223856 Sun Jun 26 19:14:20 -0700 2005 2 18 Manhattan 0 1190431 have you been here?? recommend it?? it's at 34 cooper square. Sun Jun 26 19:14:20 -0700 2005 0 mark grossman 1 1190662 don't recommend this place. while the meal i had wasn't bad, it wasn't great. and pricy for what it was. vegetable portions are really small. money better spent elsewhere. waitress was probably a college student who had too much pep and who'd kneel down to talk to us and take orders at eye level. i find the whole kneeling thing irritating. Mon Jun 27 16:54:25 -0700 2005 1190431 0 ivie 2 1190715 I was there a couple of days ago... I agree that the price was a bit high but the food wasn't too bad. One good thing about this place is that the smoke is being vented out at the grill so your clothes won't be so smelly. This place is definitely cleaner than the Koreatown BBQ places and they do pretty good business with Asian clients. The Bibimbap rice dish was pretty good (this is a Japanese version of Bibimbap so it's not as spicy and garlicky as the Korean one, according to some entries I have read on the LA Chowhound Board). Friend of mine who has been there said the desserts were so so.... I agree with the previous posting that vegetable portions are small but in general they tasted pretty fresh. Many diners there got salad which looked pretty good but I didn't get a chance to try it. In terms of meats, the Kalbe Tare was pretty tender and I also liked the Basil Chicken. Our waitress told us that Gyu-Kaku is like "the TGI Friday's of Japan" with many outlets around the world. On one hand, it means it's a "chain" restaurant that's probably not the greatest in terms of food... on the other hand, it means the restaurant is probably doing something right so people are going back and their business is sustained. I suppose the restaurant chain has developed some efficient way of managing it and is used to dealing with customers so the overall eating experience/quality of food is very much "controlled", unlike some mom and pop places where you can be surprised (positively or negatively). I guess you can try it out and decide whether you like it or not. Lastly, in terms of prices, I heard they have a Happy Hour which starts from 10 to 11:30 PM (Website says Monday thru Thursday)... You may have to check out their website or call to find out what kind of discount they have.. I think each day there is an entree item that's doscounted so you can save money on those. In case you don't have the website address...Here it is.... http://gyu-kaku.com/ Mon Jun 27 20:46:37 -0700 2005 1190662 0 C