January Lunch Club at Sushi Kappo Tamura
Two summers ago, Taichi Kitamura (then chef/owner of Chiso in Fremont) came to culinary camp and blew us away, the deep grilled beef flavors in his succulent yakiniku leaving a permanent mark on my taste memory. Which left me fantasizing about a First Friday lunch at Kappo, the omakase space above Chiso, so we could wallow in a multi-course version of his Japanese magic. But before I could make that happen, Taichi closed the Kappo space, turned Chiso downstairs over to one of his very capable chefs, and set his sights on re-opening in his own building. So, unhappily, I waited.
Finally, the new Sushi Kappo Tamura is open, and, oh boy, was it worth the wait.
Normally, because they won’t let me eat it, I pay little attention to restaurant decor. But the new place is a marvel of woodwork and art-as-serving-ware. Those gorgeous expanses of clear fir, both very Japanese and very Pacific Northwest, remind me how similar are the growing environments, and therefore foods, we share. Which becomes obvious once you taste Taichi’s regionally sourced creations, like the earthy maitake mushrooms, tender wagyu beef shoulder, sweet dungeness crab, meltingly fatty salmon and tuna belly, succulent duck, perfect shigoku oysters, and rich grilled hamachi collar he dished out during a recent omakase (chef’s choice) session. Fresh and intense flavors that keep me coming back for more.
And while Sushi Kappo Tamura is closed for lunch, Taichi will be hosting our next Seattle Foodies First Friday Lunch Club on January 7th. He’s excited to showcase the local, seasonal winter fare of the region in a special four-course lunch. Here’s what he’s thinking:
Full Circle Farm organic mustard greens and Washington Albacore tuna dressed with Wasabi Almond sauce
Chawan mushi savory custard soup with Alaskan Dungeness crab and black cod
Bara Chirashi sushi with sustainable selection of seafood, cucumber, radish sprouts and house-marinated local chum salmon Ikura
Dessert to be announced
We’ll start at 11:30am, and the cost will be $30 (plus drinks, tax, & tip). He’ll also be offering an optional special feature sake or cocktail pairing. But here’s the challenge: because it’s a special opening, we need 30 people to make it happen. So please R.S.V.P. by January 5th if you can join us.
Date: Friday, January 7th
Time: 11:30am
Address: 2968 Eastlake Avenue East
Until then, have a terrific holiday and New Year!