Oregon Bar and Grill

I'm not going to lie - this restaurant was not my favorite one here in Tokyo. In fact, I would probably categorize it in my "least" favorite category. Now, I have been to a fair amount of steakhouses both in the US and in Tokyo and for the most part they are all comparable. So, I assumed that despite the somewhat negative reviews, the Oregon Bar and Grill would still be comparable. Well, I was wrong. On the plus side, OB&G is on the 42nd floor in the Shiodome area so the view is good. They have a nice lounge area where you can come and get drinks, I think that would be the way to go. I sat in the bar area which left much to be desired. The tables and chairs looked cheap, and the service was eh at best. The actual bar itself has stools, but they look so uncomfortable that no one was sitting there. I started with Manhattan Clam Chowder as an appetizer. It was ok, serving size was a bit small but that's normal in Japan. This was followed by a sirloin steak with a small helping of mashed potatoes. The mashed potatoes weren't bad but the steak was just eh. I had read a lot about the wide variety of choices of Oregon wines by the glass, carafe, and bottle. When I received the wine list, the choices I expected were not there. Lastly, I had to ask numerous times for service - specifically for another glass of wine. This is just weird in a restaurant of this caliber. In short, I would not recommend this restaurant at all - Beacon has far better quality food, service, and prices.

Oregon Bar and Grill - Shiodome City Center 42F - 11-5-2 Higashi-Shinbashi

Beacon and Turley!

Beacon has become our team's favorite steakhouse in Japan. Part of this may be due to the fact that the entire staff speaks English, the food is excellent, and for a small time you can pretend you're not in Japan. My favorite thing about Beacon was it's burger and zinfandel Sundays. This was the only day of the week they did burgers and specially priced bottles of zinfandel. The burgers were great, especially when accompanied by a side of garlic mashed potatoes and it was nice to see a high class restaurant try to tone it down a bit. Don't get me wrong, the filet (which I get every other time) is also amazing. I hear they also have a great Sunday brunch, which I haven't had the pleasure of trying yet.

Now the last time I was at Beacon, I was introduced to this new Californian red wine made by Turley vineyards. Before I even tasted it, the vineyard's praises were being said. I was told that I was guaranteed to fall in love with it. The catch being, it's almost impossible to get. And they were right on all accounts. The wine was amazing and it is indeed impossible to get. The vineyard simply only produces a small number of bottles, so you can't buy it in bulk or really at all. In fact, to be put on the mailing list for the winery you need to be placed on a waiting list first!! So please, if you come across any bottle of wine made by Turley, please send it to me!

Beacon - Shibuya 1-2-5, 11:30am-3pm, 6-10pm - 03-6418-0077