John Stroud/Glenwood Springs Post Independent
Desy and Joey Lin, husband-and-wife restaurateurs originally from Indonesia and China, respectively, recently opened a Japanese eatery in Carbondale by the name of 450 Teppanyaki.
Located at 568 Highway 133 in the space formerly occupied by Konnyaku, the Lins explained that the new eatery specializes in teppanyaki, sushi and cocktails.
“The foods are usually steaks, seafood, chicken, and are cooked on a flat iron grill,” 450 Teppanyaki co-owner Desy Lin said of Teppanyaki’s cooking technique.
Lin explained how the word teppanyaki combines “teppan,” meaning metal griddle, and “yaki,” which essentially refers to heating. “Yaki” also helped cook up the restaurant’s name.
“Four-hundred fifty (450) degrees is the temperature of the grill itself,” she said.
The couple met when they were both 23, by chance in Fort Collins.
Joey Lin, after studying culinary arts in China, moved to Fort Collins where he received further training while working alongside his uncle at East Moon Asian Bistro.
Desy Lin, however, switched career paths altogether when she traded in art school in San Francisco for restaurant management.
Now both 26, the two hope to showcase their skills on 450 Teppanyaki’s plates and in its glassware.
Unlike many hibachi restaurants, guests at 450 Teppanyaki do not eat around the grill with a chef preparing the cuisine directly in front of them.
“We have an open kitchen where the chef can cook, but there is not going to be any show,” Desy Lin said. “People can still come over and watch the chef, but it is up to them. Customers have their own tables.”
The restaurant’s teppanyaki menu offers vegetarian options in addition to chicken, filet mignon and strip loin, as well as a seafood selection comprising lobster tail, red snapper, salmon, sea scallops, shrimp and tuna steak.
“We have lots of sushi, too. And, I would recommend the 1-degree-beyond specialty sushi roll,” Desy Lin said of her favorite choice out of 450 Teppanyaki’s 18 specialty sushi rolls.
Lin described the 1-degree-beyond sushi roll as a California roll featuring the traditional crab salad, avocado, and cucumber but topped off with baked lobster.
In addition to an open kitchen, 450 Teppanyaki also offers customers a full bar featuring Japanese beers Kirin Ichiban and Sapporo on tap, sake by the flight, and cocktails including that of a wasabi bloody mary.
The couple said they drove all over the state looking for a home for 450 Teppanyaki before finally settling on Carbondale.
“We really liked Carbondale and how everybody kind of knew each other,” Desy Lin said. “We just want the locals to get to know and enjoy teppanyaki, that is our hope.”
Open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, 450 Teppanyaki, Sunday through Thursday, serves customers between 11 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. and from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.