Daruma Japanese Steakhouse

Five wines. That's the list. You flip the drink menu over expecting more and there isn't more — just Chardonnay, White Zinfandel, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Plum Wine. At a Japanese steakhouse with a full kitchen and hibachi flames, the wine program is an afterthought so small it barely qualifies as a thought.

The five selections read like someone grabbed the first five bottles off a grocery store endcap and called it a wine list. There's no producer listed for any of them, no vintage, no region beyond the vague gesture of 'house wine.' The lone nod to the restaurant's Japanese identity is the Plum Wine, which at least makes thematic sense even if it tells us nothing about quality or sourcing. If you came here hoping to find something from Yamanashi or even a thoughtful import, you'll leave disappointed.

No by-the-glass breakdown is published, so we can't confirm what's available as a pour versus a bottle — or what any of it costs. That opacity alone is a minor red flag. At a minimum, a wine list should tell you what you're paying.