Kitsune - Tasting Collective Dinner

 

I have been to Elizabeth Restaurant several times and it is a favorite.  I was excited then, when Chef Ileana Reagan announced that they would be opening a new restaurant focusing on Japanese cuisine, Kitsune.  When it opened, it went on my list of places that I need to visit, so I was happy when they had a dinner with Tasting Collective, the dining group that I belong to, and I quickly signed up for the dinner.  Located in North Center, the space is small, like her original restaurant, Elizabeth, seating about 30 people in a triangular space.  We were seated toward the back, so I was able to get a fair view of the space.  The main seating area is a banquette along the longest wall.  There are also a few other tables in front of the bar and open kitchen and a few seats on the bar.  The bar is next to the kitchen and has a tall shelf behind the tap that holds the liquor.  The shelf is nice looking, but what is cool are the little toy figures including several foxes (which is where the name Kitsune came from) as well as a picture of former President Obama on the shelf above the liquor.  While they normally serve cocktails, the fact that they had a full house that they were going to try to serve the same thing at the same time and have a small staff, limited what they were serving on this evening to beer and wine.  On the beer list was a beer that I like, Maplewood Charlatan American Pale Ale (which had just won a Bronze Medal at the Great American Beer Festival for American-Style Pale Ales), so that is what I decided to drink.  It was smooth with a very light head with a bitter and citrus flavor, similar to grapefruit.  While it had been there when I sat, I didn't really notice the small ceramic cat that was sitting in front of me until my beer came and I had to move it a little.  I wondered what it was until later in the meal when it became more clear.

For our first course, we were served Koji Sourdough Bread, made from a culture that Chef Ileana has kept growing for 13 years.  This was served with Fresh Cultured Butter and Pickles (Pickled Vegetables).  The bread was dense and flavorful with a tart flavor which went well with the Pickles and the Butter.

From there, we were served a large Romaine Salad with Jumbo Lump Crab and Ramp Ranch Dressing.  This was really good, though it was a lot for two of us to eat.  The greens were fresh and crispy, there was plenty of crab in pieces big enough that you could actually bite into it, and the Ramp Ranch Dressing was both creamy, and provided a nice flavor of ramps (which have a flavor similar to a cross between garlic and green onions).

After a large and very nice salad, we were served more vegetables, Blistered Shishito Peppers with Kabosu (a Japanese Citrus fruit similar to Yuzu used instead of vinegar in some dishes), Shisho Meshi (dried Shiso leaves used for seasoning), and Sea Salt.  I like Shishito peppers not only because of their taste, but also because eating them is kind of like playing the lottery, in that 1 in 10 is noticeably spicy.  These peppers were well seasoned and blistered a little less than I have had at other places.  There were a few peppers in our bowl that bit back, but they were all good and the bowl disappeared quickly.

When I say the name of the next course, I didn't know what to expect because it was given a Japanese name.  Called Tomorokoshi, it listed Charred Corn, Fresno Kewpie, and Cilantro.  When it arrived, I saw that it also had a lot of Bonito Flakes and despite the Bonito Flakes, I knew it by a different name, Elotes.  It was funny as well when I heard the kitchen staff referring to the dish as elotes.  I am generally not a fan of bonito flakes, but mixed in well with the corn they did not feel like dried leaves and did add to the flavor.

We then proceeded to the first of our entrees, Ramen.  It was a vegetarian ramen made with Ramp Noodles, Shio Mushroom Broth, Enoki Mushrooms, and other vegetables.  It was very flavorful and like other ramen that I have had served in a large bowl with a large spoon.  Serving and eating ramen is a two handed operation with one hand holding chopsticks to hold the noodles and the other holding the large spoon to serve the broth and vegetables.  I did see a few people puzzled by this operation, but having seen and done it before, it was fine.  This was good and very flavorful, but I still prefer Tonkatsu Ramen (with Pork Broth and Pork Belly).  This is also where I figured out why the cat was on the table, it was a chopstick holder, used to keep the tips off the table.

Our second entree was a spin (pun unintentional) on Chicken Teriyaki.  It was made with a Tsukune (a Japanese Chicken Meatball) Stuffed Chicken Roulade, Brown Rice, Carrots, Cauliflower, and Carrot Caramel.  It was pretty good.  The chicken meatball and the chicken had different, though complementary, flavors and the carrot caramel added a vegetal sweetness.  The brown rice, carrots, and cauliflower added texture and flavor.

Our final entree was a monster of umami.  Called Uni Butter Beef, it also had Duck Fat Potatoes and Togarashi.  The beef was rare and sliced for easy serving and eating.  The butter and potatoes added richness and savoriness.  It was also one of my favorite dishes.

Our dessert was Yuzu Taruto (tart) with Graham Crackers and Pistachios. This was tart with a nice nutty flavor (from the pistachios).  While it wasn't built like your standard tart, all of the elements were there, and it went together very well.  The yuzu was presented as a sorbet, the graham cracker was the "crust", and the pistachio was the crumble.  I really liked my dinner here and I will definitely return.