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What's the surest way to spot a celebrity while dining at a restaurant in LA? Make sure that restaurant is located in the backyard of a celebrity's home. According to Time, Fast and the Furious star/Ralph Lauren model Tyrese Gibson has a fully functioning Benihana-style restaurant located right in his backyard. Clearly one of the smooth-talking actor's favorite hibachi joints, Benihana was the inspiration behind what Gibson has cleverly dubbed Gibsihana. The R&B singer is so proud of his private restaurant he showed it off in this YouTube video from 2014.
Master of None star Aziz Ansari caught wind of Gibson's private hibachi oasis back in 2013 and has been fishing for an invite ever since:
WAIT @TYRESE, GIBSIHANA IS A BENIHANA STYLE RESTAURANT YOU BUILT IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD??
— Aziz Ansari (@azizansari) June 13, 2013
Hey @Tyrese, was trying to take @theLonelyIsland out for a special dinner to celebrate the success of The Wack Album, any suggestions?
— Aziz Ansari (@azizansari) June 13, 2013
.@Tyrese, need a REAL special place. Something unique, private, a one of a kind experience. Any thoughts?
— Aziz Ansari (@azizansari) June 13, 2013
When that didn't work, Ansari shameless abandoned the witty banter and directly asked Gibson if he could dine at Gibsihana.
Ok @Tyrese, so @TheLonelyIsland and I are dying to eat at GIBSIHANA'S. Can we make this happen after you finish the #TGT tour?
— Aziz Ansari (@azizansari) June 13, 2013
However, all the tweets were to no avail as Gibson failed to respond to Ansari's string of requests. Then, after two long years of waiting, his dream came through. It's unclear how the dining experience came about, but Ansari's Instagram documented the Gibsihana adventure and the actor having what appears to be the best time ever.
Tyrese seemed to also be having a blast, capturing the dinner in his own Instagram video:
Ansari is a noted food enthusiast. In 2014, he launched a web series, Food Club, with frequent collaborator Eric Wareheim and Jason Woliner. Each episode followed the trio to a variety of Los Angeles restaurants where they award the eatery a Food Club plaque or incinerated it at the restaurant's door.
