Shibuya

A great Japanese place for pre-theatre dining. We loved the artful presentation of the food, especially the crab salad served atop a fish bowl with a live siamese fighting fish. The sashimi choices were wonderful with special sauces. The skirt steak was amazing with a rich and potent pepper dipping sauce. And I loved having the sushi and miso as the final course. You always have room for a little bite of sushi. A nice wine selection with service as expected--competent and personable.

Atmosphere & service:
I was staying at the MGM Grand and got a great discount on Cirque du Soleil's Ka (Hint: Wed and Thu, they give hotel guests a 30% discount). So I decided to eat at the sushi bar prior to watching the event.
Even though you are sitted at the bar, your orders are supposed to go through the waiter. The customer sitting next to me was impatient and kept ordering directly to the sushi man who relayed the order to the waiter. The waiter stopped by to check frequently so I thought he provided good service.
The sushimen are all Japanese which I consider a big plus.
I cannot tell much about the atmosphere since I went straight to the bar. The restaurant is clean and nice, not very big though. If you want privacy, you might want to go somewhere else since it has glass walls and everyone passing by can see you.

Food & Drink:
The sake selection is truly amazing. The sake menu shows the region of origin and gives explanation much like you would see in a wine list. I ended up chosing a sake worth $30/carafe.
Orders were two-piece each. I ordered just the regular fish (salmon, sea bass, tuna, shrimp), sushi, sashimi and handrolls. I also ordered a salmon skin handroll and they were toasted right there on the spot in a electric oven. Extra points for that.

Value:
My check was $120 (sake included) which for my standards is waaay too expensive.

I went to Shintaro back in April, and I have to say that this restaurant was fanTAStic. I've been to quite a few teppenyaki (sp?) places, and while they have been delicious, this place wins hands down. The meat was so tender, the food was delicious, the chef was funny, and the service was amazing. We also ordered a variety of tempura which was delicious, and we got edamame compliments of the chef. Truly it was a great experience, and I plan to go there again in October when I go back. A bit pricy, but it was definitely worth it. For the record, I don't own the restaurant - I've always wondered that about the people who leave really great reviews. (o:

THE DECORATION IS GREAT! BUT THEY NEED TO IMPROVE FOOD`S QUALITY. ROLLS ARE TOO BIG AND THEY DON`T HAVE A GOOD TASTE. THE RICE THEY USED IS STICKY AND NOT WELL COMPACTED.