Marin Independent Journal (San Rafael, CA)
January 16, 2003
Section: Dining Out
Dining Out
Assault on senses at Kamikaze
By Leslie Harlib IJ reporter
You know you're getting old when people wearing black start to look funereal instead of cool and you perceive loud music and multimedia in a restaurant as an attack on your senses.
So my thoughts went on a recent visit to Kamikaze, located in San Rafael's Montecito Shopping Plaza and one of the hipper Japanese restaurants in Marin.
How do I know it's hip? I'm guessing. Put it this way: At several meals there over the past couple of years, I've seldom seen any diners over the age of 50. My preteen son is in love with the bank of five televisions positioned on one wall and the two at the far end of the long, rectangular restaurant. Each set plays, silently, a different show. During the visit on which I based this column, my party of three was sucked into watching a Latino soap opera on one screen. Weeping, wailing, screaming, wig-jamming, fist-fighting, and a kissing scene that looked like one character was having the other for dinner had us mesmerized. To top off the dizzying array of stimuli, rock 'n' roll CDs, including some techno-pop cuts, blared from the sound system.
From what I've heard of the style in Tokyo restaurants, perhaps Kamikaze (the word means "divine wind" in Japanese, and comes from a seminal 13th-century day when a mysterious typhoon destroyed an invading army, thus sparing Japan from takeover) is one of the most authentic modern Japanese eateries around.
High-tech predominates. The furniture is edgy: laminated grey tables, white walls, black chairs. A curious, inventive stream of money, meandering down a good third of the floor, lies forever frozen under its clear plexiglass surface.
Yet there are softening touches. Behind the 10-seat sushi bar is a huge mural of an undersea scene, which adds a colorful as well as cartoonish dimension to the space. On another wall, there's a sense of old Japan. Two gorgeous ceremonial kimonos gleam in glass cases, and smaller works of traditional Japanese art bring more color to the atmosphere. I've got to admit that the place is entertaining.
Kamikaze's mix of worlds plays out in its menu. The categories are laid out so diners can easily assemble a multitextured meal from appetizers, soups and salads, teriyaki and tempura options, sukiyaki, noodles and donburi, and four styles of sushi with more than two dozen types of seafood. There's also a small board near the sushi bar listing five or six daily specials.
Attractive presentation is part of the fun, particularly if you order sushi. We sampled rosy Katsuo (a steak-like type of tuna known as bonito, $4.25 per pair); creamy, sweet-salt Hamachi (yellowtail, $3.50 per pair); rich, warm, savory-sweet Unagi (freshwater eel, $3.50 per pair); real crab Kani, piled atop rice pads wrapped in seaweed ($3.50); and sweet, innocuous Ebi (tiger shrimp, $3.50) per pair. Along with this we tried two rolls: Spicy Tuna, combining chunks of maroon-fleshed maguro in a mouth-burning orange mayonnaise with cucumber and avocado ($6.50 for eight pieces), and Phoenix, a combo I had not tried before, which made bedfellows of tempura yam, eggplant and avocado, rolled up in rice and seaweed ($10.95 for eight pieces).
All the sushi was presented at once, in a dramatic natural wood boat crewed by excellent white, sweet and pungent ginger and wasabi. It was impossible not to sigh with delight at the sight of this little ship laden with assorted fish.
Every type of sushi we ordered tasted impeccably fresh and had its own character to mull over. For my taste (and this is purely a matter of personal taste), there was a bit too much rice in each type of sushi in contrast to the fish, though the rice itself was warm and expertly seasoned with Mirin.
Generosity is also characteristic of dishes at Kamikaze: you get plenty. An appetizer portion of Shrimp and Vegetable Tempura ($5.95) could have been a dinner with a side of rice. Two enormous shrimp, some slices of eggplant, yam, carrot, onion and a broccoli flower formed a tall, appetizing tangle. What's more, the battering and frying technique showcased here was some of the most professional I've enjoyed in any Marin Japanese restaurant. The batter crackled and held its edge like frost on samurai steel; there was no feel of grease or fat to the flavor, even though an underlying richness permeated each bite.
Another appetizer, Ocean Salad (seaweed with sesame, $3.95), was memorable in its sweetness. Yes, there's a slippery texture to the green noodle-like slivers, which I happen to love, but none of the funky, sometimes slimy, flavor these salads can have. A light, beautifully seasoned dressing helped make this dish successful, as did the nutty perfume of the sesame seeds.
Gyoza (pork and vegetable dumplings, $4.95) are Japan's answer to Chinese pot stickers. While similar, they generally have more delicate noodle wrappings, and the stuffings are looser. Kamikaze's are typical: excellent pan-fried and bronzed noodle skins yielding juicy ground-pork stuffing that hinted of ginger.
Dining at Kamikaze is reasonably easy on the wallet. Appetizers, which include a variety of grilled vegetables, various fried and grilled seafood and chicken items, and tofu, range from $2.95 to $8.25. Combination dinners max out at $17.95, the most expensive dishes on the menu. Most sukiyaki noodle and rice dishes are $8.95 to $15.95, and Nigiri sushi range from $1.75 to $5.95 per pair.
For dessert, there are assorted Asian-flavored ice creams ($2.95), Fried Banana ($4.95) and Tempura Ice Cream (ice cream wrapped in pound cake and fried, $4.95). If you like nuts, try Gotta HaveIt dessert company's Tony Spumoni ice cream cheese cake. It's a wedge of almond-flavored cheesecake ice cream over a paper-thin slice of cake, the whole topped with shelled pistachio nuts. Delicious - and made in San Rafael.
Another plus at Kamikaze is the service. Our server gave us all the time we needed to discuss the menu and figure out our eating strategy, but never left us alone for two long. The minute we were ready, she was there. Food comes reasonably quickly, and in stages. Unless you specify how you want your dinner, you'll be served your appetizers first, with the sushi as a follow-up. The casual feeling of a neighborhood restaurant extends to the friendliness of the servers. They know what they're doing, and you'll be made to feel as relaxed as you can be under the watchful eyes of those silent but oh-so-busy television screens.
Address: 223 Third St. (in Montecito Shopping Center), San Rafael
Telephone: 457-6776
Cuisine: Japanese dishes, sushi
Service: Excellent. Attentive, unobtrusive and friendly
Recommended dishes: Seaweed salad, tempura, Gyoza, most sushi
Liquor selection: Minimal wine list, also beers
Heart-healthy and vegetarian selections: Plenty
Parking: Free in adjacent lot
Wheelchair access: Yes
Hours: Lunch Monday through Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; dinner Monday through Thursday, 4:30 to 9:30 p.m. Friday, 4:30 to 10 p.m., Saturday, noon to 10 p.m.
Credit cards: Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Diner's Club
Summary: A multimedia setting with a pop edge makes a curious backdrop for the food at Kamikaze, superior Japanese cooked dishes as well as expertly made sushi. The food is pleasing but the atmosphere may not please older diners, unless they are buffs of multiscreen television and loud background music. On the other hand, a terrific touch with the deep-fryer, seasonings and fresh fish make up for the insistent background. Contact Leslie Harlib via e-mail at lharlib@marinij.com.
Photo: Diners inside San Rafael's Kamikazee
(c) 2003 Marin Independent Journal. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of Media NewsGroup, Inc. by NewsBank, Inc.