Coo-coo-curroo for Sushi (by) Kazu
Last month our littlest granddaughter turned two - and the family figured we’d ask her where she wanted to go for her birthday meal. “I want Soooshie!” she exclaimed...very much to our surprise…and in the most irresistibly ‘jooshie’ two-year-old way imaginable.
What a good excuse, we figured, to try a place that the Zagat
guide was rating “Excellent” and to seek out its most unlikely
and hard to spot location, in a little strip mall on Route 9,
heading South, in Howell. Let’s start with an overview - and our
four top tips:
First of all, don’t be put off by the distance and/or by the
location: It’s really worth the trip…and the Sushi really IS
excellent. Second, while it may seem far away, and while it’s
hard to spot from a moving car, it isn’t all that hard to get
to. (If you shoot across on Rte 195, for example, and get off at
the northbound set of the Freehold/Lakewood set of exits, you’ll
need to go north for about a quarter of a mile (while watching
the many strip malls along the southbound lane for the yellow
sign over their door) before jug-handling and backtracking just
a bit to its otherwise unremarkable location). Third, don’t be
fooled by its fairly big yellow sign that says “Sushi Kazu”…into
maybe thinking that it’s going to be phony or ‘fast-food’ or
mass-market sushi, as the “sushi-kazoo” name might imply. This,
as you’ll discover, is the real deal – with really authentic
sushi, turned out by Kazu, the owner and chef in residence.
Fourth, and perhaps our most important tip of all, go on a
Monday, Wednesday or Thursday night – since they’re closed
Tuesdays and on weekends they tend to be packed tight.
Sushi by Kazu is a mighty tiny place, with a few tables, maybe
seating 25 people tops…and a sushi bar with room for 10-12
more…but it’s not that much smaller, really, than a lot of NYC’s
hottest and hardest-to-get-into sushi hotspots. Chef Kazu, who
looks sort of like a potentially mischievous Japanese
ninja-cherub - with his rolled chef’s hankie encircling his
forehead like a halo - presides behind the sushi bar. He looks
like a tough and demanding boss, and one that would be quick to
anger if everything is not exactly perfect…which does seem to be
the case with him. Although several assistants scurry around in
the background, bringing him things, and maybe frying the
tempura when called upon, he seems to do everything himself –
and do it all to perfection.
Our ‘acid test’ for a really good sushi joint is the sashimi, as
well it should be. On our first visit we started with the chef’s
choice that night, where everything - from the yellowtail, to
the salmon, to the sea clam, to the octopus - was pure
perfection. On our second visit, the special sashimi was
Amberjack – a fish that most fishermen foolishly throw back,
those fools. Like butter! And, much to our own surprise, not the
least bit ‘fishy’.
Both times we had the fried shrimp dumplings as an appetizer
that everyone in our group would eat and be sure to enjoy. Don’t
miss them: Crispy little beggar’s purses, stuffed with nicely
spiced minced shrimp, crisply and not greasily fried, and
resting lightly on a delicious dipping sauce – so good that my
wife wanted to save it for the sushi dishes too. (We sure hope
that the demanding Kazu was not watching this, since he seems to
be kind of a purist). Both times, the women and children (except
for the birthday girl, that is) tended to favor the tempura as
their food of choice and who could blame them? As crisp, light
and greaseless as we’ve ever had anywhere…and hey, those shrimp
and veggies are a healthy choice in the bargain.
As to the sushi itself… about as good as it gets, we’d say.
Among our favorites were the eel with avocado roll, the snow
ocean roll and – tied for first place – the spicy tuna and a
spicy jumbo shrimp roll that is rolled in crispy soy paper and
which, while not always on the menu, seem to be no problem for
Kazu to whip up if asked. And, oh yes, the California roll – not
usually one of my favorites – was the best I’ve ever tasted…and
it was the birthday girl’s favorite, by far…although she scarfed
quite a few pieces of the snow ocean rolls too. As we were
leaving, we saw a big group – ‘regulars’ we’d guess, since they
were there on both our visits – attacking big and delicious
looking platters of box sushi. We’ll be back very soon to try
them out, for sure!
Sushi by Kazu is located at 2724 Rt. 9 South in Howell. Phone:
732-370-2528
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