Christmas Tei

(4.5÷5 stars)
Unilocal 100 Challenge 2015 — ⁸³⁄₁₀₀; Countdown to 200 — ⁸⁄₁₀
Christmas Tei is one of those restaurants that seems out of place in the middle of a semi-​residential neighborhood in Chofu. It’s located some distance from the nearest train station (although certainly accessible if you know where you’re going); in fact, visiting by car seems more appropriate. Why? Because it is an American themed restaurant from patio to roof rafters.
You’ll be greeted by a grand façade (see photo) in early colonial style as you enter the gates. The parking attendant will greet you to assist in parking, then he’ll lead you to the entrance, tucked away on the left side.
Highlights:
+ Service: ⁵⁄₅ stars (includes the following
— Parking (semi-​valet; two lots with the nicer cars in front, obviously)
— Warm, friendly staff who go beyond standard by the manual service levels usually seen in Japan
— Higher level of attention to make sure your water glasses are filled and that your meal is satisfactory (YMMV here)
+ Menu: 4.5÷5 (good selection of meat, fish and vegetable dishes — all prepared in American style, not faux French, Italian or Japanese. You do get a choice of rice or bread with the entrees though)
+ Quality: 4.5÷5 (high attention to details in ingredients, taste, presentation, plus balanced flavors that are Japanese localized, but still retain the essence of the original American taste)
+ Value: ⁵⁄₅ (lunchtime is of course the best value, but guess what? The menu prices don’t change much at dinnertime. You may need to order your drink separate but there will be an even wider selection of delicious items to choose from)
+ Ambiance/​décor: 4.5÷5 (feels like you’ve stepped into a Normal Rockwell gallery; lots of such photos/​paintings on the walls, plus memorabilia from various past eras of American culture. Again, colonial style so this makes an interesting setting — definitely not Japanese at all.)
We’ve been coming here for Christmas dinner (see the connection?) every year for a long time. They do feature turkey and trimmings at that time of the year. I actually love their wine and butter grilled salmon steak, which is done very well. Other dishes as sirloin steak and spaghettis are good as well.
During the holiday season (weekends, year-​end, national holidays), reservations are recommended. It can get quite crowded as enough people seem to also know of this hidden gem. During the weekdays, there should be no problem getting seated, although on certain days at lunchtime, you’re sometimes competing with crowds of housewives from the surrounding neighborhood.
This place has a nice feel of American nostalgia to it, and the food, ambiance and service round out the experience. You may have a hard time finding it, but if coming by train, the nearest station is Nishi Chofu on the Keio line. Use the Unilocal app to lead you there.