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The popularity of Japanese restaurants in Chicago seems to be growing rapidly, at least by the number of new ones that have appeared recently or are scheduled to appear soon. From supermarket sushi (maybe not the best) to high-end, Michelin-star worthy Omakase (tasting menu) options, Japanese dishes are everywhere. Roka Akor (not related to the Roka restaurant group based in England) has long been a favorite for Valeria and me since it features not only excellent sushi and sashimi, but items prepared on a robata grill (more about that in a minute). Katana is part of a small group of restaurants that started in Los Angeles, expanded to Dubai, and opened in Chicago a couple of years ago. It had been on our list of places to try for a while, so we snagged a reservation for dinner after an afternoon at the theater (Hamlet at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, if you must know). It would prove to be a good choice.

We enjoy good sushi and sashimi, but almost always want a full meal to include a dish or two that is cooked, served hot, with veggies and meat protein. Japanese restaurants that feature both sushi and a robata grill can offer both. But what is a robata grill? In the US, we use a variety of heat sources and techniques for grilling and smoking food: wood (several types), charcoal (several types), gas, direct heat, indirect heat, etc. The same is true in Japan. Robatayaki, which translates to “fireside cooking,” and is often shortened to just robata, is distinguished by the use of a wide metal enclosure in which bincho (Binchō-tan), a compressed, cylindrical charcoal made of white oak, is burned.  Used properly, the bincho burns at a very high temperature and does not flame up. Food is raised and lowered above the grill to control the heat, like a Santa Maria grill in the US. It burns extremely cleanly and flavor gets imparted to the food only by drippings that fall from the food onto the coals and vaporize into a puff of smoke.

OK, let’s move from the general to the specific. Katana Chicago occupies the space that was once Bin 36, a wine bar that was popular for years. There are 13,000 square feet on two levels, but the layout makes it fee a little more intimate. We started with the cocktail list…

… from which I selected the Manhattan Night.

This was a delicious riff on a classic Manhattan cocktail (rye or bourbon whiskey, sweet vermouth, aromatic bitters). Knob Creek makes very good ryes and bourbons that are among my go-tos when ordering a Manhattan or Old Fashioned. I had never heard of Imbue Vermouth so I can’t describe it outside the cocktail. It is a relatively new product from Oregon and, instead of the sweet red vermouth usually used in a Manhattan, it is bittersweet and white. I’m going to have to track some down and give it a try.

Nor was I familiar with Apologue Persimmon Liqueur. It is produced by Apologue Spirited Liqueurs based right here in Chicago. Like the Imbue Vermouth, it is described by the producers as “bittersweet.” From what I could learn of their products in a quick web search, they are producing some very interesting liqueurs, having made quite a splash (no pun intended) when they released their savory Celery Root Liqueur in late 2018. Clearly this is another research project for my palate!

I see more and more Manhattan recipes that include an Italian Amaro, a class of bitter liqueurs like Campari, usually replacing part of the sweet vermouth. This results in more complex flavors and aromas (amari have a ton of flavor and aroma) and, usually, less sweetness. It looks like whoever created this cocktail was going for the same idea, using a slightly different approach and, whether deliberately or by coincidence, domestic products.

There were a couple more creative touches in the recipe. The Bitter Truth is a German company that makes an outstanding lineup of excellent (though expensive) bitters in many flavors. Orange bitters are not uncommon in a Manhattan, and they add some subtle citrus aroma and flavor here. Interestingly, I had a cocktail at Two Lights Seafood and Oyster just a few weeks ago that included Owl and White Persimmon Bitters, making this only the second cocktail I’ve had that included them.

To me, the classic Manhattan cocktail is, well, classic. It is a great cocktail that has remained popular since the mid-1800s when it was created. There are several variations that have been developed and refined over the years that are also very good, but in recent years as the demand for quality cocktails has increased, some bartenders have gotten too creative by half, creating a cocktail that is unbalanced or so different from the original that it really bears no relationship to a Manhattan. Katana’s Manhattan Night is not one of those. It is well balanced and more complex than a classic Manhattan. I liked it a lot.

Katana also has an extensive sake list and offer an opportunity to taste several sake flights.

I did not take advantage of this on this trip, but definitely will on a future visit.

On to the food. There is a good selection of hot and cold dishes that draw on Japanese tradition.

There are also plenty of offerings from the robata grill.

Best of all (to my taste) is the Omakase offering. Omakase is a Japanese chef’s tasting menu. At Katana, you can order an all sushi version, an all robata version, or half sushi-half robata. Whatever way you go, you just sit back and let the chef send out his choices. 9 times out of 10, this is what Valeria and I would do, but this occasion we were very tired, not super hungry, and looking for a shorter, lighter meal so we could get home and call it a day. A la carte would be for us that night.

We started with one of Valeria’s favorites; she almost never passes up a chance for tuna tartare.

This version combines toro tuna from the fatty underbelly with the leaner meat from the sides. The tunas are mixed with osetra caviar, fresh wasabi, a quail egg, and some lemon zest. This was a rich and flavorful tartare, but, to our taste it needed a little more wasabi to add some more zing to the dish. On the other hand, the lemon zest added a nice touch of brightness and the caviar added some some salty, soft “pops” to the texture.

Next, a sushi-sashimi combo platter.

A plate like this lives or dies on the freshness of the fish and how well it is cut. I’m happy to say every bite on this plate was fresh and delicious, with great texture and flavor. Even the uni (sea urchin), perhaps the most delicate thing on the plate, was creamy and sweet. 

For those who don’t know the Japanese name (or, for that matter, the English name) of every fish or recognize them when you see a slice on a plate (I don’t always by any means), here’s a guide to the fish on the sushi and sashimi plate:

Back Left: sea bream, a delicately flavored, small flake, lean saltwater fish

Back Middle: Kanpachi (a species of Amberjack). This is a particularly tricky one to identify, as there are a couple of different species of Amberjack that are popular and the Japanese have several names for them depending on the age of the fish. So you will see Kanpachi, Kampachi, Shokko, and Shiogo. To add to the confusion, there is a Yellowtail Amberjack with its own set of additional names. There are subtle differences between flavor and fat content of these various species and those change with the maturity of the fish. If you are an ichthyologist (fish scientist), a sushi chef, or a 10th degree Zen master of sushi and sashimi, these differences are more important, but for casual consumers, each has a mild, clean taste and, while the fat content varies, the freshness and handling of the fish is the most important factor.

Back Right: Isaki (Grunt Fish). Here’s a case where the Japanese name sounds much more appetizing than the English name! Despite the name, Grunt Fish is a delicate white fish that has a fairly high fat content and is delicious.

Front Left: Salmon sushi. If you don’t know what salmon is, you’re probably not old enough to read this blog!

Front Center: Uni (sea urchin) sushi. Uni is sometimes described as the roe (egg sack) of the sea urchin, making it analogous to caviar. However, this is not true. Uni is, in fact, the gonads (testicles and ovaries) of the sea urchin which (as in humans and other species) produce sperm and eggs. That probably makes it sound even worse. Admittedly, uni is a tough one for many people to get their head (and mouth) around. However, once some truly fresh, truly high quality uni has melted on your tongue like a good custard and released it’s delicate flavor of the sea, it might win you over. I have to emphasize fresh and high quality. This is certainly true for all sushi and sashimi, but it is especially true for uni, which can go way off very quickly.

Front Right: Ama Ebi (Sweet Shrimp). This is a specific species of small shrimp and is the only one that most consider to be best when raw. Cooking robs them of their distinctive sweet touch. This was a hard one for me to get over as I have had some undercooked “regular” shrimp and I don’t like the texture. (I don’t like them overcooked and tough, either.) However, these are delicious.

After a couple of cold dishes we moved on to a couple of warm dishes. First, dumplings stuffed with Wagyu, Brussels sprouts, and garlic.

Every Asian culture seems to have embraced and mastered dumplings as an important part of their cuisine. Wagyu beef, a species of Japanese cow that can develop very rich marbling (fat) in the flesh—significantly higher than the Prime grade steaks we are (rightfully) proud of in the US—are now being raised in countries other than Japan. Thus, Wagyu beef has become much more common, though still expensive. Because it is so rich, steaming in a dumpling is a great idea, as the juices are trapped and the meat becomes meltingly tender. Include Brussels sprouts and garlic in the dumpling, and serve with the flavorful garnishes noted in the caption of the above image and you have a medley of flavors and textures that are wonderful.

As I noted at the outset, we were not terribly hungry when we started dinner, so we just had one more course in us, sea bass and filet cooked on the robata grill.

These were served with three sauces: ponzu, spicy mustard, and ginger. Ponzu sauce is made with rice wine, rice vinegar, bonito fish flakes, seaweed, and yuzu (a Japanese citrus fruit). Soy sauce is often added, to make ponzu shōyu, but that is still usually shortened to just ponzu. It is a ubiquitous dipping sauce in Japanese restaurants, as is some form of ginger sauce, usually made by adding various amounts of ginger, garlic, onion, lemon juice, soy sauce, sugar, and wine vinegar and blending it all until reasonably smooth. 

The ponzu sauce was particularly good on the sea bass. The high heat of the robata had produced a light char on the outside of the fish, while the inside was just barely cooked. 

The beef, too, was well seared on the outside, rare on the inside, and went well with a little mustard or ginger sauce, though I have to say my preference was for no sauce at all. That’s personal taste, of course.

Putting all that together, our first visit to Katana left us ready to go back for our second. Next time, we’ll go hungry, order an omakase, and tell you about a broader selection of the food at Katana.

Katana
Address: 339 N Dearborn St Chicago, IL 60654
Phone: (312) 877-5544
Reservations: opentable.com
Website: http://www.katanachicago.com/
Dress Code: Business Casual
Price Range: $50 and up
Hours:          Lunch: Monday-Friday 11:30 am–2:30 pm 
            Happy Hour: Monday-Friday 4:30 pm–7:00 pm
                               Saturday 4:30 pm–6:00 pm
                   Dinner: Sunday-Thursday 5:00pm – 10:00pm
                              Friday-Saturday 5:00pm – 11:00pm
Credit Cards: AMEX, Discover, MasterCard, Visa

 All images were taken with a Sony a7iii camera using a Zeiss Batis 40mm f/2 CF lens and ambient light. Post-processing in Adobe Lightroom^® and Adobe Photoshop^® with Nik/Google plugins.