyone was instructed to take their shoes off before entering the party room, so that when the monkeys eventually escaped, they were barefoot. When I chased them down in the bathroom, I realized I was barefoot too. Not a happy feeling for someone who just recovered from a 4 day bout with a nasty stomach virus.

But I digress.

We were happy to discover that Sekisui (East) now has an entirely new restaurant within itself called Crazy Hibachi. Warren and my sister both salivated at sight of the Hibachi menu and both let out an audible whimper when the waiter informed us that we could only order off of the Hibachi menu if we sat in the Hibachi room.

Whatever.

I was a bit bummed by the sushi menu and spent way too long staring at it. This, coupled with the Hibachi let down, caused us to take entirely too much time to order. The monkeys had finished their edamame way before Warren and Tracey decided on tempura dishes and I discovered the special sushi menu that was sitting just two feet in front of me the whole time. I was happy to see that Sekisui (East), like most of the other Sekisui restaurants, had its own special rolls. I was so hungry, I had a hard time narrowing it down. I finally went with the Miami (Raw Tuna and Shrimp Tempura), the Surf & Turf (Blue Crab and Filet Mignon), the Mimi (shrimp, crab, apples, and avocado), and the King Crab rolls.

Once we got our order in, we tried distracting the monkeys with gifts and miso soup, but all they wanted to do was stare into the aquariums outside the party room.

I was pleased beyond belief that our food came out amazingly quick. There must have been some magic sushi dust in the air, because my ten-year-old nephew ate an entire sushi sampler (when he usually just eats a crunchy shrimp roll), and the monkeys showed interest in actual sushi (not just rice balls) for the first time ever. Jiro grabbed a piece of Surf & Turf the minute the waiter set it down and shoved the whole thing in his mouth. It took him a good two minutes to chew it up completely, but he delighted in every masticulation. He liked it so much, he went for a piece of the Miami and then two more pieces of Surf & Turf. I was amazed.

When our waiter came to check on us, I had to order more. Before I could, Satchel and Jiro both simultaneously started screaming at the top of their lungs. I believe Satchel got some wasabi in his eye and Jiro was pissed because I wouldn't let him dip the digital camera into the soy sauce. The look of fear in our waiter's eyes made me wonder if he had a pregnant wife at home.

Once everyone calmed down, I attempted to finish my meal. Jiro went under the table to get some peace and quiet and Satchel went back to stealing Warren's shrimp tempura. I had almost achieved a resting heart rate, when Jiro emerged and announced, "Poo poo."

Luckily I had remembered to restock my car's diaper supply, so I whisked him out to the parking lot for a quick diaper and wardrobe change. (Yes, it was that kind of poo poo.) When I returned to the table, complete chaos had broken out. My mom had her head in her hands, Warren looked lost, and even my poor sister, who was heavily sedated due to a recent car accident, looked as though she was going to crack.

Our waiter swiftly delivered our checks, which had 18% gratuity already included, and we paid up and left as quickly as we could.

I think we will definitely go back, but not on a school night, not in a large group, and not to a party room. (The monkeys definitely behave better in the general population.) Next time we'll sit in the Crazy Hibachi room.

Ed. Note: We have been back several times for hibachi and it has been a dream.