KISAKU

She says:
In Seattle, there exists a little-known neighborhood called Tangletown. In that small neighborhood, you can find all the Pacific Northwest basics – an independent coffee shop, a brewpub, a donut shop, and, of course, a sushi restaurant.

Kisaku means “frank and easy going,” and is clearly striving to be a true neighborhood joint… no more, no less. The restaurant is much nicer than your typical hole-in-the-wall, but it also avoids uber-trendy touches, so in terms of ambiance, it lives up to it’s aspirations as a friendly neighborhood haunt.

He says:
Since sushi dinners often leave me hungry, I usually order the largest platter possible. On this occasion I opted for the Sushi Combination M, 8 pieces of sushi (tuna, salmon, yellowtail, white fish, shrimp, scallop, surf clam, and octopus), a tuna roll, and miso soup. Aside from the shrimp and octopus, which I found slightly rubbery, the fish was very good. The tuna was easily the best, packing the freshest flavor in each morsel.

She says:
My mom and I sampled several of the rolls, although none of them wowed us. The spiciness of the spicy tuna roll overwhelmed the actual flavor of the tuna; similarly, all I could taste in the Kisaku roll (consisting of scallop, crab, mayo, and flying fish eggs) was the mayo. The Alaska roll, with grilled salmon skin, didn’t come with high expectations, so it was fine. The best, and most balanced, was the Green Lake roll, since none of the ingredients – including salmon, fish eggs, asparagus, avocado, and marinated seaweed – dominated the roll.

We also sampled two types of nigiri. The eel was sweet and tender. The Otoro (very fatty tuna) tasted like a big bite of fat. I think that’s the point, but neither my mom or I were into it – we wanted to taste the tuna flavor, which was notably absent.

He says:
I agree, Kisaku’s Otoro didn’t carry enough “tuna-ness” to balance the fat. I have had excellent Otoro in other sushi restaurants though, and believe me, when that fat melts and mingles on the tongue … all I can say is “Wow!”

We finished dinner off with two desserts. The first was sweet potato that had been pureed into a thick, orange custard and deep-fried in wonton shells. Served hot with ice cream and red bean paste on the side, this was an innovative and delicious dish.

The second dessert was a bland cake roll, filled with fruit and whipped cream. You can find this type of cake in any mediocre Chinese bakery… what such a disappointing dish is doing in a Japanese restaurant beats me.

We say:
If we lived in Tangletown, we’d definitely stop at Kisaku for some nigiri and warm sake. Just skip the cake!



Kisaku
2101 N. 55th St. #100, Seattle, WA 98103
http://www.kisaku.com