Latest Antelope Valley Restaurant: Ginza

Posted by Chuck at 9/9/2008 6:34 PM
Categories: Antelope Valley Restaurant Reviews
It seems that our last restaurant review for the Antelope Valley was useful to at least two people, despite being a somewhat wandering essay.

So we decided it's our duty to all our fellow transplants to this area to review any restaurant we visit. As if our opinions matter.  

Last night we went to the latest of the satellite restaurants that orbit the outer perimeter of The Antelope Valley Mall parking lot, aka Restaurant Row. This one is Ginza.  



The closest experience I have in real Japanese cuisine is a six-month stint on the island of Okinawa, technically part of Japan, but culturally different in that they aren't at all Japanese and are nearly completely dominated by the Americans stationed there.

The arrangement with the locals there is kind of like if Japan had won WWII and taken over the US, then we told them they could have all the long-term military bases they wanted on our homeland as long as they were all in Puerto Rico.

So I have no real experience with Japanese cuisine, which means I have no right to judge it. 

To further diminish my right to judge Japanese cuisine, my first experience with sushi was at a Wegmans grocery store in Moorestown, New Jersey. Two years ago. That is, to this day, the best sushi I've ever had. I know this is as a result of my uneducated palette, but it's the truth.

Anyway, so we went to Ginza last night.

The atmosphere is nice, there's a koi pond with a fountain in the middle, a sushi bar, and three or four Benihana-style show table grills for larger groups.

The hostesses are forced to wear geisha uniforms, which is both beautiful and unsettling. It seems like a lot of bother to go through for a hostess job, but it isn't any more demeaning than a Hooters hostess, quite the contrary.  I enjoy theming when I'm in Disneyland, but I'm in the desert and I know these girls are cheerleaders or dancers or something.
 
Geisha girls are a bit too much for the American desert.

But whatever, play along. If I can pretend to know what Japanese food is, these people can pretend to know how to dress when serving it.

Fortunately, the servers just wear black pants and shirts, since they have to do actual work. Not that hosting isn't difficult, it is, I've done it and the entire wait staff is all up in your bidnez if you don't seat people in the right order, based on server's sections. Even when people see a table they want and ask for it.

Think of the consequences the next time you switch tables, the hostess is going to go home miserable after 12 waitresses tell her she's stupid and worthless.

First I ordered a pot of tea. It was wonderful. The flavor had hints of apple.

Then  we ordered some miso soup.



If you've never had it, it tastes somewhat like a chicken broth, though it's actually made from fermented soy, kelp, and sometimes fish. It's a deep and satisfying broth, whatever its origin, and Ginza's version was as good as any I've had.

Which is to say that it's as good as the miso soup at Goldfish, the only other place I've had it.

While eating our soup, Kelly said, "The next time I get sick, bring me this instead of chicken soup."

That was oddly prophetic talk for a girl who is now sucking on Halls Cough Drops.

About this time, one of the Benihana tables started cooking. It made us wish we were there because it looked like they were having more fun. There's nothing really Japanese about that style of cooking, except maybe some of the ingredients. It's much more of an invention of New York than Tokyo. But it's still cool.

The menu is more pan-Asian than Japanese, though there's the sushi bar the steaks. There were Thai, Korean, Chinese, and I think Vietnamese dishes on the menu.

For dinner, Kelly ordered the Korean chicken something. It was good, but she blames it for giving her the cold, but I don't think you can catch a cold from food.



I ordered the sushi plate, but got the sashimi plate, but didn't complain. I probably should have because it wasn't what I wanted.



So here's the bottom line on Ginza. It wasn't prohibitively expensive; we got out of there for $40.36 after tip. I think it was a bit more that Goldfish cost (I'll review that place later), which is locally owned. According to the look of website, Ginza may be too. But for my money, I'm going to Goldfish; the atmosphere is more casual an less contrived, and it feels more intimate and trendy.

P.S. I actually wrote this a few weeks ago, so Kelly's all better.




 
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