NYC Restaurants

Arirang is fun spot where you get to slice and dice your way through a meal.   You'll want to start off with one of their many tiki-style drinks.  There are Mai Tais and something called "The Bomb", while the Zombies pack a punch with a float of 151 proof rum.  Virgin daiquiris are available for the kids.  

The restaurant offers both sushi and hibachi dishes.   Hibachi is the way the go if you're with a large group or family.  Diners sit around a sizzling grill as the chef works his magic. It's a routine that most have mastered.  It begins with the chef chopping up zucchini into tiny cubes and then firing them off at people perched around the grill.  Watching the kids' eyes light up and hearing the giggles as they bob and weave trying to catch a piece is priceless.  So is watching the adults.  

The meal begins with chicken or shrimp fried rice cooked up tableside.  The chef shapes it into a heart and then slips his knife beneath to create "beating" effect.  It's corny, but fun.  And so is the onion ring volcano which sends a burst of flames high up into the air.  It's extinguished with a spritz from a jug shaped like a boy. You get the picture.

For a main course, diners get to pick the meat or fish they would like (or combination) to have prepared.  There's swordfish, filet mignon, sirloin steak, chicken and lobster tail. Prices run from about $17 to $35.  Cheaper meals are available for kids under ten.  Desserts include fried ice cream, banana wontons and chocolate volcano cake served with vanilla ice cream and raspberry sauce.

Arirang probably isn't for everyone.  It can be loud at times and you may have to share a table.  But if you have a family with little ones and want to see a sparkle in their eyes it's worth the price of admission.