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I frequently drive back and forth to southern Maryland along route 5 on the weekends, usually returning in the evening after a long day outside. We like to stop for dinner along the way, which means that the options are a long wait at a chain restaurant in Waldorf, or stopping off in Charlotte Hall at one of the handful of local restaurants. Charlotte Hall usually wins, and so I am pretty familiar with just about every non-fast-food option in the area. AJ Hibachi is located in the back of a strip mall near the Food Lion on route 5. This little strip mall features some of the better options in the area (Chinese, Japanese, Mexican and a newly opened outpost of Sweetfrog). It took me a while to realize that AJ was actually an open restaurant, probably because the window blinds are always closed and the shop next door was (is?) vacant. Inside, there is a line of tables along one side and a glass fronted food prep area where I think the sushi is prepared. There are two televisions usually showing sports and news mounted on the wall. The long wall has a huge mural of a presumably Japanese market scene from some historical period. They do offer takeout, but it is mostly sit-down service as far as I can tell. Which is to say that this is one of the fancier establishments in Charlotte Hall. While the name would imply that one might find table hibachi here, that is not the case. The menu consists of a few appetizers, soups, several pages of sushi options, and then a handful of steak and seafood entrees. They also carry Ramune sodas, advertised prominently with table cards. Not being one for sushi or slabs of beef, I always opt for the soup. There are two kinds of soup broth (dashi or coconut curry), with three or four noodle options (udon, egg, something else), and four or five types of meat and vegetable toppings. I find the curry broth to be bland and disappointing, so I instead always go for the dashi soup with udon, the options for which include shrimp tempura, chicken, beef, and something vegetarian. The soup size is huge, with generous noodle portions, mung beans, and large squares of cabbage. The shrimp tempura lands you a side of three large prawns, yam slices, broccoli, and something else to add; the chicken version has a side of chicken slices with some kind of soy sauce? marinade which is tastier than I anticipated. I am not an expert on Japanese soups, but I think the version at AJ is pretty good. The spring roll appetizers are fair, reminiscent of the frozen spring rolls from Safeway. My carpool companion usually orders one of the steak or sushi options, and seems to like them well enough. IMHO, this is the best option in the area if you are looking for a non-greasy, hot, filling, semi-healthy dinner, along with a pot of decent hot tea, especially after a long cold day outside in winter.- 1 reply
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