Have you ever been to one of those Japanese places that has a Hibachi grill at each table? Usually there is a chef at each table with some crazy tricks to play with the food, and a personality to match. These kind of places usually have a fun vibe, and a loud social atmosphere. It feels like Timsan's is trying for this kind of experience, but they fail in each major category.
Ambiance: The decor is outdated, the lighting is too plain and bright for a classy restaurant. The staff was dressed very casually. There was no music. That made for a very awkward time when my wife and I were seated at the same table as a couple that we didn't know. By the general appearance of the staff and patrons, Timsan's seems to cater to the bar-hopping cigarette-smoking miller-lite-drinking singles crowd. Not what we expected. The chef ran out of tricks and interesting conversation about 2 minutes in to preparing the food, leaving us to eat in further awkward silence. Our food was served on plastic dishes.
Taste: We both ordered the vegetarian meal. At other restaurants we have found this to be a good choice. Usually there are lots of delicious sauces, a variety of vegetables, tofu, and more to make a really tasty meal. At Timsan's however, the entire meal consisted of fried onions and zucchini. It was so bland that I didn't realize that the food on my plate was the finished meal. I kept waiting for something good. Really a disappointment here. The salad include with the meal was a joke. It was about 3 small pieces of iceberg lettuce with a barely perceptible flake of carrot on it, with some ginger dressing. Honestly, the bit of carrot may have been an accident.
Price: Timsan's prices are right about what you would expect for a nice Japanese Steak House with food cooked on the hibachi at each table. However with how poor to mediocre the entire experience was, you'd think it would at least be cheap. Most dishes were $20-30 dollars per plate. I felt it was a little strange that fried rice was an extra charge of $4 and soda was $2, mostly ice, and no refills were included.
Allergy note: Those with allergies to shrimp, chicken, or red meat will want to skip this place entirely. All the food is prepared at the same time with the same utensils. Also, the bar area is very near to the dining area, so those who have difficulty with cigarette smoke may want to steer clear as well.
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