Stepping into the lobby of Kabuki’s Japanese restaurant is
like taking a giant leap out of Christiansburg. One of three main areas in the restaurant,
the lobby is built up on all sides by ornately decorated walls, and sheltered
by an elegant “starlit” ceiling. The bar is dominated by a floor to ceiling
window that showcases a small Japanese garden and fountain and provides a
serene setting for those boisterously yelling at a game on the flat panel TV.
Then there’s the restaurant. A large, fairly open room that houses several
islands of grills and seats where customers sit and have their meals prepared
before them. All of this, coupled with a unique and varied menu, helped to make
Kabuki the best restaurant in Christiansburg.
Approaching its ninth anniversary, Kabuki possesses a
quality and flair that is unique to this area.
“I think it makes you feel like you’re not really in a
college town,” said the restaurant’s general manager Jeff Hall. “You’re going
to go out of the country for the night and have a good night.”
Even though the goal of the restaurant is to treat the area
with something different, Hall stresses Kabuki’s effort to cater to the
community.
“If somebody would like to bring their own soy sauce, which
is like gluten free, we do that for anybody,” Hall said. “Otherwise you can’t
make it unless you cater to the area around, and that’s basically what we try
to do here.”
The efforts seem to have paid off, as Kabuki has accumulated
a loyal fan base. Kathy Bowman, who dined with her husband Jim and grandson
Troy Pfuff, said she comes to the restaurant at least once a month for “ladies
night out.”
“The food is fantastic, and they have a very varied menu,”
Bowman said. “The way it is cooked is perfect. I mean the flavor is something
you can’t get anywhere else. It is so unique from any other restaurant.”
Jim Bowman said the food wasn’t the only great thing about
dinner at Kabuki.
“The atmosphere is just phenomenal,” he said. “I mean the
service you get and the people you meet are just great.”
The atmosphere the Bowmans were hreferring to is a communal
table and grill area of which they are a part. At the table, they occupy just
three of about 10 seats that make a semicircle around the grill.
“Sometimes when we come out, we bring enough to fill a whole
table, but other times we’ll come out and get to meet new people. It’s a lot of
fun,” Bowman said.
At the table, the specially trained chefs prepare the meal
in front of the guests as they also entertain.
Kabuki’s menu consists of lobster, scallops, shrimp,
flounder, filet mignon, New York strip and chicken, as well as sushi. Compared
to the majority of the area restaurants, the prices of the dishes run a little
higher than average. Hall — who placed an average two person meal $35-$40 —
said though, that for the quality of the meal and the service, this is a very
reasonable price.
“We don’t use any machines to cut anything. We cut
everything we use everyday. All the vegetables and meat are cut everyday so we
can keep everything fresh for everybody … Our quality is outstanding,” Hall
said.
Kabuki in Christiansburg is actually the second of its kind.
The first was established in Roanoke and because of its success and the need
for such a restaurant in the area, another one was built. Alex Koeda, a
sophomore business major and son of Kabuki’s owner, has worked in the
restaurant since he was 14. He attributes the restaurant’s popularity to its
atmosphere and uniqueness.
“It’s a different type of place, and no one has really
experienced anything like this before,” Koeda said. “Once they have experienced
it, they enjoy it so much that they have to come back.”
