Windy’s Sukiyaki Celebrates A Half Century in Ogden
Long-time Windy’s Sukiyaki customers usually have three questions for the new owner, Stacey Marsh. She bought the 50-year-old Ogden restaurant from Steve Farnsworth earlier this year. I recently interviewed her for a Standard-Examiner article.
- ARE YOU CHANGING THE MENU?
“A firm no!” said Marsh, who has been coming to Windy’s since she was a child.
“Our menu is incredible and much of our food is homemade. We hand-roll our gyoza every week when most other restaurants buy it frozen. We also make and roll our harumaki (egg rolls) from scratch. Our homemade salad dressing is so popular that we bottle it for customers to purchase at the restaurant.”
After 50 years, the restaurant’s namesake, sukiyaki, is still very popular. The traditional Japanese one-pot meal has clear “glass” noodles, fresh vegetables such as napa cabbage, carrots, snap peas, mushrooms, zucchini, and onions; and a choice of beef, chicken or shrimp, all in a slightly sweet soy broth. It’s served in a cast-iron bowl, with a wooden lid.
“There’s a reason it’s our namesake — it’s really delicious,” said Marsh.
Sushi is a relative newcomer to Windy’s, starting out with four different rolls about 25 years ago. Today, menu has two full pages devoted to sushi, sashimi and nigiri. There are also over 150 different rolls not on the menu that can be made on request.
The Hamachipeno roll is a Windy’s favorite, made with avocado, cucumber, red onion, kaiware (daikon radish sprouts), topped with hamachi (yellowtail tuna), jalapeno, miso sesame sauce and sriracha.
2. ARE YOU EXPANDING THE HOURS?
Yes. Windy’s is now open five nights a week.
During the Covid pandemic, the hours were cut to just three nights a week. After taking over, Marsh expanded the hours to Tuesday-Saturday, 5-9 p.m.
3. DO YOU HAVE A LIQUOR LICENSE?
Yes. Marsh recently obtained a full liquor license.
Marsh is dedicated to preserving Windy’s historic legacy, while updating it to keep it viable.
“We just launched our first point-of-sale system with handheld devices for our servers, so that customers can pay at the table, with digital screens for our cooks,” she said.
The new system also makes it easier to split the bill among large groups — a big advantage when so many groups book the restaurant’s private tea rooms for large dinners.
She’s also planning to upgrade the kitchen and other areas of the building.
Windy’s, located at 3809 Riverdale Road, was originally founded in 1974 by Donald Anderson and his wife, Ritsuko “Windy” Katsushima Anderson. Donald met Ritsuko while he was stationed in Japan during the Korean War. (Donald passed away in 2022, and Ritsuko passed away in 2023.)
Steve Farnsworth, a long-time Windy’s employee, bought the restaurant from the Andersons..
“Don and Windy were really ahead of the curve, in bringing this tea room concept to Ogden 50 years ago,” Marsh said. “Steve maintained the authentic Japanese recipes that to this day are the customer favorites.”
Farnsworth invited Marsh to spend two months training at the restaurant before taking it over. She worked every position such as washing dishes, working the fryer, rolling sushi and hosting, to give her some experience in the nuts-and-bolts of running the place.
The private tea rooms are a big part of Windy’s charm. There are 11 private spaces that vary in size from seating six to 22 people. The tables are set low to the ground, with a recessed floor beneath so you can sit down. These cozy private dining spaces are a big attraction for marriage proposals, anniversaries, prom dates, family get-togethers, retirement parties and other events.
“The tea rooms offer a unique, social experience,” Marsh said.
Reservations are recommended for the tea rooms, but there’s also an open dining area for walk-ins.
Marsh noted that many of Ogden’s old classic restaurants such as Star Noodle, China Night and Utah Noodle Parlor have closed over the years.
“Steve wanted to pass the torch to someone who loves the restaurant and wants to see it live on,” she said.
Location: 3809 Riverdale Rd., Ogden
Contact: https://windyssukiyaki.com or 801-621-4505
Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 5-9 p.m.
Average Price range: $15-30.