Oregon Sushi Restaurant Review

Kyoto Japanese Restaurant
1610 Lancaster Drive NE
Salem OR 97301
503-363-3552; fax 503-588-3054

Saturday, May 17, 2003
UPDATED: November 4, 2005

On May 1, 1996, I had sushi for the first time. I have to thank my friend Craig, the computer guy who replaced the hard drive in my laptop, because he suggested I treat him to dinner in lieu of payment. Little did I know he was going to pick sushi, but I figured, what the heck: I'll try anything once.

We drove to Kyoto Japanese Restaurant in Salem, and while I don't remember exactly what I had (it was, after all, seven years ago), I do remember being pleasantly surprised that I liked everything I ordered.

And tonight, Saturday, May 17, 2003, I went back to Kyoto for the first time since that prophetic day, and re-discovered the taste that led to my addiction.

Kyoto is located just north of Lancaster Mall, in a tiny shopping complex with a Mexican restaurant and a donut shop. The unassuming entrance leads to an 18-seat wrap-around sushi bar (which was almost half full even though I arrived around 6 pm, before much of the Saturday night crowd), and numerous tables where food is grilled right in front of the diners. The decor is subtly Japanese and non-distracting. Some of the waitresses were wearing kimonos; perhaps they all were, I don't recall: I was more focused on the food. :)

The a la carte prices for nigiri and rolls are rather steep: the least expensive nigiri (inari) is $3.25, and most are between $3.95 and $4.75; the least expensive roll is $6.35, and California rolls *start* at $6.45. [No longer true: see update below.] However, based on the quality of the dinner I ordered, the rolls are probably worth the price (I'll have to find out on a second visit).

I decided to order the $22.45 Jo Sushi-Mori (Deluxe Sushi Assortment), which is served with miso soup and a very nice sunomono. (I was also served an appetizer of pickled cabbage with half a quail egg on top, but this may be a perk of the sushi bar, since it arrived before I had placed my order, and did not appear on the bill.)

The sushi was served on a large, fish-shaped glass tray. It included a tuna roll (tekka maki), and a dozen nigiri (ebi, maguro, hamachi, tako, unagi, ika, sake, suzuki, surf clam, tobiko, uni, and ikura). Portion sizes were pretty good. The ikura (salmon roe) were a little briny for my taste, but that's a matter of preference. The tekka maki was good, but the flavor of the tuna seemed somewhat masked by the rice and nori. Everything else, however, was excellent, especially the unagi, which is one of my favorites. All the fish was very fresh and exhibited the texture I've come to regard as a benchmark for good sushi: it almost melts in your mouth, dissolving its flavors against the tongue.

Of all the sushi bars in Salem (well, okay, the only other one I know of is Fuji Rice Time, which I've also reviewed at this site [Momiji didn't exist yet when I wrote this review]), Kyoto is the best. I highly recommend this place, despite its cost, and plan to return a lot sooner than another seven years hence. I have my eye on their $16.45 Sashimi Assortment or possibly the Kyoto Zen dinner ($22.95), which has shrimp, chicken and veggie tempura, sashimi, miso soup, rice, and sunomono. And I should be fair to my readers and try a few of those rolls.

UPDATE: November 4, 2005

I came here again and ordered the same Jo Sushi-Mori; everything was as good as before. The roll prices have been reduced and are now comparable with most other places I've been. If I'd had more appetite tonight, I'd've tried one or more. Maybe next time. :)