84 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • SEPTEMBER 2018
SHIRO OF JAPAN
AUTHENTICALLY JAPANESE
Executive Chef Hiro Ishikawa and Peter Faccibene co-own Shiro of Japan. (Photo by Jeremy Bales)
By KARMINA L. FONSECA
Japanese cuisine has become increasingly
popular in recent years,
but Shiro of Japan was well ahead of
the curve, establishing the first traditional
sushi and hibachi restaurant
on Long Island in 1972.
The name Shiro, which means
“castle” in Japanese, was chosen for
its symbolism, besides representing
the main mission of the Carle Place
locale: to provide exceptional service
and authentic Japanese dishes
— a commitment that the restaurant
has fulfilled during the last four
decades.
“We try to keep the food as authentic
as possible,” says Peter Faccibene,
one of the two owners. “The food is
based on authentic recipes that Hiro
brought from Japan,” he adds, referring
to his partner, Hiro Ishikawa,
who also serves as executive chef.
The duo took over Shiro of Japan
in 2003. Three years later, Ishikawa
and Faccibene took advantage of
their success and together opened
a second Shiro, in Queens. And in
October 2013, Shiro of Japan opened
its first fast-food restaurant, in Grand
Central Terminal.
“Right now we are focusing on
making the three restaurants we have
as good as possible,” says Faccibene.
To celebrate, during the month of
September customers visiting any
branches will be given a free glass of
house wine.
The most characteristic feature
of this Japanese restaurant is that it
introduced hibachi-style cuisine on
LI, an artistic form of cooking known
as teppanyaki; teppan means “iron or
steel plate” and yaki, “stir-fried food.”
The restaurant, a culinary novelty
in the 1970s, was quickly recognized
for its unique style of cuisine and its
chefs.
“A big part of our business is the
hibachi,” Faccibene says. “The best
thing about the hibachi is that it
transcends all things, because it
is a place where people gather to
celebrate. You can seat two people at
the table with six others who do not
know each other — and by the end
of the night, everyone is celebrating
the experience of having dinner
together; because the chef is there to
entertain and cook.”
With Shiro of Japan, Ishikawa
continues his 30-year passion for
educating aspiring chefs. This is
especially evident when Ishikawa
turns his kitchen into a classroom for
young students from local schools.
Many restaurant employees and
chefs who trained and worked with
Ishikawa have gone on to prestigious
positions in well-known Japanese
restaurants such as the famous New
York Nobu and the popular Long
Island Kotobuki.
“The majority of our staff has been
with us for a long time,” Faccibene
adds. “We have some people working
with us for 30 years who started as
assistants and have grown to become
hibachi chefs.”
Shiro of Japan has also developed
catering and wholesale businesses,
plus regular food service to more
than 30 cafeterias in schools, corporate
dining halls and government
agencies in the New York metropolitan
area. Shiro of Japan offers its
customers a wide variety of sushi
dishes and traditional Japanese
cuisine, prepared by chefs at the
venue.
Ishikawa’s creations have become
popular throughout the country and
are part of the restaurant’s special
dishes, including jake with chopped
shrimp and crab with mayonnaise
and fish egg, and the black dragon,
which consists of jake inside with
avocado, eel, tobiko, chives and sweet
eel sauce on top. They even have a
sushi taco.
“It’s funny: Not much on Long
Island, but in our Queens business,
there’s a little more Latino influence
because we have a bigger Hispanic
population in that restaurant — and
some of our hibachi dishes are cooked
with a little more spice,” says Faccibene.
“For some of the sushi dishes, the
chef makes a special of the week
based on what people ask for.”
Without a doubt, diners from LI
to Manhattan enjoy the quality and
authenticity of Japanese cuisine at
Shiro of Japan.
“It’s a fun place to dine. It’s a dinner
and a show,” he says.
Shiro of Japan is located at 401
Old Country Rd., Carle Place. They
can be reached at 516-997-4770 or
shiroofjapan.com
MAIN DISH
Shiro of Japan was the first hibachi restaurant on Long Island. The black dragon roll is a must-try.