Hibachi Ninjas

More sake equals more fun at festive Mirakuya

Gene Padden

At Mirakuya Japanese Restaurant in Wilkes-Barre Township, the concept of "dinner and a show" has taken on a whole new meaning. And as soon as you pull up your chair to the hibachi table, you better be ready for the action.

True - the showmanship of the hibachi chef is nothing new at Japanese eateries. The tables were built for conversation, and the chef wheels out a cart of raw food and prepares it (often with a high flame and some samurai chopping techniques) to the guests' preferences.

But at Mirakuya, the chefs - to borrow the ultimate pop-culture food cliche - take it up a notch. This restaurant and bar was built for hibachi the way an amphitheater is built to showcase live music. During often-busy dinner hours, as many as three hilarious hibachi chefs can be found at their respective tables, yucking it up with customers like court jesters of the grill.

And they know how to ingratiate themselves to a crowd full of prospective party poopers. What looks like a few extra bottles of soy sauce on that cart loaded with meats, rice, and vegetables is actually a substantial serving of sake. Owner James Feng knows most of the locals that come to his restaurant have never had the chance to try sake (rice wine), and he jumps at the chance to surprise them.

At any given moment, Feng or his chefs can be heard screaming "Sake!" as the guests echo his enthusiasm - opening wide for a squirt-shot from the bottle. Once that sake makes a few trips around the table ... it's party time.

"The sake is free for all the customers, because I want them to try it and have a good time," Feng said. "We want the customers to be happy when they are here and to try new things. More sake equals more happy."

Indeed. And if it's your birthday, get ready for the gong show. Sake!

Feng opened Mirakuya (which translates to "tasty") in August 2004 with his wife, Jennifer Gao. The two took over the Pine Mall location, which was the former Top Dog, coming to Wilkes-Barre from New York City by way of Ohio. They reached out to the Big Apple to find their hibachi technicians.

Sake aside, these chefs don't hesitate to make an impression. They're giddy out of the gate, with a happiness you can usually only find when Oprah gives away a car to the audience or house to some needy family.

Each chef has his own gimmick, but Mirakuya staples include the old reliable egg and spatula twirls, the "onion pyramid of fire" (and naughty firefighter to the rescue), and the wink-wink "watch me pull a lobster outta my hat" routine.

Once the food hits the grill, it's more fun for the chef, as he chops popcorn-sized bites of vegetable, aims toward the first open mouth, and lets it fly. If you catch the chunk, "Sake!" and if you miss, well, "No sake for you."

If you'd rather not take part in the shenanigans, Mirakuya offers full lunch and dinner menus including sushi, sashimi, teriyaki, tempura, and donburi dishes in its dining room.

Feng said that while his hibachi shows help introduce locals to the culture, he also goes out of his way when it comes to sushi. While trademark Mirakuya rolls like the Crazy Dragon (spicy tuna topped with whole eel and spicy sauce) and Tuna Pizza (warm tortilla, tuna, avocado, fish egg, and spicy sauce) are already popular, you can also catch the $18.95 sushi buffet every Sunday, where 40 sushi creations are available.

"People are scared of sushi," Feng said. "All they eat around here is a California Roll. Here, they can try all the sushi they want, made fresh."

And that goes double for the sake.