Kirazu

Apparently Kirazu in Japanese means beans, which directly relates to the teeny portions of this cute little place, as well as the “beans” telling the story of for all things Japanese…Miso, Tofu, and soy…

The chef is Yuya Kikuchi and is from Japan, of course. He is present behind teh tiny little bar expertly preparing everything all by himself, right before your eyes. I have a lot of respect for this dedication. He is particularly cool because he has that special certification to work with blow fish- trust me – this is something to be proud of. Looking forward to having some this fall!

Kirazu has only been opened a year, and it has gotten better each time I have gone. In fact, it’s one of my favorites at the moment. It is definitely better to go on a date or with a mate, as the dishes are really shareable only between two. On my first visit, I struggled with eight people. I think we all felt like a group of baby birds in a nest clapping our chopstick beaks for one tiny noodle.

I really like the a la carte menu, which is handwritten in chalk and changed daily as to what is fresh. I spent a little time in Japan myself so I am a freak about weirdo Japanese delicacies, which is in abundance here. I recently tried the Octopus sashimi, which was surprisingly soft and sweet (usually chewy and impossible when served this way…). They also had a delicious Salmon collar and cheek which were extremely impressive, and a nice twist on the Japanese classic usually using yellowtail. The seaweed salad was pretty normal and literally a spoonful, but the lotus root salad was particularly delicious, as was the Prawn tempura roll and Unagi Sashimi (my date almost went to heaven right before my eyes when he tasted it…).

I highly recommend this place, especially if you are looking for more authentic Japanese.