now that's trust (sushi kappo tamura, eastlake)

Seven years ago, I summoned my adventurous side and tried more kinds of raw fish than ever before. Tuna (maguro) and fresh water eel (unagi) were pretty standard for me, but that night I sat at the sushi bar and was convinced to try yellowtail (hamachi), albacore tuna (shiro maguro), salmon roe (ikura), mackerel (saba), sockeye salmon (benizake), and some others I can't quite remember. I left the ordering up to the whims of my dining partner and the guidance of the sushi chef, Taichi Kitamura, as I indulged in the options appearing in front of me.

Fast forward to the present, and I'm still putting my trust in these two when it comes to sushi. The three of us reunited last night at Sushi Kappo Tamura, Taichi and co-owner/manager Steve Tamura's current sushi and omakase venture in Eastlake. It exudes a similar modern vibe as his previous sushi restaurant, Chiso, and a more welcoming atmosphere than his now-closed, omakase-only restaurant, Kappo. (Taichi sold Chiso about two years ago, but he still owns the former Kappo space upstairs now operating as Showa -- an 80s-inspired bar featuring Japanese-style small plates).

Sushi Kappo Tamura: 2968 Eastlake Avenue East

Sushi Kappo Tamura has been named Seattle Magazine's Best New Restaurant of 2011, and recognized by Seattle Metropolitan on their list of top 25 Best Restaurants of 2011. This week, the restaurant was featured on the television show Check, Please! Northwest. For those of you who have been here, it's no surprise why they've garnered so much attention -- with its excellent quality of fish, friendly and attentive service, and contemporary decor, this is a place that you'll want to revisit again and again.

Last night, Taichi was standing on the opposite side of the bar from us preparing his thoughtfully-created and locally-inspired Japanese cuisine. He suggested that we start with a half-dozen oysters, and we happily obliged. These small oysters from Willapa Bay were prepared with a ponzu sauce and topped with scallions to create a crisp and pleasantly acidic flavor to complement the mildly briny and sweet oyster.

Willapa Bay oysters in a light ponzu sauce.

Next, we were presented with a beautiful platter of vibrantly colored sashimi (sliced raw fish). All of it was amazing, but the thick slices of tuna, albacore tuna, and king salmon, were my favorites -- the fish practically melted in my mouth. New for me this evening was the raw geoduck. Despite geoduck being Taichi's favorite, I have to admit that it's a bit too firm and briny for my taste. Perhaps with time I'll come to appreciate it as he does.

Sashimi platter.

We ended our meal with a few pieces of nigiri (sliced raw fish on a small piece of rice), again selected by Taichi. For this, he chose blue shrimp, fatty tuna (toro), mackerel with a thin slice of pickled turnip, and fatty albacore tuna. Both fatty tunas were delightfully rich and soft -- in fact, we requested a second order of the albacore to end our meal (along with my standard last bite, the sweet egg omelet or tamago).

Nigiri sushi.

My only complaint about Sushi Kappo Tamura is about the physical set up of the sushi bar. There seems to be an extreme height difference between the seating and the fish display, as well as the counter where the chefs prepare your sushi. I don't know if this design was intentional, but it always feels like I'm looking up towards Taichi rather than gazing directly across the bar at his face. Also, it's a farther reach for him to set the plate down in front of you, so it's often handed directly to you instead. Obviously, this doesn't affect the quality or taste of the food, but the view of the sushi preparation is limited.. and to me, part of the fun of sitting at the bar is looking at and talking about all the different types of fish offered that day.

I do appreciate Sushi Kappo Tamura's nod towards sustainability, clearly marking the most sustainable fish options on the menu and allowing you to make ocean-friendly choices based on that information. At the same time, less sustainable options are still available to you, so you can satisfy your craving for shrimp tempura (not an option at Mashiko's in West Seattle).

hhf says: I trust Taichi Kitamura to prepare and serve outstanding fish, and you should, too. Oh, and did I mention that Taichi was trained under Shiro Kashiba of Shiro's in Belltown? And Shiro trained under the same mentor as 3-Michelin star sushi chef Jiro Ono? So that's awesome.

Gucci GG fabric kitten-heels.

Shoes: Gucci GG fabric kitten-heels with gold horsebit detail.