Presque Isle’s first hibachi grill aims to open by Christmas

Presque Isle will offer a new type of dining experience when its first Japanese grill restaurant opens later this year.

Shogun Japanese Steakhouse is renovating a space in the Stone Ridge Events Center building on Maysville Street, across from Lowe’s and the Aroostook Centre Mall.

Restaurateur Lalu Dedi Sutanto opened Crazy Sumo II in Newport earlier this year, a similar style of eatery. His newest 200-seat hibachi grill will be the first of its kind in Presque Isle and likely in Aroostook County. Sutanto chose Presque Isle because he can bring something unique to enlarge dining choices, and because the city is a center point of Aroostook County, he said.

“The most important thing is it’s a hub. Everybody goes to Presque Isle to get something,” Sutanto said. “And I believe that it’s a good decision to choose Presque Isle. I would like to build my foundation in Maine.”

Sutanto was raised on the Indonesian island of Lombok. His great-great-grandfather was Japanese, so he grew up steeped in the culinary traditions of Indonesia and Japan, he said. He has been in the restaurant business for 20 years.

Once an owner of four restaurants in Arkansas, Sutanto moved to Maine in 2021, when he helped start an Ellsworth restaurant. Besides the Newport site, he has a food truck in Old Town called Ninja Japanese Express and plans to build a permanent eatery there as well.

He aims to open Shogun before Christmas, provided supplies arrive and things are finished in time, he said.

Local developer Dana Cassidy owns the building, now called the Cassidy Compound, as well as the Aroostook Centre Mall. Cassidy announced plans for the eatery last month.

Shogun will occupy part of the building. Personal Services of Aroostook, a nonprofit organization that supports people with intellectual disabilities, is also housed there.

Construction crews are renovating the large area on the building’s left side that once belonged to two former restaurants, Slopes and the Crow’s Nest. Right now they are building tables, he said. Accents like decorative trees and lighting are also in the works.

He plans a dual dining arrangement which will include the hibachi grills and more conventional seating. Seats will surround eight to 10 grills, while the other part of the restaurant will hold more tables, booths, a sushi buffet and a bar.

Hibachi cuisine uses fresh ingredients like vegetables, rice and proteins, and the professionals prepare the meal as people watch, Sutanto said. It’s equal parts food and entertainment.

“They want to show you every step, how they prepare the meal, so you know exactly what you’re going to have,” he said. “And the chef will create something of a show to make it more fun.”

The concept has been successful so far and has garnered good reviews at his other locations, he said.

Sutanto plans to hire about 25 employees, mostly from the local area. He is working with several experienced chefs who will come to Presque Isle, but they would also like to train local chefs who are interested in this style of cuisine, he said.

He chose the name “Shogun” because many people will associate the name with Japanese cuisine, he said. And yes, it was also inspired by the James Clavell novel and television miniseries of the same name, which focus on a British sailor in Japan in the 1600s.

Sutanto’s wife, Kassidy, is a Mainer, and the couple have two young children who are 2 and 1. The local people have been welcoming, he said.

Shogun will start with a simpler menu offering mostly Japanese food, and then add some spicier Indonesian dishes, he said. He also wants to incorporate some Chinese and Thai cuisine as well, Sutanto said.

“I want to share my cuisine and heritage with the people in Presque Isle,” he said. “I’ll give you a little adventure of Asia.”