A longtime showcase for musical talent now
Transcription
A longtime showcase for musical talent now
llllilllilJill[ilillililfitI foodscene :''.ii-:' | ::,, :, i :, t,::l I I :t- :. | : it t:1.fi,,!l:, -{b % 4 * o*."t :t\!sRrmtENTs you,ve 104Review:yoshi's always lovedthejazz.Nowtherestaurant, with ar excitlng newchefatthe helm, will haveyoufalingfofthefood,too. 106FoodNewsCooking c asses wherethefteatgoesbeyond the kitchef; Afgharfafeeverywhere; the otnerLolrewlnes;pius DiabloDsh,s ookatDubins few LttieAsa 109Critics'ReviewsOurfundowf o|rtheEastBay'sgreatrestaufants, starting withThepatio ln Lafayette. '111New:Bui n Berkeley 1'18New:Tachi inCofcord '122Update:Lisa B's n Danvie 128New:Lily's HouseinLafayette rJIAtLO,t03 f'{)\.1{)\1 Yoshi's A longtime showcase formuscal talentnowfeatures a culinary star THE QUALITY of the bookingsat lbshi's, the East Bay'sbestjazz venue,is extraordinary.Over the years,the club has drann the norld'smo-t relebratedjazzmu"icians. Legendssuch as Ruth Brown,Milt Jackson, Abbey Lincoln, PharoahSanders,and McCot Tynerhave playedYoshi's,and the club has alsofosteredsuch local talent as Berkeley saxophonistJoshuaRedmanand Oakland vocalistsLedisi and Goapele. The quality ofthe food at Yoshi's,however. has alwaysbeena differentstory No jazzfan everarguedwith the convenienceofdining at Yoshi'sbeforea show.The restaurant,adjacent to the club, had seniceableJapanesefood.It neverstruggled,but the foodwasknownmore for its functionality-managementreseryes goodseatsin the club for patronsdining at the rcstaurant than its exceptionalquahty. No more.Last fall, Yoshi'sowner,Kaz Kajimura,poachedchefShotaroKamiofrom Ozumo,the modemJapaneserestaurantnear SanFrancisco'sEmbarcadero. Kamio will help Kajimuraopena nen Yo"hi! thissummerin SanFrancisco'sFillmore Center.When ure newlocationopens,Kamiowill serveas execut i v e c h e f f o r h o trht s l a u r a n lIsn. t h em e a n t i m e , he'stuming aroundthe menuin Jack London Square,the club'sthird EastBay home-the club gotits starl in 1973acrossthe street from UC Berkeley'sNodh Cate,then stoodon ClaremontAvenuein Rockridgefor 20 years. While at Ozumo,Kamio waslauded{or his playful waywith traditionalJapaneserngredients-think seaurchin risotto.One ofhis specialties,which now appearsoccasionally on Yoshi'smenu,is his geisharoll, a complicatedassemblage of shrimp tempura,crab, teriyaki and spicy sauces,and maguro(tuna). Tti a per{ecterampleoiKamio'sr-ooking '::,''.', t1.t:!:: style:a preparationthat soundsimpossibleto executewell, but the momentyou pop a prece in your mouth,the interplayamongall the ingredientsis instantand delicious. Kamio'sdaringimpulsesin the kitchen m a 1b o t h . r c s u l l o [ a) o u l h : p F ncl o m p e l ing in motocross(the rip-snortingmotorcycle sport)in the Japanesecountrysideoutside Sendai.After becominga motocrosschampion B Y S C O T TH O C K E RI P H O T O G R A P HBYY M I T C HT O B I A S 1 0 4 F E B R L A R Y2 0 0 ? Kamio,who at age14, the trim, serious-faced alsoexhibitedskill in the kitchen, went on to apprenticeat top restaurantsin Tokyo. Kamio'screativetouch worksfar nrore oftenthan it doesnot. For his agedashitofu, he qui,.klydeepfries the lofuso il relrinc its so{ttexturc.He then stacksthe tofu with cresceno l sf a r o c a d o t c m p u r a n dc s p r i n kling of grateddaikon and ginger Finalll, he poursin a broth madefrom soy sauceand dashi (bonitolish stock).It's a preparation & .iri at a glance , l wHATMAKEStr spEctAL:The arrivalof chef Shotaro"Sho" Kamio hasrevitalized the Japanesefood at this legendaryEast Bay jazz club. DoN'TMtss: The oceansuzomono. It's an ilspired combinationof crab, salmon roe, and shisoleaves-all over a lightly vinegaredbed of shavedcucumber, wHATTo oRDER:The nigiri and rolls, kurobaa po* chop, Japanesecountry-style vegetables, and any ofthe tempuradishes. rHE spAcE: Sir at the sushi bar ifyou like your mealsinteractive;the tatami room if you want a break from the norm. WHENTo cO: For a quiet mea],weeknighrs.To be in rhc thick of it. a Saturda) night with a popularact. B O N U SA: n ) o n ew h om a k e sa r e l c n a t i o n to dine in the restaurantgetsa reseNed tablein Lheclub for thesecondshou, PREVOUSPAGE ChEfKAM]OWOTKS h]SMAgiC.THISPAGE (top),Ire sushibarooksthe same, butwhal,s comingou! sdi.fa-a I droborto.iboro.aoo.eseo -tJ ,rl,te v o g o t o b o s e _ e .r ' a m i o o a d l "ot.,ddt,onoratrrbvdLon. Ihal mama-sanwovld neverrecognize,but alter tastingit, evenshewould concedethat the spirit ofthe dish remainsintact AlthoughKamio clearly enjoysinnovation, he is well versedin traditionalJapanese cooking,as his perfectlyrendered,,countrystyle" vegetables,including braisedlotus and gobo(burdock)roots,attest.Kamio plateshis food beautifulln and Yoshi,sunderstateddecor createsan elegantbackdropfor his work. On ocr"asion. Kamioi wanderings into lusiontcrailorystra] offcourse.Hi- spin on nasudengahu,an eggplantdish, involves mozzarella chee-e.and his beefnigiriputs layersof grilled tenderloinatopratatouille and tempura-friedjalapenohalves.The multiple loud flavorsof both dishesseemas thoughthey belongin a sportsbar. Thesearqs1c6p1;6n9 on an othefwisc rmpressivemenu.The nigiri is solid, and dishessuch as the o ceansunorLono-cfta and delicateshisoleaveswrappedin daikon radish and placed on a tangleof vinegarmarinatedcucumber*and a gilled hurobuta pork chop with sweetpotatopureepossessa breathtakingclarity of flavor When Kamio cameto Yoshi's,he reunited much ofhis stafffrom Ozumo,includrrg Ceneral ManagerAndrew Generalao,who has instituteda seachangein the waitstaff.Servers usedto be tight-lippedand rushed,but now they are gracious and accommodating.Runners explainthe elementsof eachdish in detail. And Lharsmoothqeniceertendsto theclub itself, whereonceit wasn'tunheardofto order food that aeaercameand had to be struck from the bill at the end ofthe set.Now the kitchen knowshow to preventa meltdownon a busy Saturday,such as the night I visitedwhenlocal faroritesTuckandPattinereperlorming. The club waspacked,but the waitstaff didn't miss a beat,ducking, bobbing,and weavingtheir way throughthe crowd.The serverswere as gracefulas dancers. When Tuck tore througha solo,the crowd broke out in riotousapplause.Thesedays,the pellormancefrom Yoshi'skitchen is equally impressiveand no lesswell received. coNTAcT:510 EmbarcaderoW., Oakland, (510)238-9200,www.yoshis.com nouns: Dinnerdaily pRrcE:Appetize$$5-$15,entr6es $I3_$26 ALCOHOL: Full bar R D I A B t , O1 0 5