Yamato Japanese Steak House & Sushi Bar - A Restaurant Review

George, my mom, and I were out one weekend before Thanksgiving looking for a new dining room table.  We went to a few stores and decided it was time to eat dinner so we tried to go to Texas Roadhouse.  It was packed and their computer was down which made for a very long wait.

We then decided to go to Grillsmith at the Wire Grass Mall in New Tampa.  I really enjoyed my last meal there but my husband wasn't too keen on it.  He doesn't haven't a favorite dish there, so he doesn't consider it as a place he would like to eat...pppffftt.  We swung by there and saw people standing outside, so that really put the breaks on Grillsmith.

I remembered seeing a new Japanese steak house which had newly opened a few weeks prior.  It is all the way down at the end of the mall, so I figured, maybe it will be less crowded.  We swung by there and opened our car window to talk to my mother in her van.  And then it hit us.  The most delicious smell coming from behind us.  Well, what was behind us?  Yamato's Japanese Steak House.  Of course, George did not want to go to a big fancy place where you sit with other people at a grill.  However, I remember that my other favorite place, Wasabi's, has a separate restaurant area.  We all agreed to try it out.

When we walked in we were greeted immediately by a very nice hostess.  The decor is modern Japanese with lots of wood, hardwood floors, and adequate lighting.  I asked the hostess if they had a separate restaurant area which they did.  We were immediately showed to a nice cozy booth and could see out a large window.  The atmosphere was kind of romantic and I could see how it would be a nice place to bring a date.

The menu is extensive and it took us longer than usual to pick out our food.  I decided we should have spring rolls for appetizers and George picked out tempura sushi as an appetizer.  The three of us shared these which were absolutely delicious.  The sushi was particularly good.  The shrimp inside the sushi is tempura fried and then the whole piece of sushi is tempura fried.  The spring rolls were fresh and very good.

My mother ordered a chicken Bento box.  I ordered grilled shrimp and scallops with veggies and rice.  George ordered teryaki chicken and rice.  Of course, I had to taste everyone's meal and all were extremely good.  George even said it was on par with Blue Samari which is really saying something!

Each meal comes with an onion broth soup and a salad.  Both were very good.  My mother's Bento box was enormous.  We all had to take home leftovers.

I was curious what the Teppanyaki area of the restaurant looked like, so as I made my way to the ladies' room, I took a look.  It is a very large area and very open.  Most Teppanyaki places tend to be overly warm but this was just the right temperature.  By the time we left, most of the Teppanyaki tables were almost full.  I'd like to come back and try it some time.

As I was sitting at the booth eating, I noticed there was a word on the window which said otamay.  I was trying to figure out what that might be, then George told it was Yamato spelled backwards.  doh!  Now we call Yamato otamay.

I would have to say that Yamato Japanese Steak House and Sushi Bar is a real winner.  We will definitely eat there again.

Yamato Japanese Steak House and Sushi Bar
The Shops at Wiregrass
28211 Paseo Drive
Wesley Chapel FL 33543
813-907-8701

M-F: 10am-9pm
Sat: 10am-10pm
Sun: 11am-9pm

Hickory Hollow Barbeque - A Restaurant Review

My mother-in-law lives in Sun City, Florida.  And to tell you the truth, there are not a lot of restaurants in the area.  So, on our bi-monthly visit, we decided to find something different around the area.  The closest area to us with a good amount of restaurants is Ellenton.  There's a big outlet mall there and a nice fish place where we have eaten many times.

A couple of days before we visited, I looked on the internet for somewhere different to eat.  I'm not a huge barbecue fan but occasionally do enjoy it.  Searching for any restaurants within the Ellenton area, I came upon a restaurant called Hickory Hollow.  I was disappointed it did not have its own website but was able to read some reviews left by previous diners.  All reviews were quite positive and raved about Hickory Hollow especially their vegetable choices.  One reviewer went so far as to say it was the best barbecue on the west coast of Florida.  Well, this certainly peeked my interest, so I googled the address and printed a map.

On a beautiful Saturday afternoon, we drove to Sun City, picked up the mother-in-law, and proceeded to Ellenton.  My husband brought along his Garmen thingy to help us find the restaurant.  We got off at the Ellenton exit and proceeded west passing our favorite fish restaurant.  The Garmen guided us further down the road and suddenly said to make a right turn.  Well, the right turn would have taken us into a subdivision.  Wrong!!  So, we kept going noting the address numbers were going in the wrong direction.  So, we turned around.  I told everyone that we may have to eat at the fish place after all.

As we turned around the addresses started to go in the correct direction.   And then, all of sudden, there it was...a very tall sign said, "Hickory Hollow."  We made it!  Funny thing, it is almost directly across the street from the fish place.  I don't know why I never noticed Hickory Hollow before but it is right off Interstate 75.  The restaurant is very unassuming on the outside and kind of looks like a house.  The inside decor was nice with lots of little lights.  They still had up some of their Halloween decorations but were phasing into Thanksgiving.

We sat down at a booth and were immediately greeted by the waitress.  She took our drink order and we began to pick out our meals.  I decided on baby back ribs.  My mother wanted country style spare ribs.  My mother-in-law also got the baby back ribs.  My husband ordered the pulled pork.  The waitress also pointed out the selection of sauces on the table; a sweet hot sauce and a more traditional tangy barbecue sauce.  By the way, this is North Carolina barbecue which I believe is a vinegar base. 

Vegetables are listed on a separate menu.  The menu is actually a piece of wood shaped like a pig.  The selection of vegs was huge.  Selections ranged from creamed spinach, fried corn, zipper peas, squash casserole, backed beans, etc.  There were probably about 20 different offerings.

The meal came and we dug in.  I had the zipper peas and they were outstanding.  I also had macaroni and cheese which tasted homemade.  My baby back ribs were excellent.  I got a whole rack and could only eat half.

My mother-in-law let me taste her squash casserole.  Now, I have to tell you, I hate squash with a passion.  However, this was the best squash I have ever had in my life.  It had cheese and onion in it and was very flavorful.  She also let me taste her creamed spinach which was really good.  My husband has the fried corn.  He wasn't talking much except for the occasional "mmmmm."  I tried his corn and I have never tasted anything like it.  It was absolutely awesome!  All the different meats were fall-off-the-bone perfect and the sauces were excellent.  By the way, every meal comes with two gigantic corn fritters which are the best I have ever had...seriously.   We were too full to eat dessert but heard that their strawberry shortcake is to die for.  They only have it when it is in season around February/March.  They had other selections that sounded great like cheesecake and some others I can't remember at the moment.

If I had to rate Hickory Hollow, I would give it a 10 out of 10.  It was that good.

So, if you are ever in the Ellenton area of Florida and would like some North Carolina style barbecue, try Hickory Hollow . . . and order the fried corn.  Oh, and very important, they don't take credit cards.  BRING CASH!!  Here's their info:

Hickory Hollow Barbeque
4705 US Hwy 301 N.
Ellenton, FL 34222-2871
(941) 722-3932

Hours of Operation:  ? to 8 p.m.  (better call first)