©2016 Saratoga Photographer.com
By Maureen Werther
Kin Jo Japanese Steakhouse, 68 Congress St., Saratoga Springs, is the third restaurant for owner Allen Dong. But, it is his first venture in Saratoga Springs.
For Dong, who owns two other Japanese restaurants in Albany, he is very excited about operating a business in Saratoga, located in Congress Plaza.
“Saratoga has so much to offer, with the racetrack, SPAC and the Spa State Park. I think it is a very good place to open a restaurant,” said Dong.
Kin Jo opened its doors on July 12, after extensive renovations to the property. Renovations took approximately eight months to complete.
"We waited for more than three months to get all of the necessary permits," said Dong. "And then we had additional delays in January and February because of the weather. On top of that, we had unexpected repairs to the roof."
But, they worked hard to make up for the delays and are receiving very good reviews so far.
"We haven't had to do a lot of advertising yet, and we are getting a lot of good feedback on Facebook, and a lot of repeat business," said Dong. "All of our reviews are giving us the 'thumbs up.'"
Dong said they installed brand new state-of-the-art "down draft" hibachi equipment, which improves the overall dining experience for customers. "All of our kitchen and cooking equipment are state-of-the-art," he said.
In addition to a fully stocked bar, offering an assortment of beers, wines and spirits, there is also a sushi bar, offering fresh sushi, sashimi, seaweed salads, signature sushi and sashimi "boats."
Customers can select from a large assortment of lunch specials, including Pad Thai, specials, and noodles and rice dishes. Their dinner menu ranges from steak, chicken, shrimp, lobster and lamb to tempura, teriyaki, and negimaki.
Diners can sit at one of seven booths or they can opt for one of the six large hibachi tables in the main area of the restaurant. Dong noted that their dry-aged angus cowboy beef and prime rib is the same high quality of other nearby restaurants, said Dong. He noted the pricing at Kin Jo is more reasonable than other restaurants in the area.
Congress Plaza, which is also home to the Embassy Suites and CVS, has ample parking, something else that Dong hopes will attract more customers to Kin Jo.
Kin Jo's hours of operation are Monday through Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 9:30 p.m. For more information, visit www.kinjosaratoga.com.