Utage

February is Vegetarian month for one of us, so we will be featuring restaurants offering vegetarian options. First up is Utage, a restaurant serving Okinawan and Japanese food. This restaurant is a favorite of many of our acquaintances, especially those of Okinawan heritage.

Ambiance:
The interior of the restaurant is nicely kept and the booths were quite comfortable. We had to wait around 20 minutes for the five of us since the restaurant was packed. Since we went on a Friday night at around 7:00, it wasn't too much of a surprise. The other time we've been here, there has also been a small waiting time. A very popular place to dine.

Service:
Good. Our waitress was friendly and accommodating. Though she probably had many customers to wait on, she didn't make us feel rushed. Our food came out in a timely manner.

Food:
Utage's meals come with soup or salad, fruit punch, hot/iced tea or coffee, and dessert.

• Goya (bittermelon), Tofu and Eggs: Called champuru, or stir-fry, the goya dish is supposed to come with a choice of pork, chicken, spam, bacon, tuna or shoyu pork. However, since one of our reviewers goes vegetarian in February, he opted to substitute meat for more tofu. Bittermelon is not for everyone, though bittermelon lovers who can't cook it because their families refuse to eat it will be pleased to see this item on the menu. Besides the bitter taste, the dish is quite tasty.
• Okinawan Miso Soup (Pork, Tofu, Egg and Vegetables): Okay, this is not exactly vegetarian, but it was too good to pass up. With the exception of the pork, which was a little dry, the soup is absolutely delicious. The broth is a little sweeter than traditional Japanese miso soup, but also less salty. The tofu, egg and vegetables perfectly complement one another. Soothing and not too fatty.
  
• Dessert: We both had jello with whipped cream. A nice little treat for those who enjoy an after meal sweet.
  

Value:
Because each entree comes as a complete meal, it seems like a really good deal. If you think about it, most Japanese restaurants offer complementary soup/salad and tea anyway. Very smart move by Utage to make their meals seem a better value. Nevertheless, since our meal came out to a little over $20 for the two of us, it was still an extremely affordable meal.

Overall:
Utage is the perfect place for those who are looking for food outside of the standard Japanese fare. Okinawan food is distinctly different from Japanese food and it's a pity that there aren't more places offering this type of cuisine. The food is absolutely delicious and we'll definitely come back again.