2008 'ILIMA AWARD WINNER - CRITICS' PICKS
Sushi Izakaya Gaku
In-the-know izakaya addicts already
flock to Sushi Izakaya Gaku, opened
last year by chef-owner Manabu
Kikuchi, a 10-year veteran of Imanas
Tei, but we just discovered it, and
we're hooked. To say that eating at
Gaku is like being a kid in a candy
shop may be a cliche, but that really
is the feeling that overcomes diners.
Do we really have to choose between
spicy negihama tartare and
the luxuriously textured natto, 'ahi, uni
and yamaimo with two kinds of egg
(ikura and quail)? The negihama
tartare (a mixture of finely chopped
fish, mayonnaise, sambal, sesame oil
and a "secret ingredient," according
to the sushi chef, who looks strikingly
like Speed Racer) is topped with tobiko
and a raw quail egg; as you bite
through the nori crunch, you experience
bursts of roe as your tongue
plies through the creaminess. With
Charles Lloyd, John Coltrane and
other jazz masters on the speakers in
the woody interior of the small room,
you feel like you're a member of a
low-key private club — and boy does
it feel good.
1329 S. King St. 589-1329. 5-11 p.m.
Mondays-Saturdays. JCS, MC, VS.
No checks. $-$$$.
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VS: Visa MC: Mastercard AX: American Express DC: Diners Club DS: Discover Card JCB: JCB Card |
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Price Legend: |
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$: Budget-friendly; entrées mostly less than $10 $$: Moderate; entrées $10-$16 $$$: Pricey; entrées mostly more than $17 $$$$: Very Pricey; entrées mostly more than $30 Checks: Local checks and travelers’ checks only |
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