A longtime showcase for musical talent now

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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
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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