GENTLE READERS:
"It's a new buffet era," Paul Lee, general manager
of Todai, told Miss Dish as he gestured toward the
160-foot Japanese seafood buffet he oversees at the newly
expanded Pioneer Place mall. Miss Dish would have
to agree. The city has been abuzz about this Cali-focused
franchise coming to town with its stomach-boggling array
of sushi, sashimi, tempura and much, much more. The buffet
stretches the length of a small city block, and the lunchtime
lines curl out the door. It's just like Las Vegas, but you
don't have to gamble away 100 bucks in a smoky, pathetic
casino to get a crummy comp. During her visit, Miss Dish
eyeballed many a synthetic-panted secretary and loads of
thin, beautiful (bulimic?) Japanese girls scarfing down
overladen plates of cornucopia.
Still, Miss Dish had questions. She pulled Mr. Lee away
from his entrance duties, where he resembles a frantic trader
on the exchange floor rather than a mild-mannered maitre
d', to find out how Todai Franchising, LLC, swims.
* Todai in Portland employs 140 people.
* The restaurant seats close to 1,000 people a day.
* When the all-important, "Is it really kosher to put raw
fish on a buffet table?" question came up, Lee said the
quick turnover rate makes it highly unlikely that the fish
would go bad. "Freshness is not a problem," he says confidently.
* When asked what the most popular dishes are, Lee replied,
"Sushi is very hot. And people fall in love with our desserts."
* The buffet boasts lobster for the dinner run, specifically
Canadian lobster. There is a reason. "Japanese prefer Canadian
lobster over all others," says Lee. He cites the texture
of the crustaceans up north as the main reason.
* The Todai Corp. goes through 80,000 pounds of lobster
a month.
* Do people plop their fat asses down and eat for hours
on end? Yes, said Lee. Even in the first week of opening
there have been people who stay from opening to closing.
"That's OK," he says. "As long as they're having fun."
Rates to fill up at Todai:
$12.95
weekday lunch
$14.95
weekend lunch
$21.95
weekday dinner
$22.95
weekend dinner
Seniors over 65 get 20 percent off their dinner.
Todai plans to drop anchor in Seattle soon.
Miss Dish liked the green tea cheesecake.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Willamette Week | originally
published April 19,
2000
|
