Go to Kabuki in Westgate and Go to Bed Hungry....

Kabuki Japanese Restaurant
6770 N Sunrise Blvd
Glendale, AZ 85305
(623) 772-9832
Corporate Website: http://www.kabukirestaurants.com/

WOW! That is all I can say. I have been to hundreds of restaurants. Service can vary from place to place and but NEVER in the history of my eating (15-20 years) have I ever been refused a return when food is not up to par.



So we decided to try Kabuki in Westgate for the 1st time. I am always looking for good Sushi in the West Valley and there are a few decent places but nothing compares to Stingray Sushi in Scottsdale, AZ.



The hostess was the best part of the experience. She was courteous and smiling and actually was the most helpful to us in the end. Our sever was a nice friendly guy and overall I didnt have any problem with the service. I would have hoped he would have gone to bat for us a little more or even fluffed his Manager's response to not ruin our meal, but he was young and terribly honest.


We ordered a Fried Calamari appetizer and another dish with Tuna that I cant remember along with 3 rolls. The problem was that when the Calamari Appetizer came I was hit with a wiff of Fish!!!! It was very hard (over cooked). I tried a few pieces. I didnt really care for their version of a dipping sauce.

So as I do in any other restaurant, I told the waiter to take it back, and I would gladly order something else. He came back and said: "All I could do was get you 50% off because my manager tasted it, and he didnt think it tasted bad..."

WHOAAA!!!!

1) I was a restaurant manager for 5+ years and I have never eaten the food of a plate that came back from the dining room. I actually had a long talk one time with a bus boy who I caught doing that. I actually bought him dinner out of my pocket I felt so bad for him. I doubt the manager was hungry.....

2) Does it really matter what the manager thinks of the food, its what the customer believes.
I also NEVER returned food without going to the table and personally finding out whats wrong, show compassion for their unhappiness, and make them feel like we cared.

So after the waiter brought the dinner, by that time we started losing apetite. I finally told the waiter that I would like to see the manager. He comes to the table and the 1st words out of his mouth was :"Whats the problem here.... " with an attitude of disgust (like I would rather be sitting on a cactus then be here right now).

This type of service from a restaurant manager is completely un-accpetable. We ate maybe 25-50% of the food and paid full price for almost all of it. They did remove the Calamari but it really didnt matter... the damage was done.

I have been able to send back Lobster at Red Lobster. In this case it was an $8.95 calamari appetizer and I was actually going to buy something else.

This brings me to my question of the day.... Has the West Valley area around Westgate lost the customer focus due to the heavy tourist traffic.... Has anyone else had bad service here on in the Westgate restaurants... I would love to hear your comments.... post away!!!

How to Hookah in Arizona.. the best of the best

Ok. One of my favorite past times when I want to relax is to smoke a waterfilled pipe called a Hookah... I have been to many places that serve them so I decided to higlight 3 in different cities that will help my readers enjoy the "hubbly bubbly" as some call it, when they go to these places.

#1 In the Nation! Ok so I think so

Grapevine Restaurant
1204 Foothill Blvd.La Verne, California 91750
(909)392-3500 Fax: (909)392-0995
Website: http://www.4grapevine.com/
Description: Tons of fun on the weekend! Food is decent but slightly on the expensive side but its a total blast. Very High Quality tobacco and great working hookahs. Great Service as well

#2 In the Nation and #1 in Phoenix
Sultan's Mediterranean Grill
5625 West Bell Road Glendale, AZ 85308
(602) 298-4400 Fax : (602) 298-4401
Website: http://www.sultansgrill.com
Description: This place rocks from 11pm - 2am Friday & Saturdays... its the greatest fun to have dancing and hookah in the West Valley!!! Gotta Try it!

#1 In Tucson
Luxor Cafe
3699 N Campbell Ave Tucson, AZ 85719
(520) 325-3771
No website as of publication date