Company description
Kyoto Sushi offers Sushi Restaurants services in Kingston NY, NY area.
More details
- Editorial Text 1
- Some cuisines are more satisfying at different times of the year. German food, for me, is winter fare; hearty stews, cabbage and pork dishes are ideal for cold nights. Seafood, on the other hand, is food I'm drawn to during the summer. The sun and warm weather are natural partners to a fine dinner fresh from the sea. But some cuisines are adaptable for anytime of the year. For instance, the Japanese cuisine at the restaurant we're visiting tonight in Kingston, Kyoto Sushi. The menu here includes dishes that are as welcome on a hot summer night as they are on this chilly winter evening. The space this food is served in is small and trim. To the right as you enter is a small dining room. To the left is the sushi bar, three large banquettes for larger parties and two small tables just across from the sushi bar, where we're seated. Farther in, there's a sliver of a private dining room hiding behind a white curtain. The decor is your basic black and red walls with light wooden trim. Interestingly, our table has a marble top, unusual and beautiful. A large "Sushi" banner hangs over the sushi bar, and there are a few other decorations, but this place is more about food than atmosphere. We're served house salads almost seconds after we order; expeditious dining is a hallmark here. Almost frigid iceberg lettuce, carrots and hard tomato wedges with the mandatory bright orange-colored ginger dressing is fine. And somehow salad is much more interesting when eaten with chopsticks. My guest's dinner also includes a cloudy and soothing brew of miso soup. Both our first courses would be ideal food for a hot summer day. Our first appetizer is Tuna Tatake ($8.50), a "sushi wannabe" preparation. The dish consists of a filet of dark red tuna, seared quickly so there's a thin crust around the outside while the inside remains raw. The filet is then sliced, fanned on the plate and squirted with a spicy yellow mayonnaise. The result is an Asian sensation - soft and rich tuna, both warm and cool, combines beautifully with the sauce and a delicious salad of white radish. This is one excellent appetizer, an early 2006 best-dish nominee. We also try two rolls from the sushi bar, just across from our table. The first, Eel Roll ($4.50), features smoked eel rolled with wasabi, rice and seaweed and slathered with a sweet hoisin sauce. The second, Salmon Skin Roll ($4), has crisp and smoky salmon skin rolled the same way. Both are respectable versions and are quite tasty with the accompanying ginger, wasabi and soy sauce. Regular and lower sodium soy sauces are offered, a nice touch . And the entrees are most satisfying, too. My teen tries the Kyoto version of a Bento Box called the Dinner Box Special ($19.95). It's served in an ornate multicompartment tray that features a minitour of Japanese standards. There's the ubiquitous California Roll, tasty sushi for the timid. A selection of tempura - including shrimp, carrot, and broccoli - is crisply gratifying. Chicken Teriyaki tastes smoky from the grill and has the sweet saltiness of teriyaki sauce. But my favorite is a bright green seaweed salad dressed with a light sesame dressing, briny and delicious. We also have an entree ideal for the recent cold weather. Beef Sukiyaki ($16.95) arrives piping hot in a black iron casserole. A mild, slightly sweet broth holds glass noodles, big squares of tofu (they're like eating soft pillows of soy) and lots of veggies, including carrots, mushrooms and cabbage. And finishing the dish is thinly sliced beef; the slices on top are still blood-rare until dunked into the steaming broth. The mixture is soulful and restorative, a dish that could cure a cold. This beats chicken soup any day. I'm leery of deep-fried desserts, but the teen queen insists on trying the Deep Fried Cheesecake ($6) and, though I hate to admit it, I'm glad we did. A nice-sized slab of cheesecake is encrusted in a crisp breading. It's perfectly fried without a hint of grease and topped with both chocolate sauce and whipped cream. Hot outside, cool and gushy inside, it's almost decadent. The secret to this dish? It's frozen first then fried, retaining its shape and texture through the hot oil. Service is polite, rushed and a bit cold. What little contact we have with our waitress is hurried and eye contact is at a minimum. Language problems might be an issue here. Dinner with one beer and one sake come to $71.15, a good value. Interestingly, the chef/owner here, Chao Chen, is from Taiwan, not Japan. He spent time growing up in Japan and learned to love the cuisine there, especially sushi. So he started Kyoto Sushi when he came to the U.S. And he's done good work; this is a fine restaurant. The decor is functional and trim. Service is efficient and polite, yet distant. But the food here is very good, and the sushi bar seems to be a favorite spot for local clientele. Japanese food is now mainstream and Kyoto Sushi represents its continued success in the Hudson Valley. Restaurant critic Bill Guilfoyle has more than 25 years experience in the restaurant industry as a sommelier, manager and chef/owner. He is an associate professor at a local college. Kyoto Sushi Where: 337 Washington Ave., Kingston Phone: 339-1128 Web: no Entree price range: $10.95-$21.95 Hours/days: Lunch - 11:45 a.m.-2:45 p.m. Mon.-Sat.; dinner - 4:30-9:30 p.m. Mon.-Thurs., 4:30-10 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 4-9 p.m. Sun. Children's menu: no Parking: limited public parking Reservations: Bar: Wine and beer only Handicapped accessible: yes Low fat/vegetarian menu: yes Other amenities: Takeout, catering, and private parties Signature dishes: Tuna Tatake, Spider Roll, Shrimp and Vegetable Tempura Credit cards: MasterCard, Visa, American Express, Discover The Dish rating Decor: **½ Service: ** Food: ***½ Value: *** Overall: ***
- Restaurant Features
- Booster Seats / High Chairs, Online Menu, Private Room Available, Takeout Available
- Rating
- 84% of 52 people liked it on Urbanspoon
- Cuisine
- Asian, Japanese, Sushi
- Payment Accepted
- Accepts Major Credit Cards
- Meals Served
- Dinner, Lunch
- Cross Streets
- Lucas Ave.
- Neighborhood
- Kingston
- Dress Code
- Casual
- Year Opened
- 2003
- Web Site
- http://www.kyotokingston.com/
