Kazoku: The Art of Eating Art, and the Best Happy Hour Around (Sushi Nachos!)

This is the chirashi bowl at Kazoku in Edmonds--a gorgeous array of fresh sashimi over sushi rice. I'm guessing most of you, like me, look at this plated masterpiece and think, "It's just too beautiful to eat." 

Who among us would willfully violate it?

Well, until two years ago, I lived my life oblivious to The Rules of Eating Sushi, and would have disrespected it out of pure ignorance. As someone who cares deeply about all things food-related, I have to believe others have traveled this same embarrassing road.

But now I know how to disassemble this Psushi-Delic art as reverently as it was created. So before we dive into more about Kazoku, we are going to allow gentle celebrity chef Nobu Matsuhisa to go over the basics with us: How to Eat Sushi 101. 

Here is a summary of three rules I have repeatedly violated:

1. When using soy sauce, dip just the fish, not the rice, to avoid oversaturation. For nigiri (fish on top of rice), turn it slightly and dip the side with the fish into the soy sauce. For maki rolls, gently touch the nori to the soy sauce.

2. Use ginger only as a palate cleanser. 

3. Place a tiny bit of wasabi on the fish; don't mix it into the soy sauce. 

(Angry Me side note: Why has the world allowed me to overpower so many delicate flavors by dipping sushi rice in soy sauce? Why wasn't I given ginger and wasabi instructions as a child?)

However, the most important rule I've learned is one to which Nobu does not give enough attention. Sure, he says "savor each piece individually," but that falls short. In a random cooking show I watched a few years ago, a chef said something along the lines of "If you aren't slowly masticating your sushi, you are doing it wrong. Take time to chew and chew and chew and feel all of the flavors the fish is offering you." 

The next time I ate sushi, I chewed until I became saturated with the fish's brininess, or sweetness, or umami, or minerality. One bite even revealed hints of citrus as a reward for my patience. 

Master's level. 

Now that I understand the sushi experience as a meditative act, I consider eating Kazoku's churashi bowl ($39) "interactive art," and savoring their chili toro bites (chu toro tuna topped with spicy chili crisp and yuzu vinaigrette, $18, a daily special) "enlightenment."

What I know after three visits: their entire menu is worthy of all the focused, present chewing attention we can give it. 

Fortunately, my meditative practice there began with a group of hungry friends who were ready to (slowly) eat. We ordered the Stevan Roll (spicy tuna, avocado, cucumber with tempura eel, eel sauce, crunch on top, $24), and the Robert Roll (Dungeness crab, cucumber, avocado, crunch, $24). Here they do some of the wasabi work for you by placing an ever-so-slight touch of it on the rice before rolling--a choice I found to make all of the flavors pop in the best way.

Our waiter recommended we try the ankimo, sliced monkfish liver with ponzu sauce and cucumber ($15). "It's referred to as "the foie gras of the sea," he told us. Sold. It was rich, creamy, subtlety sweet and a bit briny. 

The potato lovers in our group insisted we try the potato croquette appetizer ($8), which is now in the running for EAT99's award for 'Best Rendition of Potato on the Highway.' They are the best kind of crunchy--not greasy at all--and the katsu dipping sauce is everything. The perfection of these croquettes made me want to order everything deep fried on their menu--all things tempura, pork and chicken katsu, squid legs and gyoza. 

Kazoku is just over one year old, yet has already cultivated many high profile fans--specifically, lots of local chefs go there after their own restaurants close. Maybe that's because owner Sumin Yu is as local as they come, and knew exactly what Edmonds needed. She graduated from Shorewood High School and grew up eating at her restaurant's predecessor, Sushi Moto. When Sumin heard Sushi Moto was up for sale, she decided it was time to realize her long-term dream of owning a sushi restaurant. 

What she has created is a warm and welcoming 'food art' oasis, juxtaposed against the grit of the highway. She has also created the best happy hour in the area. It's a generous one, too: daily from 2-4pm, and from 8pm-close. 

Happy hour is the only time you can get their sushi nachos ($13), and, trust me, you need to meditate with these. They consist of whatever fish is on hand (ours had mostly tuna and salmon) sprinkled over three types of chips: taro, lotus, and rice paper. This sculpture is topped with spicy aioli, cilantro microgreens, and grated parmesan. Beware--because, like me, you will start giving them a fleeting thought every night when the clock strikes 8. You'll think, do I have time to run up to the highway? 

Crispy rice with tuna dip ($13) is another fun happy hour dish that has it all: crunchy rice triangles surrounding a soft pile of tuna.

And, for now, chew on the simple beauty of this five-piece sashimi set ($18) with your mind only:

Other happy hour items I can vouch for: crispy shrimp shumai ($6), chicken karaage ($13), and the crazy Noralicious Age ($13): deep fried seaweed chips, shaved Parmesan, tobiko, green onion, aoli and tsume broth (what Sumin calls "The perfect drinking snack.")

The world is hard right now. Really hard. Good food is required, and so is art, music, exercise, meditation, and dogs. I plan to sit in front of works of art for long periods, lie on the floor and listen to beautiful music through a great sound system, and go for long walks among cedar trees with my dog.

I am also going to eat a lot of really good sushi. 

To review, here are the rules that will be emphasized in "EAT99's Art of Eating Art Guide: Sushi Focus" to help keep us all sane and centered:

       1. Slowly masticate.

       2. (Chew and chew and chew.)

       3. Let all the flavors of the fish wash over you.

       4. Patience will be rewarded.

       5. Ginger isn't the only palate cleanser (deep fried crunchy things work, too).

Enjoy your meditation. 

Optional Fun Fieldwork:

Check out the excellent drone work--and the rest of their extensive menu--on their website's homepage: Kazoku

Kazoku
22618 Hwy 99
Edmonds, WA 98026
425-673-5477

Sun-Thurs, 11-9pm
Friday-Saturday, 11-10pm

Happy Hour: Daily 2-4pm, 8pm - close