The sweet aroma of sizzling beef dances in the air, coupled with the vague smell of burning sugar. OneRepublic’s “Stop and Stare” is playing, but it’s momentarily drowned out as the hostess who is escorting me to my table bellows in Japanese, “THE GUEST IS BEING SEATED!” The cooks and servers respond, enthusiastically and loudly, “WELCOME!” (O-kyaku-sama-no Go-anai-desu and Ira-shai-ma-se is what my server writes down when I ask him how to pronounce the words.)
Gyu-Kaku is part of a Japanese chain of 745 outlets worldwide, including more than 50 in the U.S., the first of which debuted in Los Angeles in 2001. Its Clarendon location, which opened in July, is the first in the DMV. Co-owners Kijun Sung and David Chung—nightlife entrepreneurs known for D.C. clubs such as Saint Yves and the now shuttered Chinese Disco and Capitale, among others—say they plan to open more in the area. Pierre Lee is a third co-owner.
In the dining room, a stylized mural of a cow, its sundry cuts labeled in hand-lettering, signals that the star attraction here is beef—specifically, marinated beef that is cooked on wire-grated grills set into each table. Unlike the overhead vent hoods you find at Korean barbecue restaurants, the grills have a downdraft system that sucks the smoke downward and channels it outside. (Meaning you may get away with simply airing out your clothes afterward, instead of sending them to the dry cleaner.)
Another notable difference between Korean barbecue and the Japanese version (yakiniku, which translates as “grilled meat”) is portion size. The protein portions here are tastings of only about 3½ ounces, so the menu suggests two or three selections per person. Keep that in mind if you are also having appetizers, soup, salad, noodles and dessert. The better option is to order one of the fixed-price dinners for two, four or six people. Each includes an excellent sampling of all those things.
Gyu-Kaku, which means “horn of the bull,” is interactive and fun, making the place equally popular with families, couples on dates and teenagers who are out on their own. (Reservations are snatched up well in advance, so plan ahead.)
The staff are well trained, eager and knowledgeable—and they provide plenty of theater, whether it’s mixing together egg yolk, sautéed beef and rice for a bibimbap dish; tossing salads tableside with a flourish; grilling strips of meat and cutting them into bite-size pieces with scissors; or slicing open foil packets of vegetables that have puffed up on your grill.
The cocktails here are ample and pack a wallop. Spritz the lime wedge garnish into a saketini to balance out its boozy mix of plum wine, sake and vodka. Or go for a colorful Geisha Girl (vodka, rum, orange juice, cranberry juice) in shades of pink with a lime wheel.
Some of the pan-Asian dishes have eye appeal but lack flavor. The spicy tuna volcano—dollops of vapid tuna mush atop deep-fried rice—is sadness in appetizer form. The shrimp shumai (dumplings) in chili sauce are a lackluster rendition of that Chinese restaurant standard. After two bites of “addicting cabbage salad,” I go on the wagon.
I have better luck with The Samurai, a meal that relieves the burden of having to make menu decisions. First comes a mixed green salad with hard-boiled eggs, cucumbers, red peppers and cabbage in a nicely tangy vinaigrette. Rounding out the appetizers are miso soup; thick, al dente egg noodles in garlic sauce; and a mashup of beef sukiyaki and bibimbap, the Korean meal-in-a-bowl.
But the grill action is where it’s at. Each table is set with grilling tongs, chopsticks, paper napkins (too flimsy) and three sauces: sweet soy, spicy (it isn’t) and ponzu, all of which impart (too much) sweetness, saltiness or both.
The Samurai spread includes one foil packet each of corn and asparagus; cubes of filet mignon; chicken thigh in a soy-garlic marinade; a pan of raw shrimp and mushrooms that cook in garlic butter atop your grill; and thin slices of various cuts of beef (sirloin, skirt steak, hanger steak, strip steak, short rib) tenderized in assorted marinades, such as ginger-soy, garlic-sesame or miso-soy.
Is this earth-shattering food? No. Does it matter all that much? No. Look around—everyone’s enjoying themselves. The dining room, which seats 130, plus seven at the bar, is a happy (if not a tad dark) place marked by blond wood accents and booths upholstered in chrysanthemum-patterned fabric. The grilling is quite entertaining and many of the meats are flavorful, thanks to their marinade’s high sugar content, which is essential for achieving that almighty char and caramelization.
I should note that my favorite items to grill were from the a la carte section of the menu: rich and bold unmarinated slices of beef tongue, and strips of sesame marinated pork belly.
For dessert, s’mores come with all of the prix-fixe meals, which makes sense because you can roast the marshmallows above the grill. The dazzler, though, is a delectable, pale green, 20-layer crepe cake filled with matcha (green tea) pastry cream. I’m told it’s imported from Lady M, an international cake boutique.
As I ask for the check on my last visit, a gaggle of servers parades toward a booth of teenage girls, wielding a paper crown, a large sign emblazoned with “Happy Birthday!” and a dessert with a giant erupting sparkler. The servers burst into song, the girls clap and laugh, and John Mayer croons “Your Body Is a Wonderland” through the restaurant’s speakers.
What to Drink
Gyu-Kaku has a full-service bar with a specialty cocktail list of very sweet and colorful libations, such as the Hawaiian Smash (rum, Blue Curacao, Coco Lopez, pineapple juice, lime); the Tokyo Sunset (vodka, peach schnapps, grenadine and mango purée); and a Lychee-Tini (vodka, lychee sake, plum wine, lychee purée).
I recommend sake with your meal, be it a Kurosawa Junmai (full-bodied, fairly acidic, mid-range sweetness), Otokoyama Tokubetsu Junmai (light and dry, slightly sweet), Kikusui Junmai Ginjo (crisp, bright, dry), or Dassai 50 Junmai Daiginjo (floral).
Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ
1119 N. Hudson St., Arlington
571-527-0445
gyu-kaku.com/Arlington
HOURS
Open daily:Â 5 p.m. to 10 p.m
PARKING
Street parking is limited. Garage parking available at 3101 Wilson Blvd. ($4, closed Sundays) and at 1200 N. Garfield St. and 1205 N. Garfield St. ($5)
PRICES
Appetizers: $4 to $10
Meats, per portion: $6 to $13 (recommendation is three per person)
Vegetables: $4 to $7
Desserts: $3 to $8
Prix-fixe BBQ dinners: $30 to $35 per person (includes appetizers, assorted proteins and vegetables for grilling, plus dessert)