Looks like yet another Japanese steakhouse will be coming to Apple Valley in the upcoming weeks. Kami Japanese Restaurant will be opening up shop in my ever favorite area of Apple Valley, the shitty Legacy Park area.
Kami Japanese Steakhouse was listed on the March 22nd Apple Valley City Council agenda as applying for a liquor sales permit (including Sundays). This will obviously be a direct competitor to Osaka Seafood and Steakhouse and the other establishments in the area (Two Guys from Italy and Jan’s Brown Bag Deli).
If you’re looking for work, you can check out this posting on craigslist for servers, bartenders, busers, dishwashers, teppan chefs, sushi chefs, and kimono clad hostesses (very similar to the cheap imitation kimonos worn over at Osaka I’m certain).
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June 3rd, 2007 at 9:35 pm
Kami Japanese Steakhouse is now open.
Has anyone tried it out yet? If so, please let us know what you think!
June 3rd, 2007 at 10:53 pm
kamis owners are the same as Chans in front of cub-dodd and cedar- there i recieved piss poor customer service and
attitude. i will boycott kami and continue to make my trek to target, origami, kikugawa, sakura, eddie chens, world buffet, grand buffet and many others first.
June 8th, 2007 at 4:33 pm
Great Food, Great Service and beautiful restaurant! I will surely be a regular!!
June 11th, 2007 at 3:24 am
Best japanese restaurant. Food, service and environment is outstanding. Ill be back for sure.
June 11th, 2007 at 7:29 am
Best japanese restaurant. Food, service and environment is outstanding. Ill be back for sure.
Compared to what?
June 12th, 2007 at 7:16 pm
Wish I could give you people an honest review of the place. I cant because odds are i will never go there. Thats my deal though, Ive been spoiled(Japanese sushi bars in Japan). My wifes from Japan and we have our favorites here in the twin cities.
We’ve tried a lot of places. We are very picky. We research a place a lot before we decide to spend a hundred or so there. or the wife calls some Japanese friends who may have tried it. My point is just because we are getting so called Japanese resturuants in the south metro doesnt make them worthy . My wifes friend who works at a Minneapolis Japanese resturuant said Apple Valleys pricing is about 20% higher. I’d spend the gas money to go north.
And besides- its really fun if you can speak a little Japanese to the sushi chef. And she/he will have fun too. domoarigatogozaimasu
June 13th, 2007 at 1:28 am
My friends and I went there a week after opening.
The restaurant is beautiful and upscale.
It is very expensive compare to downtown japanese restaurant. The sushi is fresh and good. Don’t order the entree. The entree sucks big time. Never in my life spend 20bucks for a pierce of shit.
The sushi chef are friendly and nice but the head chef, John sucks big time. He is totally not professional at all!We were asking him for recommendation and he couldn’t make decision!
Overall, it is a nice environment with yuks food (Except sushi).
June 13th, 2007 at 1:48 pm
sounds like i thought it would – seems like John kept going down and down and down in his career.
Kami Head Chef John Ames started at Ichiban Japanese Steak House in downtown Minneapolis in 1994. He’s also earned his reputation at Saji Ya Japanese Restaurant in St. Paul and most recently at Fuji Ya in Minneapolis.
http://www.thisweek-online.com/2007/May/25japaneseav.html
In the Japanese community as far as I know and personally know, the above resturuants are not worthy. Not worth noting on a resume.
June 13th, 2007 at 1:52 pm
gfry,
Instead of continuously spouting off about how this or that sucks and “are not worthy”, why don’t you list what *you claim* the local Japanese community finds worthy?
June 13th, 2007 at 2:00 pm
Origami-next to the fed-Hennepin bridge
Kikugawa-over the bridge- University side- old red brick road-Riverplace
Sakura- saint peter st and kellog- near st paul hotel
these are the main three- im done commenting- unless something deserves commenting- sorry to waste anyones time- best be gettin outside and enjoyin this hot sunny Wednesday
June 13th, 2007 at 2:04 pm
Origami
Kikugawa at Riverplace
Sakura Restaurant & Sushi Bar
Thanks for the alternative suggestions.
June 13th, 2007 at 2:06 pm
have a good day Bill- your welcome
June 15th, 2007 at 12:34 pm
We went to Kami a couple days after it opened. It’s very beautiful inside. They have two separate menus for the main dining area and the tepenyaki areas. Unless you’re absolutely sure you want a “show” make sure you reserve a table in the main area since there is a surcharge for just sitting in the tepenyaki rooms. Odd.
We ordered a Sashimi surprise platter along with a specialty roll called Rock and Roll, tempura, wakami salad and chicken skewers for our toddler from the children’s menu. Our waiter was extremely friendly however had absolutely no knowledge of Japanese cuisine. Maybe in time he’ll learn, I’m sure of it. Well, it took more than 45 minutes for our entrees to arrive! And it was mainly items from the sushi bar – no cooking required! There were 4 sushi chefs and maybe a handful of customers at the sushi bar so we weren’t sure what the hold up was. The Sashimi seemed fresh although one of the “surprises” was a briny lobster that tasted horrible and the roll was so-so (very pricey at $14). The tempura serving was scrawny for $8. The place is too pricey for what they offer.
Osaka on the other hand has improved since we last went there in February. They’re using a different tempura batter it seems – very light and crispy, almost itentical to Fuji-Ya. I have a way of judging Japanese restaurants on the freshness of their sushi and their tempura. Their lunch boxes are decent enough. And their udon bowls are tasty.
We’ll probably give Kami another try – maybe in a few weeks after they get all their kinks out.
June 17th, 2007 at 1:26 pm
Hi there,
I’m from Japan and I tried “Kami” the other day.
I ordered Chicken Tempura dish, my husband ordered Shrimp Tempura dish, and my kids ordered Kids menu.
The Restaurant inside is beautiful, but the flavor is not really impressive… :( They use real Japanese rice for Sushi, but don’t serve with your meal.
They use the long Grain instead of Japanese Rice. My husband who is American, even could tell the rice isn’t Japanese. We were pretty disappointed with over roll with the meal.
If you ask me to, I recommend “Sakura”. It’s more traditional Japanese food I think. :)
June 20th, 2007 at 7:36 am
Well, it would appear that the Kami astroturfing shills are out in full force attempting to flood my comments with pro-Kami statements. I have already approved one of their comments in the past here: here. As for the rest, I am going to post them all here in one shot with the disclaimer that they are all from the exact same source and should be ignored.
To the moron posting in favor of Kami over and over again, I suggest you stop. It really puts Kami in a bad light when you do shit like that.
Here are the three new comments:
mutsumi (not verified):
Last week my fiance and I planed to head out to Enjoy for a romantic dinner together. Instead, we saw Kami and decided we should check it out. Kami serves the finest sushi w/the most fresh selection of fish ever in the TC. Sevice was very friendly. The elegant restaurant offers quite a calm and relaxing ambience. Teppanyaki show was full of excitement, I had a blast! Notice how there wasn’t a grand opening yet… GFRY? kami is a NEW RESTAURANT it hasn’t fully put out its advertisement for a reason… Probably because they would like to improve their business to it’s full potential before they can officially open. AS for Mr. John Ames, yes we all know his rep. I have no idea how he landed the title of being “HEAD CHEF.” My overall experience at Kami was phenomenal. I definitely enjoyed my time there.
lov2dine (not verified):
Kami serviced us with friendlyness, finest fish, the most tasty and exciting show in the TC. I just know Kami will EXCEL to its fullest potential as a fine japanese cuisine!
jr34 (not verified):
My buddies and I finally stoped into Kami last weekend. We sat at the teppanyaki table. Our server was really friendly and the chef gave us a very impressive show. The filet mignon was scrumpcious. I also ordered the blue fin tuna (maguro) sashimi from the sushi bar while sitting at the teppan table, it was rich in flavor I strongly recommend it! Finally, there is a place near by to stop in for some quality fish, fine japanese cuisine and entertaining dining experience. I’m a huge sushi fan and I surely am comin’ back!
Fucking morons.
June 28th, 2007 at 10:55 am
Well, the wife and I broke down and decided to try Kami out. I’ll try and give my unbiased opinion.
The interior was nice, they definitely stuck a few dollars into it. Paper windows, high gloss furniture- glass bowl sinks in the bathroom- it was nice.
The hostess was nice. I had a sashimi platter and the wife had a sushi platter. It did take longer than expected to get these. Especially since there weren’t many people in the place, on a weekend night.
The fried food, deep fried tofu and tempura was very good( small portions), but the sushi was not that great. My wife commented that it had probably been brought in frozen. I could definitely tell that some of my sashimi had very little taste and the firmness of some of the fish was lacking. Probably meaning it was frozen. The Miso soup was good. So was the beer. Didnt ask if they had Sake.
Would I return? Maybe if I won a few hondo at mistake lake and I was hungry enough.
June 28th, 2007 at 11:28 am
Thanks for the heads up!
July 5th, 2007 at 5:11 pm
Note to gfry, ALL sushi fish and sashimi in Minnesota (and in law-abiding sushi places nationwide with very few exceptions specific to the type of fishes) has been frozen. That doesn’t speak to the chef’s skills at thawing the fish (of utmost importance) but you can’t just say “it seemed like it had been frozen” as though that in itself is bad.
Kami is a nice addition to the south metro scene. I haven’t tried Osaka yet so can’t compare. I thought the sashimi assortment (2 people, $50 I think) was perfectly adequate considering I was ordering from a table and not directly from the itamae. I would like a chance to sit at the sushi bar and see if they have any “off-menu” things or what kinds of recommendations they make. I’ve found that you never really experience the quality and breadth of skill at Japanese restaurants just sitting anonymously at a table.
I was a little disappointed in the lack of cooked items on the standard (non-teppanyaki) menu. If you don’t like tempura, you’re having a hard time finding something to eat. Hopefully they’ll expand with AT LEAST teriyaki, cooked fish and some of the other Japanese-American standards. There were even very few rolls that didn’t have either raw fish or roe (I was struggling to find a non-sushi loving dining companion something to eat…the rolls with cooked fish, crab, shrimp, etc. had roe on the outside).
The ambiance is very nice and the place is probably instantly one of the more fun options in the south metro for parties of 8-10 either at the teppanyaki tables or the private “tatami” rooms in the back.
Hopefully they’ll expand the cooked items and breathe a little more adventure sushi roll offerings (sure, not pure/traditional Japanese cuisine, but…). Regardless, after one visit I was enthusiastic that they have it here in the south metro.
p.s. – because it came up in earlier posts to provide specific places for comparison…I would compare the quality at Kami to Benihana (the sushi bar, not the teppanyaki) in Golden Valley although the atmosphere is much better. Maybe Saji-ya on Grand. All three are better than Ichiban’s sushi bar.
In MSP, Origami Downtown and Bagu are my preferred places for sushi/sashimi and Tanpopo in St. Paul for cooked Japanese. Sakura too although it’s been a while since I’ve been there so that’s based on experiences over a year ago.
July 7th, 2007 at 4:35 pm
MSPD, being I am no fish thawing expert I did some minor research and the fish we get here does come frozen. We also get it chilled. It may even come live if someone is willing to pay to have it shipped in that way.
Maybe its a comparison of frozen, one week and year old sandwich meat. Not sure, but one style of Sashimi we had was mushy and had very little taste. Bottom Line. It is very possible it was the way it was thawed, like you said.
But the wife being from Japan has never said anything remotely close to what she told me about that Sashimi that night.
Gfry
Fish Distribution is not my Expertise
July 9th, 2007 at 10:47 am
gfry, no worries. I’ve done quite a bit of research on the topic in the past.
For commercial/restaurant use, the fish must be frozen to certain temperatures for specific lengths of time if it is to be served raw. For personal use, or for fish to be served cooked as you mention, it can come chilled or live.
The difference that we diners see in restaurants is in the method of thawing and preparation as well as the restaurant’s ability to source good quality fish.
I had set my expectations fairly low (“suburban sushi joint”) and was pleasantly surprised that the fish at Kami (the stuff I got at least) was handled well and had good flavor/moisture/oil content. I was especially impressed with the tuna belly and the mackerel.
Like I said earlier, not of the quality and variety you get downtown but when you’re expecting “marginal” and get “good”, especially in this part of town, that’s a good thing. I certainly didn’t feel the $50 was a waste of money at all.
July 11th, 2007 at 1:09 pm
John Ames also worked at King’s Fine Korean Cuisine in Fridley. I believe that was his last place before heading over to Kami.
I laugh at the restaurant employees/staff that try to flood a post with positive comments. I laugh because they fail at it. I’ll let one comment like that get through but the rest get deleted.
With regards to sushi places, my favorites are Origami West, Origami, and Nami. Rysuke at Origami West is the most creative and inventive sushi chef I have encountered. I have dined at almost all sushi restaurants in the Twin Cities and with a few in Chicago, Seattle, Portland, and Los Angeles, so I am reasonably confident in my assessment of Rysuke’s skill.
July 11th, 2007 at 1:11 pm
I laugh at the restaurant employees/staff that try to flood a post with positive comments. I laugh because they fail at it. I’ll let one comment like that get through but the rest get deleted.
It’s so much fun to point and laugh at them though! :)
July 11th, 2007 at 8:41 pm
from my circle of friends- john- the head sushi chef- is known as baka john- some korean wanna be sushi chef
July 12th, 2007 at 3:48 pm
Kami owner spent tons of money on this restaurant
but hired John as head chef. This doesn’t make sense
at all. I am Asian and I always go for the food first, then service and environment.
I tried the ginger pork and i as an amateur home chef can even cook better food than that.
July 14th, 2007 at 10:11 am
Well, I have been to Kami 2 times now. Once for Teppan and once for one of the dinner rooms. Overall the place is elegantly appointed and nice to be in. That said, I have some issues:
1. Will someone please tell them how NOT to overcook the edamame – it is like eating beans out of a snot rag!
2. The staff needs to stop being so pushy and start learning their cuisine. Very unknowing of the food there but try to push you into spending more money. I will gladly spend a couple of hundred dollars for me and friends if the food is great and the service equal. This place isn’t that!
3. Get John outta there. Bad vibe is all I am saying – Who is he blowing to keep working?!?
4. Pick up the pace – Every order I have had from the bar to sushi to salad, etc has been painfully slow to get to the table
5. Please get the white chicks out of the kimonos. Looks silly to see a white girl who is pudgy walking around in those sandals with white athletic socks on as well. TACKY!!!!
Overall, the manager there needs to stop drinking so much and worry about her hair less, and spend more time on the restaurant!
July 29th, 2007 at 11:42 am
I had a horrible experience at Kami. Everything was going okay, my mojito was terrible, so I would not recommend getting one from there. Then they forgot my chicken. The chef apologized numerous times and I thought I handled the situation well, I didn’t get too upset and didn’t make a scene. Then I got the bill and nothing was taken off, even though I got my chicken after everyone was done eating. I told the waitress that I thought I should get some type of discount since they screwed up my order. She comes back and said she talked to the manager and gave me “free fried rice” which amounts to three dollars. I was extremely upset and the couple next to us just shook their heads and said do not give her a tip, which I didn’t. I just can’t believe that they didn’t do anything more. This was my first experience there and there is a competitor across the street where I had a much better expereince. All I can say is I hope they are not hurting for customers because for every angry customer that walks out of there, they will tell atleast 100 other people. It is surprising that they even forgot because I had to repeat my order to the waitress three times and to the chef once. I will not be back and I certaintly will be telling many people not to go there.
July 30th, 2007 at 12:51 am
went there with my friend joe and the service was horrible it took 45 min to get our food and they didnt bring it out at the same time, i was halfway done with my food b4 joes even got to the table……they really need to train thier staff better and have them know what is on the menu….they also should hire a new bartender i ordered a vodka tonic and it barely had any vodka in it…..at osaka they are much stiffer drinks and the bartender there will stiffen it up if you ask him 2
July 30th, 2007 at 10:44 am
Rachel M, do you think you’re being fair here?
Yes, it sounds like your situation was unfortunate and I wouldn’t fault you for not wanting to go back. However, the place has only been officially open for about a month now. There is a reason restaurant reviewers won’t publish a review of a place until at least a couple of months of regular operations have gone on. They want to review the place after they’ve had a fair chance to iron out the service and details.
Your post also smacks a bit of the “entitlement mentality” that so many restaurant visitors have developed.
There was a problem.
They apologized profusely for the problem and got you your chicken.
You stated you thought you should get some sort of compensation for the error.
They gave you compensation (which they are under no duty to do).
You deemed the compensation unfair, made a scene that attracted the attention of another table and are promising to tell all kinds of people not to go there.
I’m not taking a personal shot at you and maybe this is a debate for another place, but you sound a bit unreasonable. Taking one experience in which the restaurant, in its infancy made a small mistake and telling everyone you know to avoid the place is a bit extreme.
I don’t have any sympathy for places that put out a crappy product or consistently OVER TIME prove uncaring about their service, but especially in this neck of the woods where we really, really need places of this kind, in order for places to survive, they should at least get the benefit of a fair shake. Tell your friends what happened, but be fair about it and then let them go and judge for themselves.
(By the way, I’m curious…you ordered a mojito, chicken and fried rice at a Japanese restaurant? Maybe this isn’t even your kind of place to begin with.)
July 31st, 2007 at 10:19 am
Taking one experience in which the restaurant, in its infancy made a small mistake and telling everyone you know to avoid the place is a bit extreme.
I don’t agree with expecting something to be taking off your bill because you weren’t pleased (I refuse any suggestion of that and instead ask that they promise to never make that mistake with anyone else again — this usually causes the server or manager to give me a strange look before walking away without saying anything) but I don’t think that we should ignore these issues because they just opened.
Kami’s owners obviously read this site (see the astroturfing non-sense above) and should be full aware of the fact that they are not doing so well. If I had a vested interest in the operation of my business I would make DAMN SURE that everyone on staff turned right around. Mistakes happen but it seems like Kami (and plenty of other restaurants in that little section of town) can’t get it straight.
August 6th, 2007 at 10:27 am
I went to Kami on Sunday for lunch and can’t say enough about it! It was wonderful. Sat at teppan table – food was wonderful. Service was wonderful. I’m used to Benihana in Golden Valley – A long way to go since I live in southern metro. The decor was very impressive. The tea rooms look fun, you sit on the floor and the floor is cut out under the table so your legs dangle. I can’t wait to go back. Everyone was very friendly. I’m so happy we finally have a restraunt like this in So. metro!
August 10th, 2007 at 1:14 am
The place is wonderfully decorated yes….but the service is horrible.
I understand having to wait for the check when your server is extreamly busy running all over the place, but when I went the place was dead. and our server was too busy chatting with the sushi chefs to give us our bill. I was thinking about just walking out, it took longer to recieve our meal, two orders of sushi (because the chefs were too busy chatting about other things, and then fighting on who should make the sushi rather then actually making it) and to recive our bill then it did to eat it.
The place is slightly overpriced for the amount of food recieved. I would rather drive to benihanas, an hour and half drive, not including traffic.
And i agree with an earlier comment, get the white american chick(s) out of the yukata, its really tacky, specially since she walks like a man in it and is not wearing the right socks.
OVERALL: A Great Disappointment
October 21st, 2007 at 3:29 am
if your main complaints are of hostesses not being in the right socks, i think the restaurant is probably doing something right.
October 21st, 2007 at 10:21 am
I think that the numerous other complaints, aside from the way the staff is dressed speak for themselves, and for you to minimize everything down to that one point is just ridiculous. Just from the comment that you chose one inane point from also mentions:
1. “The place is wonderfully decorated yes….but the service is horrible.”
2. “The place is slightly overpriced for the amount of food recieved (sic).”
3. “…it took longer to recieve (sic) our meal, two orders of sushi (because the chefs were too busy chatting about other things, and then fighting on who should make the sushi rather then actually making it) and to recive (sic) our bill then it did to eat it.”
October 24th, 2007 at 5:43 pm
I’ve ate at a couple teppanyaki places in minnesota, I’ll list the best in order
1. Benihana (golden valley & maple grove)
2. Ichiban (minneapolis)
3. Osaka (apple valley)
4. Mt. Fuji (maple grove)
I’d go back to all those places for sure, as for Kami. NO WAY! I agree w/ whoever said they need to get ‘those white girls out of the kimonos’ the hostess was a VERY dorky looking white teen w/ huge glasses that looked like she just woke up (her hair was VERY messy) and her braces protruded like no other, she also talked very slow and monotone for a long time about the restaurant before we were seated. The food was ok, not horrible, but the chef we had was amazingly slow at cooking. it looked like he was pretending to throw a knife in the air. His skills were very very bad, it couldn’t keep my attention for a minute. So that is what I have to say about Kami!
November 25th, 2007 at 11:42 pm
I have never left a dining experience without eating before in my life. 4 people ordered several rolls. We waited a good 45 minutes then asked the waiter. He seemed confused and gave us a lame excuse about many large parties. Does that mean you only get served if your in a large party? He said it will be up shortly. We waited another 25 minutes with no food. He actually ignored us now. We called him over and said to cancell our order and bring us the check for the drinks and call the manager. He never came back. We walked up to the check out area and asked for our bill. Some rude lady told him to ring us up. I was never so upset in my life. Two hours, for no food, or apology or anything. Even if it was a bad night for our waiter, shouldn’t someone have cared that we left??? We never go anywhere for a second chance. What a shame that Kami is off our list.
November 28th, 2007 at 1:33 pm
My god, give these people a chance. The reason Apple Valley has no fine dining establishments is because of people like yourselves. Most of you probably commute to get here, so do me a favor and stay out of our town!
November 28th, 2007 at 1:40 pm
My god, you can’t be more wrong. The reason Apple Valley doesn’t have many fine dining establishments is because the fine residents of Apple Valley elected officials that prefer to open space up to chain fast-food and near-fast-food (think Noodles) restaurants.
I have no sympathy for Kami being that they astroturfed here. You lose all support for the little guy (which I’m more than happy to provide) from me when you attempt to persuade via lies.
February 2nd, 2008 at 10:03 pm
I and my boyfriend have eaten at Kami 4 or 5 times. We’ve eaten at the sushi bar and have always been treated well by the chefs; the service was friendly and timely. Perhaps it’s different in the dining room, but we have always had a nice experience there. We certainly prefer it to Osaka where we found the atmosphere to be obnoxiously loud and tacky. The “stools” at the sushi bar were completely the wrong height. The food was so-so.
February 20th, 2008 at 10:54 am
I have now been to both Osaka and Kami. Both places we had hibcahi and both places I had essentially the same entree. Filet and scallops.
The chef at Osaka was talented and very entertaining.
The chef at Kami was a clutz and quite boring as far as hibachi chefs go.
The filet at Osaka was perfect, the scallops very pretty good.
The filet at Kami was overcooked and not very flavorful, the scallops were delicious.
Although I had a good time at Kami, I preferred my experience at Osaka much more. Although when I was at Osaka, there wasn’t any b-day songs.
February 20th, 2008 at 11:02 am
Bummer on the lack of the Birthday Song but thanks for the great comparison. I have linked your review from the Kami post as well.
February 22nd, 2008 at 11:59 am
The service is HORRIBLE and poor management. The foods are not that great; they are like sushi wanna-be. Never ever will I step in those doors again!
February 22nd, 2008 at 4:27 pm
Hey! Haven’t said anything in a while but felt this would be a good time – seeing as there was a debate in progress. Osaka’s food was good..but not something I would run back to. Lakeville person – if you missed out on the birthday song, you TRULY missed out on the true dining experience. We got it 3..maybe 4 times??
I personally have not heard good reviews on Kami, so why would I bother going?
I guess the thing that gets me is – I’m not from around here. I’m from NY..and I’ve eaten at some extremly upscale GOOD sushi places. I’m not from Japan, so I can’t truly claim I know what amazing sushi is. What I personally this, is that Ichiban does not get enough praise that it deserves. Last time I was there, I did the 29.99 all you can eat sushi for an hour. They make it fresh right in front of you – and you choose how much you eat. I was sitting next to a woman from Japan who was giggling at my funny (crappy) way of using chopsticks. So no..for 29.99 I was getting great food AND entertainment. I found the sushi to be awesome and I’m going again tonight – to see if it can be as good a second time around. Don’t even try to tell me that 29.99 is too expensive, because for an hours worth of sushi, it’s not.
Okay- I’m starting to sound too much of a commercial here. I haven’t been to origami yet, so I can’t compare. This just seemed like a fun one to jump in on :D
February 22nd, 2008 at 4:51 pm
Emily,
Glad to have you back and contributing to the thread! Thanks for the suggestion — I just wish Kim enjoyed sushi as much as I do :(
March 17th, 2008 at 3:07 pm
If you get drunk off the Sake (spl?) and tell them it’s someone’s birthday at your table, they will come out and bang their drum… It was great fun!! Hahaha…
March 25th, 2008 at 8:06 am
This place is FABULOUS. They have food and drink specials every night of the week, often until close, the service is PHENOMENAL (especially if you sit at the sushi bar), and the staff is friendly and very knowledgeable. I dread the day that this place is discovered by the masses, because its amazing and very relaxed.
March 25th, 2008 at 12:57 pm
I dread the day that this place is discovered by the masses, because its amazing and very relaxed.
I’m sure that the owners of Kami can’t wait for it to be discovered.
March 25th, 2008 at 4:41 pm
I’m about to brave the AYCE sushi tonight. $25 seems like a bargain to me. I’ll report upon my return. :)
March 25th, 2008 at 4:42 pm
jorn,
Good luck! :)
March 26th, 2008 at 8:22 am
I joined two friends for the all-you-can-eat sushi on a Tuesday night. Kami has an ongoing AYCE sushi special on Monday and Tuesday for a mere $24.99. This was my 3rd visit to Kami, one other in “Hibachi” (as they call it) area and another in the regular dining area. We experienced the commonly-reported slow service in the latter.
I arrived first. The two young ladies who greeting me were extremely friendly, although very concerned about my whole party not being there simultaneously. They seemed quite worried that they would run out of space at the sushi bar; they were actually mapping seating there as they would at any other table. I suppose that makes sense under the circumstances. When I assured them my friends would be there quite soon I was seating right away, even though I cheerfully volunteered to wait.
I joined the approximately 8 other people spread across the sushi bar. Behind it were two sushi chefs, busily scanning the plethora of typical white sushi order sheets in an effort to keep up. The rest of the spacious and beautiful restaurant was sadly almost completely devoid of other customers. My waiter was asking what I wanted to drink before my butt even completely settled into the chair.
I admit to have some trepidation about the “restrictions apply” part of the AYCE special. My server was back in what seemed like seconds with my hate sake, and order card, and the instructions about the AYCE “rules.” It was obvious that the sushi order card for the evening was specific to the AYCE scenario. While I’m sure it was an understandable shortened list of items, I’m at a loss to come up with anything that I was disappointed about not appearing there.
The rules were simple: During round one, you may order 2 appetizers, 3 nigiri and 2 rolls. Once you have sort of earned your way to subsequent ordering rounds, you were free to order ala carte’. Seems fine to me.
The sushi chefs were friendly and quite quick given the volume of orders before them. Sashimi was among the appetizer category, and I was quick to order that. Fantastic.
Subsequent items were handed to us at seemingly perfect timing as we finished off the item before. Everything was amazingly delicious! While all 3 of us managed to eat almost all of what came with round 2, we all enthusiastically agreed that we more than got our $25-worth of satisfaction by the end of the 1st order.
In summary, the all you can eat special at Kami will certainly have us coming back again. Every piece was divine, the service was top-notch, and we agreed it was very well worth it. I’m amazed at how few people were there. At no time were more that 50% of the seats taken, and the 3 of us were the last to leave that evening. I can only imagine that our positive experience was an anomaly (which I highly doubt), or the secret is still just too well kept.
March 26th, 2008 at 8:32 am
jorn,
I pay attention, quite a bit better than your average Joe, to the goings-on with local restaurants and it was news to me that they were having an “AYCE” special. I would guess that they were attempting to keep the numbers low (so they could keep up) but still pull in quite a bit of money on a night that they normally wouldn’t make a profit but that’s only a guess.
Thanks for the great review! I might have to head over there myself — sans Kim for some AYCE, mmm.
March 26th, 2008 at 5:52 pm
Bill,
I’m pretty sure they have been “advertising” it for a few months now. I know that my friend and I have been talking for several months about attending the AYCE, but I think the only way one would know is if you actually saw the little billboard outside the restaurant.
For reasons I can’t really explain, I’m kinda rooting for these guys. It’s been eerily empty every time I have been in there. Some how, Kami needs to get some more traffic.
If they had AYCE again tonight, it would be hard for me not to be there right now. It really was quite yummy.
March 26th, 2008 at 6:21 pm
jorn,
Well, I just drove by today, to take a look at La Luz Cafe and I still didn’t see anything but I wasn’t really looking to be honest. I did see that they had a sign in the back to point the way inside.
To me, they would be a whole lot better off if they took down the cheesy window coverings and showed that there was actually an open restaurant inside. It honestly reminds me more of a porn shop than it does a restaurant. Then again, Osaka is much the same way :(
I am always rooting for the underdog but the fact that they astroturfed here really puts them at the bottom of my list.
March 27th, 2008 at 5:27 pm
Yeah; the sign is at the door to the restaurant. It’s not like that little *cough* “mall” gets any foot-traffic. Still, leading with sushi isn’t gonna do it for getting the crowds in. People need to know it could be a place for fun and fine dining.
I agree with you, there’s no way drivers passing by would have any idea there was this beautiful place in there. Are these folks too arrogant or too stupid to advertise? I get Olde Pooper pizza ads in the mail weekly, and everybody knows about that joint. I’ve never seen a Kami ad anywhere.
March 27th, 2008 at 5:51 pm
jorn,
I saw some Kami ads at Cub Foods for a while (on the little check writing spot for lack of a better term) and I have seen them advertised in some of the random local fliers that get stuffed in my mailbox.
On the Ole Piper comment, while I don’t like eating there in person (we’ve been to the bar once and to the restaurant once and probably won’t return), I don’t mind their delivery but I do prefer Carbone’s food.
March 31st, 2008 at 11:34 pm
the reason why this restaurant is not busy, because you guys keep posting bad comments on here. i’ve been eating there for a few months now and i always had great experiences. john is no long there is been changes in the staff.
April 1st, 2008 at 6:30 am
Frank,
Be serious, please.
Thanks,
Bill
April 25th, 2008 at 3:15 pm
I was there a month ago. I have been a lot of sushi place in minnesota. kami in apple valley. I think look very nice socialable. Its not to bad place to one on one time. The drive is a little bit out of the way. The Hostess was kind of a B****. she was rude. the host and i got into a e exchange of words. I sat at the sushi bar and the the sushi chef guys were very funny and entertaining. i would go back to just to chill and talk with those guys. The food was good. I didn’t have any compliants with the food. they have a nice varitey of sushi. the miso was great. they do have sake. the lady next to me was drinking it and she must have had a lot because she was fliting with me. service was kind of slow. they only have 2 chef on hand during the weekday. if you come in during 7-8pm, your sushi will take a little longer. i recommand coming at 6 or earlier. Or 8pm or later. Every monday and tuesday they have all you can eat sushi for $25 there is no time limit. the only other place that has all you can eat sushi is Ichibans, but there is a 1hr limit. Kami all you can eat is really a good deal. am going next tuesday.
May 29th, 2008 at 3:41 am
HI! everyone. Pretty much I heard either bad and good comments about this restaurant. Am not a picky person like picking on just a little stuff. Everything you would wanted to give another chance. For example, chosing a favorite restaurant. I was disappointed as some people said server was slow, food is not good as the price, sushi suck some kind of like that. I agree that as a new restaurant with all new servers have been made many mistakes. It’s very hard to make people come back after the first time.
I can say Kami is getting better now. Compare to Osaka, Kami is way better than that. Once, me n my gf dined in at sushi bar. There were 2 ladies were talking about how Osaka restaurant during they have AYCE. Yet, dat restaurant has bad food n services, i dont know how some people still want to come back there.
Like you can see how nice and beautiful Kami is?
About da foods. I think it’s not bad like some people say like ” i would never come back”. Come on, you only try one item only. Y don’t you try the other items like YAKI UDON NOODLE is very good one (with shrimp) or da baked mussels (app…). Lot of people say it’s good.
Da services is ok. It’s not upscale like you expect as a fine dining.
Like everybody see. They have some special drink and foods in happy hour. if you come in wed or thur you’ll get buy 1 meal get da 2nd meal 1/2 off in Teppanyaki. 2 for 1 well drinks, 1/2 hot sake, 1/2 japanese beer are a great price. Also da 5 dollar Maki roll. If you arrive late around 8 o’clock, you can get 5dollar martinis, 1/2 any bottle beers, 1/2 sake. Gosh i agree dat i came there to eat a lot. Just because of da funny chef conversation n the sushi is great. LIke i said am not a picky person, so service is not a bigger deal. As long as da sushi is still good, i would come back there and eat. Da reason why i remembered all of these special, because i come there every 2 weeks.
not Yet, AYCE is on $25. if you want to go ichiban for $29.99, you just wasting your gas. Comparing to ichiban, sushi in Kami is da same level.
So come on people, with those all of the good happy hour special, hopefully you can give Kami another try. They won’t disappointed you again.
May 29th, 2008 at 4:35 am
Chuchu, you sound like a retarded advertisement for Kami.
May 29th, 2008 at 7:10 am
Reading through these postings, I thought my writing was bad.. Chuchu.. put down the phone and stop texting once in while, you sound like an idiot. Tommy.. consider using a complete sentence once in awhile and try the CAP key, come sin handy for those new lines.
Frank- I don’t know if Apple Valley is quite to the point yet where a review from Lazy Lighting would make or break a restaurant… no offense Bill.
May 29th, 2008 at 7:15 am
No worries Sank, I’m not nearly as serious as plenty of people think I am :)
June 19th, 2008 at 10:41 pm
For what it’s worth, I’ve done the all-you-can-eat sushi thing three times now. It’s a blast. The service has been excellent and the food stellar. I almost feel guilty.
I’m sure i’ve jinxed it now and I’ll die the next time. =:-D
June 23rd, 2008 at 7:33 pm
went for ayce sushi……HORRIBLE way 2 much rice on the rolls…probably to fill you up faster ….and they must get their fish on Wednesday. the fish does not taste very fresh probably leftovers from the weekend…. if you must go there stick with the appetizers
July 27th, 2008 at 11:52 pm
I wanted to try something new and some friends recommended Kami in Apple Valley. I looked it up online and they have a pretty cool website. I looked for reviews and stumbled upon this. It seems as “Bill” is a very picky and unprofessional critic trying to establish himself ( For his own entertaining purposes ), and Kami employees are posting positive comments. So it kinda of defeats the purpose of a review if it’s biased on both sides! I went today and checked it out and I am overall impressed. So here is my 3rd party review. Me, my wife, and two kids sat at the Hibachi for lunch. The service ( I have to agree with the genearl public ) is okay at best. Very knowlegeable but SLOW! The chef was pretty good. I ordered Filet Mignon and my family ordered chicken and shrimp. Very basic seasonsing but well executed. I have yet to try the AYCE so I cant comment. But the place at the time did look eerily dead. I hope it sticks around. Good Luck
July 28th, 2008 at 12:11 pm
Uhh, I never ate at Kami so I’m not sure why you even mentioned me. As for being an unprofessional critic trying to “establish” myself, uhh, no.
September 2nd, 2008 at 1:08 pm
Well, Anonymous has definitely established HIMself! I look forward to more of his restaurant reviews and general feats of bravery and wit in an upcoming issue of… uhm…oh never mind. :)
But anyway, the reason I came here was to see if anybody knows if AYCE Sushi on Mon/Tue is still alive and well? We wanna go tonight.
Cheers.
September 2nd, 2008 at 1:44 pm
jorn, when Kim and I went to La Luz (last week?) I saw the menu posted outside and it still mentioned the AYCE deal but I’m not sure which days it was on.
(952) 891-5888 might help.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:30 pm
looks like 2 guys from italy finally took their remodeling sign down-”now for rent”(bout a month or 2 ago)- as far as sushi goes- 98 pounds in bloomington buffet has overloaded rice, but just pick the fish off and your A OK
good grocery store for asian food-oriental market-first left past hwy5- going south on 13. Burnsville. have tsukemono , qp mayo and a big jug of kimchi for $10
quiet here Bill? hugh?
October 15th, 2008 at 7:33 pm
gfry, we’ve moved on to more recent posts but thanks for digging this one back up :)
December 18th, 2008 at 9:53 am
Kami Japaense Steakhouse now has an electronic open sign flashing in the window along Galaxie. I found it odd that they have chosen to go that route (i.e. tacky) rather than something like taking down the stupid coverings over the windows.
Kim replied to me, “well, now it’s probably empty inside and they really don’t want you looking in.”
December 20th, 2008 at 9:21 am
how long did two guys last?
bb
December 20th, 2008 at 9:25 am
bb, this actually belongs in the Two Guys From Italy thread, but they made it just about a year (almost to the day) before they closed.
December 22nd, 2008 at 12:26 pm
We’ve been regulars at Kami – going every 6 weeks or so over a year. We did the teppenyaki (sp?) bar once with a big group of friends – and it was tasty, but average.
We otherwise sit at the sushi bar and almost always get sushi for 2, maybe with an extra roll. We’ve watched some evolution take place….some good, some bad. We love to see Tony the waiter – he is always upbeat and looks excited to see us. Drinks (by Tony or someone else) are always delivered promptly. The beer is good and mixed drinks are light on liquor. We had sake bombs one night – I can’t recall the flavor/quality, but they were effective!
One thing I’ve noticed recently is the change in sushi chefs. I’m not sure if it was the mysterious “John” you all mention, but a former chef we haven’t seen in a while, was always overly generous. He would slip us a light salad appetizer, a sliced orange for dessert and a taste of whatever else he was making. He would also turn our special requests (extra spicy, extra crunchy) into something yummy. We had great fun chatting with him and the other chefs and felt like it was a fun neighborhood place.
The last 2 times we were there, we didn’t recognize any of the 3 chefs. One guy seemed to be just learning how to make rolls, while the center chef was obviously annoyed and huffy. Not at all chatty, entertaining and personable like the groups we’ve enjoyed previously.
Sitting at the sushi bar, and near the computer where wait staff enters orders, we’ve had the privilege of hearing some insider conversations. Based on some of the older comments in the discussion thread, it may be a common occurrence. A waitress had a table where the food had come out incredibly late (after an hour) in addition to which one diner received their food well after everyone else in the party had finished. The waitress was asking the (female) manager if she could discount the meal, and the manager kept saying, “No – they received their food, no discount.” The waitress tried different angles – asking the manager to comp drinks, other food etc., and the manager was not budging. Finally, the waitress said “Fine, then I will pay for that portion (the single late-late entree) out of my own pocket!” and stormed off. So, it sounds like that employee wanted to do what she thought she could to make it right, and management would not empower her to please the customer. It was very frustrating to watch that go down.
As for food quality, Kami satisfies our sushi cravings when we don’t feel like dressing up or making the drive downtown. It is tasty and good, but not stellar. We are in Apple Valley after all.
I Minnesota born and raised, so do not have refined sushi tastebuds, but I also enjoy Fuji-ya (St. Paul, or Mpls), Oragami and Wasabi. Not a fan of Saji-ya on Grand at all (maybe my experience was just on a bad night).
Any comments on Wasabi? I haven’t seen it mentioned.
December 23rd, 2008 at 10:03 am
Juber, my advice to you is to go in and make friends with Nona at Ronin. Great food, great management, great people.
I dont claim to have very refined sushi tastebuds, but I do recognize when food is fresh and tasty, and when the ownership is doing everything they can to make your visit pleasant.
March 19th, 2009 at 11:31 pm
Hey Bill,
Am I allowed to post if I work at another restaurant on 160th?
March 20th, 2009 at 6:22 am
ken, go for it.
March 27th, 2009 at 6:26 pm
How about me Bill if I so happen to work at the exact same restaurant on 160th mentioned above ??
March 27th, 2009 at 8:10 pm
Natalie, welcome to the party.
October 28th, 2009 at 8:18 am
A couple of weeks ago I took my mother to Kami for dinner. The owner would not allow my mother who is handicapped and walks with a crutch when not using her wheelchair, to sit at a table/booth. She would only allow us to sit at the sushi bar on barstools, which my mother physically can not do. I asked to be seated at a table or booth, but was told that it was only for “all you can eat” diners. We wanted to order from the main menu. The owner said we could sit in the hibachi room or at the sushi bar, but not the dining room. We didn’t want hibachi, and my mother can not get up on a barstool and sit comfortably because of the pain and her medical condition. I explained this to the owner and asked her to have some compassion for my mother, and asked her again to seat us in the dining room which was still mostly empty at the time, so my mother could sit comfortably. The owner said no — I found the owners behavior and treatment of my mother (and other handicapped diners I’m sure) unacceptable. It’s cruel and lacks even an ounce of compassion. To keep business, she needs to put aside her greed and consider her customers’ needs. I filed a complaint with the BBB, but nothing was done. I will never go back to Kami.
October 29th, 2009 at 9:50 am
Are you say that you still ate food there after the owner said you had to sit somewhere that would cause your mother pain? If so, how exactly did you send any kind of message to the owner? ooohhh the BBB… that will make them change their behavior.
October 29th, 2009 at 9:53 am
No, we left the restaurant, are you kidding me? We left and will never go back. Well, if the BBB isn’t gonna help, then YOU tell me what the best action would be. I’m open to suggestions.
November 3rd, 2009 at 9:30 am
Apparently, some time in June, Kami changed their menu. It seems the all you can eat sushi deal on Mon/Tue is no longer there, but has been “upgraded” (maybe?) to be all week and to be a much larger menu. In fact, when we went in for the old special and wanted to sit at the sushi bar, they said we HAD to sit in the main dining area for AYCE. Uhhm, okay.
Here’s a link to the October special in PDF, which still seemed to be in effect on Nov 2nd.
Nutshell:
• Sun – Tue: $21.95
• Fri & Sat: $23.95
• A pretty extensive menu, from sushi to steak and more.
• 15% added on for “food waste” oh, and…
• 18% mandatory gratuity, none of which apparently goes to the sushi chefs unless you designate a tip for them yourselves.
• It’s a “promotional” price; has been going up and will continue to do so until it hits $24.95 later this year, or so was my understanding.
Time for a fresh post/review, Bill? What do we think about this 15% + 18% thing, is it mildly disingenuous? Oh, the food was pretty damned good, as has always been my experience.
Edit by Bill of the link above to make it work :)
November 3rd, 2009 at 9:31 am
OK, so, HTML is not allowed in comment. ;)
http://kamifinedine.com/PDFs/October2009Specials.pdf
November 3rd, 2009 at 10:01 am
We’ve since moved out of the area, but when we used to go to Kami, the key factor was that we liked to sit at the sushi bar and watch the food prep. For a time, we loved chatting with the sushi chefs – until there was a good amount of turnover and the remaining staff worked silently.
I would not go back if we had to sit in the dining room.
November 3rd, 2009 at 10:41 am
I plan on getting in there to try the AYCE specials jorn mentioned. Anyone else interested?
November 3rd, 2009 at 2:25 pm
Erica, evidently they have never heard of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Legally, they were required to accommodate your mother. Thanks for the heads up. I can’t do barstools either, so it’s good to know it’s not worth trying the place.
November 15th, 2009 at 4:46 pm
So my husband and I finally try this place. At first glance it is pretty, looks upscale enough, prices were “market” prices…however, an hour plus into our wait I started having second thoughts. We discussed leaving several times and should have gone with our gut instinct. Maybe, the food will make up for it. Wrong again!
Here’s my thing, if you are going to try to imitate upscale and charge the going rate, than you need to back it up…i realize sometimes you can’t help it if the help you hire is not up to par…but at least make it up in the quality of your food.
We will never spend our money there again.
December 3rd, 2009 at 12:11 am
I find it very disturbing that a manager/owner shows no consideration or exception for disabled americans. Her behavior is rightfully selfish but it only demotes the welfare of the business. I drive 20 minutes to go there for the AYCE and the Hibachi there. I can honestly say for the good majority, their staff is more service driven than their owner. I do see the occasional lack of speed of service and unfortunately it goes back to not being staffed enough (See selfish comment above). The environment has received a new light with their sushi bar open to the outside. The scenery is DEFINITELY much better except for the fact that you are looking outside to an empty lot…hehehe. But very nice nonetheless especially now that you can see from the outside that the place is open(see above comments):-). Out of 5 stars…3.5.Would i go back? Absolutely…these days in these hard economic times, it’s all about value for your dollar. Kami has my value…for now.
January 16th, 2010 at 12:16 pm
Joined a couple of friends last Wednesday for dinner at Kami. As we were being seated, we were told of the Wednesday special they are running through March. “Buy a meal at for $24.95 and get the second meal for $8.95.” he said. I thought maybe he had misspoke, as I thought dinner was $21.95 Sunday through Thursday, but we still figured it was a decent deal.
I had only “sushi” this time; sashimi, maki and nigri. My colleagues did the same but ventured out into steak and some of the appetizers. As as been my experience every time, my sushi was fantastic. But, as has also been my experience since the new AYCE menu went into effect, is that anything from the appetizer section never seems to show up. Odd, that.
I really like Kami’s food and I thin the AYCE menu concept is a great one. Howvere, I have an issue with their “odd” math. Let’s look at the special I just noted:
First meal for $24.95, second for $8.95; Wed only.
But wait! Isn’t a meal actually $21.95 on Wednesdays? This seems disingenuous and annoying. Why not just tell me the 2nd plate is $11.95? That’s still a fine deal and it doesn’t come off like you’re trying to trick me.
Also, adding the 15% gratuity (unless there’s 6+ of you, then it’s 18%) to the bill? Please, stop doing that. I’d be less annoyed and would probably tip MORE in the end.
I forgot to look at the bill to se eif the 18% “food waste” bullshit charge was there, but I recall the bill for all three of us was about $72.
>> So, $25 + $9 + $22 = $56.
>> Add the 15% and that’s just over $64.
All three of us had water, so I can only imagine the extra extra 18% got us to the ~$72 amount. In the end, that’s $25 for all you can eat from a pretty broad menu of tasty choices. Still, the way they arrive at that number makes me cranky.
January 16th, 2010 at 10:18 pm
Apparently “Price/Offers Subject to Change Without Notice” includes subject to change within the ad itself!
January 17th, 2010 at 3:17 pm
I’m taking my 10-year-old daughter out for a mother-daughter “date” and am considering KAMI…despite my last negative experience there. About a month ago, some co-workers and I went to KAMI for the AYCE special. One of my friends, born and raised in Japan, was horrified at the “very very bad rice” that was served with her food. Another major issue was that, while the restaurant was the busiest I’ve EVER seen it, it still was fairly slow…and our food was served ridiculously slow; one woman waited for a simple dish for the entire meal…very few people ever actually received what they ordered. I was one of the luckier ones, and did, in fact, end up receiving pretty much all that I ordered from their “all you can eat” menu. To be fair, I really enjoyed the mutsu sashimi and a couple of other items.
What I can’t wrap my mind around is the apparent lack of customer service and almost sneering manner in which customers are treated if any “issues” are brought up…and this began from the moment we walked in, with attitude being given from the hostess. I “waitressed” or “served” my way through college, so I’m sensitive to how restaurant employees are treated by the customers…but bottom line is…the customer is the customer! I was so excited to see another Japanese restaurant opening up south of the river (I’ve been to Osaka and enjoyed it for the most part). My husband and I both love to cook, so when we dine out, our expectations are high and we usually travel into Minneapolis for “great sushi” (we prefer Nami, Origami, etc).
Anyway, thanks for this forum because I really do read what other people post (and yeah, astroturfing is REALLY obvious–PLEASE STOP!!!)…I’ll let you know about our experience, if we do indeed give KAMI another try!
January 17th, 2010 at 8:12 pm
TJ,
What reasons would cause you to give this place another chance. You are certainly more forgiving than me.
January 17th, 2010 at 8:22 pm
Chad;
Well said and duly noted…my daughter and I went out this evening and, wanting to try Satay2Go (closed on Sundays), ended up trying Ronin Sushi Cafe (Lakeville). I have to laugh, reading my first post–I surely was trying to talk myself into mediocracy by even considering Kami again…Ronin was outstanding and I anticipate returning frequently in the future. The service was 5 star (the server, the sushi chef AND the owner, Nona, each approached our table no fewer than two times to greet us, ask our opinions and make sure we were happy), the food was outstanding and the value incredible (we both ended up taking half of our entrees home for a yummy lunch tomorrow). So yeah…I don’t know what I was thinking!! ;-)
April 14th, 2010 at 7:31 am
[...] Japanese Steakhouse in Apple Valley provided us with this comic relief astroturfing back in June of 2007: mutsumi (not [...]
May 6th, 2010 at 8:35 pm
A few months ago, I tried to enter Kami, but was refused entry because I was alone. I have traveled all over the world as a working photographer, and have never been refused a table at a restaurant. I have eaten at restaurants in Hawaii, Hong Kong, New York, San Fransisco, Los Angeles, Ixtapa, Cancun, and China. Only to come back home and be turned down by Kami!
I am elderly, and my wife is no longer with me. I often have to dine alone. It is sad, but presently, it is my only choice on some nights. Not being able to enter Kami and be seated at a table does not give me a chance to give them a second chance. The first time I went to Kami, I was seated at a nice table. Unfortunately, the food was horrible. The Chicken Yakitori was covered in what, corn meal? yuk! The Shrimp Tempura was not good. I eat out most every night, often I go to Sakura, Origami, Fujiya, Ichiban, and I love Japanese food. What a shame I am denied entry into Kami because I was alone! Imagine if their food was good, and if they allowed me in, I could have a great meal and spread the word. Unfortunately, they have chosen to not let me try that.
I recently went online to read the local reviews of Kami. Wow, what a surprise to learn how many people dislike their food! I was most touched by the lady who wrote that they would not seat her mother who had crutches. Kami said the old lady could sit at the bar while her family was to eat at a table. What a class decision that was! But, I guess I know the feeling.
Your discriminatory act of not seating an elderly gentlemen or an elderly lady with crutches defines Kami as one of the most classless restaurants in the United States. It is discriminatory at best. If you had good food, I would care more. What irony the restaurant that has the worst Japanese food I have ever eaten is the one that will not let me in because I am alone. You should be ashamed of yourselves.
May 7th, 2010 at 9:58 am
This boggles the mind. I can’t even imagine their reasoning behind this. They obviously have way too much business and can afford to turn people away. I think I’ll help Kami out by no longer annoying them with my business. Always glad to do my part! ;)
May 7th, 2010 at 11:21 am
Jared, that is sorta crazy. For what its worth, I have not, and will not, eat there.
While not an expert on asian food in any way, there are plenty of places in the south metro that I enjoy without dealing with this sort of rudeness.
Ronin, Satay 2 Go, and Osaka are all places I enjoy and would be happy to recommend to friends or family.
September 12th, 2010 at 10:55 am
Ronin sushi is the place to go! Nona treats her employees and customers well. The people at Kami are arrogant and rude. During our last visit, after a bill over $200 they told us we could not have 1/2 price appetizers (the night’s special) to take home. I understand if that’s all we ordered and our drinks were water, but is this the way to treat your best customers? I don’t think they were losing money at 50% off… The sushi chef looked very sad because we always tip well – and he gets extra from us. This night was no exception – it wasn’t his fault. But – we have never been back and Ronin’s has been our sushi bar ever since. RONIN’S!
September 14th, 2010 at 8:43 am
Osaka is a hundred times better than Kami if you’re in the Apple Valley area. I’ll have to see about Ronin Sushi…in Lakeville? Kami will never get my business again.
September 21st, 2010 at 2:27 pm
Cassie – you are right. Osaka is a hundred times better than Kami. Yes, Ronin is in Lakeville around 160th Street. Ronin is, in my estimation, several times better than Osaka. Osaka will wait to judge you a bit to determine whether you get the best service. Once you pass their “test,” the food and service isn’t bad – although I do think their sake and wine prices are very high. Ronin treats you well from the moment you walk in till the time you leave without making any prejudgments. Tell Nona I sent you! It won’t be necessary or I would have just negated what I just said – but tell her anyway.
September 21st, 2010 at 9:36 pm
I was a longtime fan of Kami but now I don’t eat there anymore. Their customer service is absolutely horrendous. I came in with a group of 6+ one night looking to do the AYCE special but since they change it monthly, we were too late for the deal. The first person got there about 6:05 and the special was from 4-6… um, most people work until five and get home 5:30ish, how the hell are they going to make it in before 6?
I attempted to speak to the manager but some waiter cut me off and wouldn’t let me speak. Which is sad for him because he wouldn’t gotten a fat tip (mandatory 18.5% for AYCE) and with a party of 6, that”s some pretty good cash. Anyway, they didn’t want to accommodate us so we went elsewhere and won’t be coming back.
I’ll patronize another restaurant that values me as a customer.
October 24th, 2010 at 10:28 am
Visit date Friday 10/22/2010 at 7:30 PM
We were quite disappointed. This is our second visit to the restaurant. Had a group of seven so decided go with their all you can eat special. Within the first hour we were their we able to put in 2 orders then sat there without any service nor get any response from our server for the next 45 min. At this point were getting furious with the service as the restaurant was not busy. So we decided just to leave and mention it to the manager about how we’re not able to put more orders in as it is “all you can eat”. Without ever talking to the server, her response was that the server were waiting for us to finish our food,. That’s nonsense as we were all sitting there tapping our chopstick for the entire 45 min. I believe this is their strategy to keep you from eating over their profit margin as their all you can eat was approx $26 per person. Sushi rolls were overstuffed with rice, and you cant order unless your plate is EMPTY!. Long story short, we will never bring them anymore business and will recommend anyone from wasting their time and money at this RIPOFF Sushi PLACE!
October 25th, 2010 at 10:07 am
Andy,
We found the same thing the last time we visited and will never return . On a positive note, we started going to Ichiban Downtown Minneapolis and for the same price you get an hour of all you can eat sushi. They have these little boats sailing around the sushi bar where you take what you want (which is cool) as well as the fact they will make whatever you want. in addition they have appetizers that are included in the price. I managed to have about 30 pieces the last time I was there and that was only about 50 minutes worth of eating.
October 25th, 2010 at 10:23 am
If you want to stay in the south Metro and have all-you-can-eat sushi, Kyoto in Eagan is your best option. In fact, the all-you-can-eat deal allows you to order ANYTHING off the entire menu — sushi, sashimi, noodles, tempura, appetizers, etc. It’s close to $30 but you can stuff yourself silly.
Sashimi/sushi purists should take note that they pre-cut some of the fish. Somehow they manage to make it work; the end result is still OK (by mid-quality suburban sushi joint standards).
October 25th, 2010 at 10:27 am
Dream this dream with me:
Kami finally goes under, and Ronin is so damned busy that Nona and team have to take over the now-former Kami space.
There, didn’t that feel awesome? :D
November 6th, 2010 at 9:42 am
I have been a long time visitor to Kami. I like that it is local to me and I think the restaurant has a gorgeous design. Service at Kami has been poor on all but 1 occasion, and the food can be hit or miss, but my friends and I have still been able to write that stuff off for the environment and experience. \
Yesterday was the final straw though. My friend and I, both having bought living social coupons to Kami completely separately from each other were planning to visit the Hibachi grill for a night of fun and entertainment. We were informed that we would NOT be able to both use the coupons at the same table for that meal. There is writing in the fine print that says 1 per table per meal… I can accept that we missed the fine print, the problem fell in us asking for an exception.
On a short side here is what we were told:
1. They don’t make any money on the coupons (duh, living social is to drive business)
2. We could sit at different tables and still use the coupons. (Thats the same amount of money lost on the night!)
3. If we would have scheduled our reservations separately they would have let us use them. (WHAT?!? Why not let us use them anyway?!?)
The manager continued to say “it is in the fine print” but would not tell use WHY it was in the fine print. When my friend mentioned we were repeat customers and this kind of treatment would mean the LAST time we come there she told us we were THREATENING her. Raised her voice at us, and took a disrespectful tone… I have been looking for ownership information to write a complaint letter to the owner before I posted anything negative but they do not even post that openly, though I suppose if I ran a restaurant with no expectations of quality I would not want to be contacted either.