You go grill!
Longing for some hot-off-the grill meat? Then head to Kohan Japanese Restaurant, the University Village sushi spot that features entrees grilled by chefs on a Japanese-style teppan grill (like Benihana, but the tossing and grilling is done in an exhibition kitchen, not at the table), to check out the new DIY option. Owners expanded west, adding a second dining room fitted with semi-private dining and seven tables with built-in gas grills, plus they added yakiniku, the Japanese version of Korean barbecue to the menu. We ordered the kalbi; staffers delivered a platter of bone-in and boneless raw marinated beef short ribs, plus fresh veggies and a variety of panchan, accompaniments like pickled radish and kimchi ($19.95 per person; two order minimum). Don't worry if you're a tabletop novice; helpful staffers got us started and offered advice on how to heat-and-eat (if you're really skittish, the chefs will cook it in the kitchen). For now the only self-cook option is kalbi; they're waiting for the liquor license (which should arrive around September 5) to debut the full menu of grill-able options like ribeye and filet mignon. Bonus: If you're heading elsewhere after dinner; the tabletop grill tables are fitted with individual exhaust systems so we left smelling Downey fresh.