First, an admission: I'm a hibachi-phobe.
   When it comes to dining out, I'm interested in food, not a show. After all, how carefully can dinner be prepared when cooks are too busy twirling spatulas and flipping egg shells into their chef's hats?
   So in the past, my few trips to Sekisui have been spent avoiding the Americanized spectacle at the back of the room.
   I never thought I'd be saying it. But at the end of a recent visit, I was eyeing the hibachis longingly.
   My goal that evening had been simple: to sample the nonsushi and nonhibachi parts of the menu. In the end, I wish I hadn't.
   The problems were few but predictable:
   Fried foods that were indelicately breaded and arrived at the table cold and soggy (like a $3.95 Vegetable Tempura appetizer ).
   Sauces that were too sweet, too cornstarchy, too salty and too liberally spiced (like the icky pool beneath an overgrilled $5.95 Kushiyaki Shrimp appetizer).
   And in one particularly disastrous moment, a dish that combined both sins: a Fried Tuna appetizer ($5.95) that arrived at the table drenched in unappetizing goo.
   OK, three appetizers down, and no winners. What about the main courses?
   As it turned out, our entrees proved a little better. Still, they were far from thrilling.
   The sirloin in the Beef Teriyaki ($14.95) was grilled as ordered and not a bad piece of meat. Let's just forget the indifferent pile of sauteed mushrooms and woody broccoli at the side.
   Similarly, the salmon in the Foiled Salmon ($13.95) was pretty good -- especially when removed from the salty bath inside its kitschy foil swan.
   So enough with that, and on to (somewhat) better things. First, sushi.
   Another admission: I'm a sushi purist. My rules are few but unbending.
   Great sushi requires just a few, simple things: scrupulously fresh fish, carefully and generously cut; rice that's not clumpy or soggy; enough but not too much soy sauce; and just the right amount of wasabi.
   Cream cheese, fake "crab sticks" and fried crawfish are not permissible.
   Any sushi piled up to look like a volcano and drenched in a "lava" sauce is unspeakable.
   Sekisui's sushi menu commits more than a few sins (a Louisiana Roll made with fried alligator and smelt roe?). Still, there were plenty of traditional items to keep me happy.
   For the most part, Sekisui's sushi chefs prepare their offerings carefully, and the results are often lovely to look at. More importantly, the fish seems generally fresh, never overly chewy or overly grainy.
   Unfortunately, it is sometimes too thinly sliced. That's particularly problematic with the nigiri, where the rice should be a blank slate for a satisfying burst of raw fish freshness.
   The salmon nigiri ($3.25 per order) is a safe choice and probably a little better than the tuna ($3.50 per order). The roe combination House Special ($4.95) was surprisingly good. (One request: Could the rice be slightly warmer to raise the temperature of the fish gently ?)
   Rolls are often more satisfying. The Fresh Salmon and Scallion version ($3.50) is among the simplest but best. The Backflip Roll ($7.95), with spicy tuna and tuna takai, is more complicated but also good.
   OK. Now the hibachi.
   It's the thing most people come here to eat, so I had to try it. (Prices range from $6.95 to $12.95 at lunch and $11.95 to $29.95 at dinner.) As I sat at the bar watching the show, I had to admit the spectacle can be a guilty pleasure. It's especially good for groups.
   Kids seem to love it. Grownups seem to love it. Even snobs can be won over.
   So I sat back and enjoyed the theatrics. And how was the food?
   Who knows? I was too busy watching eggshells fly through the air.
   

SEKISUI Address:
219 N. Shackleford Road, Little Rock

Hours:
11 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday-Sunday, 5-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 5-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday

Cuisine:
Japanese

Credit cards:
V, MC, AE, D

Alcoholic beverages:
Full bar

Reservations:
No

Nonsmoking section:
Entirely smoke-free

Wheelchair accessible:
Yes

(501) 221-7070

This story was published Friday, June 30, 2006