Venue Review: Uchi Japanese Restaurant (Harlingen)

HARLINGEN — It’s dinner and a show at Uchi Japanese Restaurant, the city’s latest eatery.

Chefs lit the scene with towers of flame and one used his spatula to flick cooked shrimp at the open mouths of cadets from the Marine Military Academy.

The North Ed Carey Drive location is the third Uchi for Owner Jong Mi Park. She also owns restaurants on South Padre Island and in Brownsville.

Uchi is a Teppenyaki steak house, which means the chefs cook at grills surrounded by restaurant-goers.

Along with the cooking come flames, twirling cooking utensils and a few jokes.

Guests can also choose from more than 70 different Maki sushi rolls or try the Nagiri sushi, which is usually made from rice and fish.

The menu also includes tempura fried fish and more familiar dishes such as beef and chicken teriyaki.