For my second foray into University District teriyaki, I decided to go off the beaten path. From an anonymous tip came word that Kyoto Teriyaki was not only the best of the U-District, but also the best in Seattle. So I gave it a shot. The verdict: it is not.

The good in Kyoto's #1 chicken teriyaki is the price (less than $6 including tax) and portion. Ample amounts of chicken and rice are complimented by a separate container of iceberg lettuce (with a side of tasty honey ranch dressing) that literally exploded all over the table when I popped it open. That's what big portions are all about! Unfortunately, the cooking quality doesn't quite measure up to the generosity.

With plenty of white meat chicken, a thin though tasty sauce, and definitively unsoggy rice Kyoto was poised for a major teriyaki breakthrough. The monkey wrench, however is the overcooking that dominates the dish.

An overgrilled, charred flavor obscures the chicken's teriyaki taste. The rice, likewise is overcooked with the individual grains having a hard mouth feel. Though these techniques of grilling the chicken and cooking all the water out of the rice, respectively are exactly what I like in my teriyaki, that little lack of care, overexuberance, or simple ignorance of when to take the food off the cooker is the meal's achilles heal.

Still, I was pleased with Kyoto's teriyaki. The bang-for-the-buck is there as is proper cooking technique. Maybe I caught them on a bad day. If that's the case, Kyoto is an unquestionable 3 out of 4 and possibly a little higher. As is, 3 out of 4 still fits.

Kyoto isn't great teriyaki, but I recommend it as another good shop to get your hands on Seattle's #1 fast food item.