Sublime sampling Sublime sampling (October 28, 2005)

An exquisite tasting menu highlights the Japanese cuisine at Kaygetsu

By Mandy Erickson

The first time I walked into Kaygetsu's small dining room, I found its starkness disconcerting. The walls are a flat beige, as are the plain window shades; the servers wear identical white-and-tan outfits. The only break in the color scheme is the dark wood accents, the same wood used in the spartan tables and chairs.

But then came my meal -- a celadon plate of the day's magnificently fresh sashimi and a basket filled with wonderfully crisp tempura (Kaygetsu lunch, $23).

The eight pieces of fish were arranged into a miniature, edible sculpture accented with a coiled carrot strip and a few graceful radish sprouts. The tempura, likewise, was a beautiful balance of colors and shapes: a whole, bright-green shiso leaf, a round slice of the snowflake-like lotus root, two arcs of deep-orange squash and narrow strips of pink prawns.

I realized that the lack of decoration accentuates the artfully arranged, subtly flavored, masterfully prepared dishes, much as a photographer's all-white backdrop focuses attention on the subject.

The food at Kaygetsu is exquisite almost without exception, and the price reflects the quality: Lunch for two set me back $95. But steep prices are no obstacle to many of Kaygetsu's neighbors. The restaurant is in the Sharon Heights Shopping Center in Menlo Park, off Sand Hill Road where venture capital firms such as Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers and Sequoia Capital hand out billions of dollars annually in start-up funds.

Kaygetsu is a rarity among Bay Area Japanese restaurants in that it serves a kaiseki, or tasting menu. The multiple-course dinner, served on classic Japanese rustic pottery, changes every six weeks to reflect the seasons. Kaygetsu asks that diners request the kaiseki menu a day in advance.

"We wanted to introduce kaiseki to the local people, to let them know that there's more to Japanese food than sushi," said Keiko Sakuma, who opened the restaurant with her husband, Toshi Sakuma, in April 2004. The couple owned the sushi bar Toshi's in Menlo Park but sold it when they opened Kaygetsu.

The early-fall kaiseki menu ($85) consisted of seven courses of traditional and modern Japanese dishes -- appetizers, soup, sashimi, stewed fish and vegetables, grilled meat, rice with crab and dessert -- all of them beautifully arranged on classic Japanese pottery.

The first course, for example, featured four appetizers lined up along a narrow, canoe-shaped dish: a block of rich sesame tofu topped with the lightly metallic sea urchin, flounder sushi rolled in a thin omelet sheet rather than nori, two slices of meaty roast duck breast topped with enoki mushrooms and a soy and sake reduction, and one delicate sweet fig tempura, sliced in half. All were excellent, save for the sushi, which was rather bland.

The highlight of the kaiseki menu was the grilled medium-rare Kobe beef sliced into small squares and arranged, overlapping, along a magnolia leaf. Underneath the beef was a thick and slightly sweet sauce of miso and mirin. The waiter instructed me to eat each piece with some of the sauce and a bit of the finely shredded green onion. The dish reminded me of Peking duck, whose rich meat is also eaten with the sweet dense hoisin sauce and scallions. The beef, which comes from pampered cattle raised on grain and beer, was exceedingly tender and delicious.

Another superb dish was the sashimi course, the same selection as the lunch dish: salmon, tuna, snapper and white tuna. It included a dab of freshly grated wasabi, which is milder than the vastly more common powdered version and has a slightly crunchy texture. The fish was room temperature rather than cold, lending a richer taste.

The least interesting course was the second, soup that arrived in a bowl the waiter uncovered at the table. In the clear, mild broth were a dumpling -- looking much like a matzo ball -- made of shrimp and tofu skin, a handful of shimeji mushrooms, a small bunch of young spinach leaves and a few strips of yuzu peel, a Japanese citrus. The flavor was so subtle it nearly crossed the line into bland.

Many restaurants offering tasting menus require the entire table to order it; that way, no one waits while the others eat. But Kaygetsu allowed my dining companion to order a la carte. He ordered four dishes, which, because the servings are small, made for an adequate meal. During courses when I had a dish and he had none, the server placed the dish in the middle of the table and presented two serving utensils so we could share.

The most striking dish from the a la carte menu was the mushi gamo ($17): roast duck breast, chilled in aspic made of dashi (bonito broth) and mirin, then sliced. The duck lost none of its flavor to the chilling or the aspic; in fact, the presentation seemed to enhance the rich meat's flavor. It was as delicious as it was beautiful.

The soft-shell crab salad ($14) on the a la carte menu featured a terrifically crunchy crustacean marinated in a vinaigrette and served over a bed of baby lettuce and watercress. The sweet meat of the crab contrasted well with the watercress, but the vinaigrette could have used a tad more personality.

A la carte desserts included sorbet and ice cream -- green tea, red bean and sesame flavors. The best of the ice cream sampler ($7) was sesame, which reminded me of the Italian gelato classic hazelnut. The green tea was slightly off-tasting, a bit too bitter, as was the green tea mousse that ended the kaiseki menu. Its accompanying slice of papaya, however, was deliciously aromatic.

The service at Kaygetsu was as sophisticated as its food: Our server brought out each course promptly, but not too quickly. He explained each dish articulately; and he remained courteous without being overly friendly. He also recommended the delectable duck from the a la carte menu.

While sushi has become so commonplace in American cuisine that convenience stores sell it to go, few Japanese restaurants venture beyond sushi, tempura or udon. Kaygetsu proves that Japan has far more to offer diners -- in taste, concept and visual art.

INFORMATION: Kaygetsu 325 Sharon Park Dr., Menlo Park, (650) 234-1084 Open Tuesday through Saturday 11:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. and 5:30 - 9:30 p.m.

E-mail a friend a link to this story.