I had my reservations when placing my order at the U-District's Teriyaki Plus. It wasn't fear that the food might be bad that raised an alarm; on the contrary, when I ordered the chicken katsu nearly a year previous I was happily satisfied. My concern on this day materialized when I noticed Teriyaki Plus presents their menu slightly different than their teriyaki brethren. Unlike their competition, Teriyaki Plus does not offer the standard chicken teriyaki as the #1 item on their menu. Normally, that wouldn't matter much as I would probably opt for whatever did hold the top spot. However, as it is my duty to qualify all chicken teriyaki within the Seattle city limits, I had no choice but to venture farther down the menu than perhaps Teriyaki Plus might want. I know their katsu is good, but could they be hiding something by offering the chicken teriyaki as the 13th item on their menu? I was about to find out...

The first thing I noticed when I lifted the styrofoam lid on my chicken teriyaki is that one entire section of the container was empty. What's up with that? Rice is cheap so why not humour me by tossing a scoop in there and call it a day? It is that kind of key detail that usually separates the teriyaki players from the teriyaki pretenders. It is also the type of mistake that could easily force my hand in not recomending a restaurant. In this instance, however, despite their obvious faux pas Teriyaki Plus nevertheless won my heart, but just barely.

The key to my enjoyment with Teriyaki Plus's offering was the taste. While the empty space was certainly dissapointing, the quality of what Teriyaki Plus dishes out is atually very high. From the scrumptuous tang of the salad dressing to the perfectly grilled chicken that is delicious even if it is a bit heavier on the dark meat than I generally prefer, the fluffy rice that just barely meets the portion quotient to the consistently flavored teriyaki sauce, this is satisfying teriyaki whose sum magically trumps its parts. I can't put my finger on the why or the how but from the first bite to the last I was happy with my Teriyaki Plus meal. Certainly, one will find bigger, tastier, and more interesting teriyaki than Teriyaki Plus, but for $6.25 plus tax it's hard to walk away from this place anything but satisfied. There certainly are better items on the menu than the regular chicken teriyaki, and I heartily recommend the Katsu, but after my latest experience I can also confirm that you can't go wrong with the chicken teriyaki, either.

Well done, Teriyaki Plus. Now just up the rice portion and we can be best friends...