Oh Me, Oh My! Omakase at Kitsho Dazzles!
Written: Jul 28 '09
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Pros: * Amazing source of high quality fish
* Charming Japanese decor
Cons: * Somewhat hidden location vulnerable to car break-ins
The Bottom Line: This is an unusual find in the suburbs offering high quality fish and diverse selections beyond the typical tuna, salmon, and yellowtail.
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I love prepared raw fish, whether it's served as sashimi, maki, temaki, nigiri, or chirashi. For those new to raw fish, those various forms differ in a few key ways: whether the fish is served with rice or alongside rice, with nori (seaweed) or without, rolled or not rolled, etc.
To celebrate giving birth last month, I immediately set out to make up for nine months of "raw fish abstinence" and sought some restaurants closer to me here in the suburbs outside San Francisco. Fortunately, Kitsho is a fantastic restaurant just 10 minutes from my parents' home so they can conveniently offer babysitting while I indulge in sashimi!
About the Restaurant
Kitsho is tucked on a small leafy street, behind a gas station that sits at the corner of a major intersection in the city of Cupertino (which is famous for being the home of Apple and internationally recognized public schools). It's easily overlooked and seems like an odd place to have a restaurant. We would never have found it without our GPS, despite the fact that I grew up in this area and must have driven by thousands of times on my way to the Vallco shopping mall (which has since been renamed Cupertino Square ) across the street from the gas station.
The restaurant has its own parking lot, though it shares a back wall with another even smaller Chinese restaurant. Right away, it stands out from the other suburban sushi restaurants as it's not part of a strip mall. Note that there are prominent warnings taped to the front door and both front windows about multiple break-ins in the parking lot, so that's a bit unsettling. On our last visit, the typed notice was edited to reflect that there have now been 5 break-ins (not just the 3 when the typed notice was first posted!).
Once inside, the dining room is a bright airy space with traditional Japanese touches like the shoji screens (rice paper room dividers). Most of the tables are the standard Western seating but there is one corner with 2 Japanese tables for about 6 patrons each in the right front side of the room. I'm not sure what it's called, but it is surrounded by permanent (i.e., not movable) bench seating with a recessed space under the table. This allows you to sit with your feet underneath the table in typical Western style or tuck them underneath you.
Note that the bench seating requires one to remove your shoes to climb in and the waitress will instruct you to do so as well. We sat here on our first visit as I had called to make a reservation. It's comfortable enough but if you're barefoot or otherwise don't want to expose your feet, you might want to skip this table.
The L-shaped sushi bar has seating for about 12. I didn't get an exact count, but we had 6 chairs on our side so I assume there were only 6 on the other. It is not as flashy as it is in other restaurants (i.e., it doesn't dominate the room, nor does it have fancy lighting or very long glass counters) but it's perfectly comfortable. The glass case along runs along a portion of the counter, so some sushi bar patrons just see the wood counter.
Another sign of "authenticity" that I should note is that unlike many of the sushi restaurants outside San Francisco, Kitsho is not owned and operated by Korean or Chinese Americans. Most of the other suburban Japanese restaurants we've tried are owned and staffed by non-Japanese Americans. I don't think this means the food is definitely "Americanized" or inauthentic, but I certainly think having Japanese staff means there may be higher standards. At Kitsho, they actually speak Japanese and many of the patrons are Japanese ex-pats who bring their kids.
On a random tangent--I'm sometimes surprised to see children at Japanese restaurants as I don't know how common it is for American kids eat sushi. I have yet to see non-Japanese kids at Kitsho, but they do have typical cooked entrees, too, like chicken teriyaki (which is what we feed my 3 year old when we take her to other Japanese restaurants). Sadly, they don't offer my daughter's favorite entree, udon (a thick wheat flour noodle). Yet I found on their menu a children's special (for ages 7 and under). For $9.50, one may choose any two items: Beef Teriyaki, Chicken Teriyaki, Tempura, or Sushi (Ebi--shrimp, Tamago-egg, and Inari-rice stuffed into a fried tofu skin). It also comes with rice and ice cream.
About the Food
On my three visits to Kitsho since my June 4 delivery date, I have not strayed from ordering the sashimi omakase since every on-line reviewer raves about the omakase at Kitsho. Rather than limiting myself to certain sashimi selections, I opt for omakase, which leaves the choices of the actual fish up to the chef. This means I've been introduced to surprising new choices and am able to enjoy whatever is the best choice of the evening.
My husband has also chosen to leave his fish choices up to the chef, but he prefers nigiri (where the fish sits atop a finger-sized mound of rice). Thus, he orders the sushi omakase.
Since the fish selections vary, the price varies each time. Omakase starts at $28 and on my visits where we sat at a table, it hasn't ever been more than $35/person. But lo and behold, on my visit this past Saturday night when we opted for the sushi bar, we racked up a $110 bill (before tax and the $20+ tip).
Note that when we sit at the table, omakase included a bowl of miso soup and my sashimi came with a side of rice (which I use as a "palate cleanser"). I'm not sure if the waitresses forgot to serve those to us at the sushi bar, or if it's just not typical there. Yet our experience at the sushi bar introduced us to new delicacies, like an amazing Spanish mackerel "tartare" consisting of diced raw fish with seasonings/herbs. The remaining fish head and skeleton was pierced by a large skewer and displayed artfully. The itamae (sushi chef) then volunteered to deep fry the bones for us to enjoy when we finished the salad. We accepted his offer as we figured I could use some calcium. I found it had a salty, crunchy flavor and liked it.
Getting back to the fish, let me say up front that I'm far from being an experienced sashimi lover. Up until a few years ago, I rarely ventured beyond the very common and popular choices like tuna and yellowtail. I also used to like ordering those crazy American rolls with non-traditional fillings (think salmon and cream cheese). Since then, I've branched out more but still didn't really know what to order other than asking wait staff.
At Kitsho, my husband and I've been delighted to enjoy bonito (served as nigiri), scallop (it's even sweeter raw!), and several other fish whose names escape me now. I know the itamae pointed out several specialties flown in from Japan so they seem to have a very extensive selection.
On my last visit this past Saturday night, my sashimi omakase included toro (the belly of bluefin tuna), yellowfin (ahi tuna), raw scallop (with a lemon slice), baby hamachi and regular hamachi. There was an additional fish whose name I never got.
My husband received a stream of nigiri that were topped with roe, scallions and special sauces, each of which seem to enhance the raw fish. He was very pleased with his selections, but since they didn't arrive in pairs (like a normal nigiri order), I wasn't able to try them without depriving him. He gallantly let me have his raw scallop nigiri after seeing how much I enjoyed my raw scallop sashimi, but I think I may just opt for the sushi omakase next time we visit Kitsho.
As an aside, I should state that the appetizers look fairly standard, with the exception of the Chawan mushi. We tried this one visit as it sounded interesting- Steamed egg custard with chicken and shrimp ($6.50 each and one must order at least two). I expected the delicate egg custard to be sweet but it was savory and steaming hot. Unfortunately, it's not the type of dish I normally like on a hot summer day but imagine it would really hit the spot in the winter.
Finally, it's not really vegetarian friendly, unless you opt for vegetable tempura ($13), inari (tofu pouches stuffed with rice), appetizers like edamame (soy beans $4), or salads.
About the Service
The service has been satisfactory when we sat at the tables, but many others complain of slow service when I first scanned various on-line reviews. Thus, on our first visit when the restaurant was packed with guests standing in the waiting area, we flagged down a waitress within minutes of sitting to accelerate our dining experience. To keep things simple, we both ordered the omakase, though I opted for sashimi and my husband chose the sushi. Thus, we limited our "waiting time" significantly. Later, we easily flagged her down again to get the bill.
On subsequent visits, we have gone early enough in the evening that we didn't even need to flag down anyone. I've also noticed that several waitresses came by to remove plates and refill our glasses of water, so they don't restrict themselves to only serving their "assigned" tables. If anything, they are more attentive than the typical suburban ethnic restaurant.
Sitting at the tables, we receive a cold disposable towel, which is a nice way to ensure clean hands, though we don't order temaki or maki rolls. At the sushi bar, we get a warm cotton towel, which is a nice upgrade, though I do wonder about the discrepancy. Perhaps they just assume sushi bar patrons plan to spend much more and deserve real towels?
All in all, I think service is more than satisfactory and have yet to find any fault with it.
Final Thoughts
I'm not a sushi expert by any means, but this restaurant ranks among the best of all the places I've tried both in major cities and in the suburbs. It's the best I've tried in the suburbs so far and I'm eager to compare it to others that the sushi experts have mentioned as being at the top of the game, too. In the meantime, I'll continue to drop by on a monthly basis (if not more frequently!).
Special thanks to lyagushka for adding this to the database for me so quickly!
Recommended:
Yes
Kid Friendliness: Yes
Vegetarian Friendly: No
Notes, Tips or Menu Recommendations Opt for Omakase but beware of sitting at the sushi bar if on a budget!
Best Suited For: Friends
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