Kashi Brings Fine Japanese Food And Flair To Stamford, CT, Along With A Cocktail Vibe

 

Kashi’s decor is glitzy, more Las Vegas than Stamford, but the sushi is serious.

For a city its size, Stamford, Conn., could certainly use a few restaurants that rise above the mediocre, and Kashi, now two-and-a-half years old, does so with a whole lot of pizzazz. Part of a small Long Island chain, this is the only one in Connecticut, strategically located next to a Crowne Plaza Hotel and across from a Majestic multiplex movie theater. The intent is to attract both those who love modern Japanese food and those who want a cocktail lounge for entertainment.

Fortunately, the latter, upstairs, does not infringe too much on the former, despite a pounding bass line in the air. This is a big space, and the downstairs dining room, with sushi counter and bar, is shadowy and pretty dark—the walls and ceiling are painted black—lighted mostly by chandeliers. Tables are roomy and very comfortable.

The sashimi at Kashi is beautifully presented and made with the day’s market offerings.

The menu is very long, rarely a good sign, but, if you leave yourself in the hands of the chef, as I did by asking him to choose his best dishes from several sections of the menu—appetizers, sushi, sashimi, rolls, hot main courses—you will receive Japanese food of a high order, the sashimi and sushi based on pristine seafood, the rest packed with plenty of seasonings and dressings.

The wine list is short and stocked with nothing but the most commercial bottlings, but there is a good sake list and a whole column of imaginative cocktails with names like “Angry Dragon” and “Cracked Lobster.”

Asian flavors are added to Kashi’s version if Italy’s beef carpaccio .

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Calmer dishes followed in a lavish platter of sushi and sashimi, each distinct from the next, the sashimi lustrous and the sushi well served by the lightly vinegared, slightly warmed rice.

At the sushi counter it’s best to let the chef choose your seafood.

“Deep blue sea” is a delectable dish of blue crab, avocado and mango topped with seared spicy tuna and eel sauce, and crunchy tuna—really good—with an wasabi aïoli took the name “Valentine roll.”

Richer flavors were next in a fried King crab with avocado, kani roll of shrimp topped with spicy tuna and sweet Thai chili whose flavors melded but hit all on their own. Thai basil chicken was a departure, with wok-fried chicken, mushrooms, onion, carrot, basil and chili paste. Portions for everything are very generous. Desserts are negligible.

Kashi does have something of a Vegas-style vibe that contrasts with the traditional ambience of a sushi bar. So, next time I go, I will sit myself at the counter, nod to the chef and concentrate on his mastery while enjoying Asian food rare in a big city like Stamford. Along with OKO Kitchen in Westport, Kashi gives Connecticut two excellent options for a wide-ranging cuisine.

 

KASHI

131 Summer Street

Stamford, CT

203-890-9995

 

Everything that came from the kitchen had enormous color in its presentation, evoking the snazzy décor. The very first dish, a filet mignon carpaccio with wasabi soy, ginger and garlic, was one that I would order every time I return. Very balanced in its many flavors, the meat itself was thinly cut and absorbed the other ingredients perfectly. Grilled octopus was enlivened with piquillo pepper in a pepper sauce, and yellowtail was seared and served with cucumber, celery, a lovely gel of and sauce. Soy paper was wrapped around a spicy lobster salad and shiitakes, topped with salmon roe, mango chili, along with a classic (with cucumber wrap) with spicy tuna that really worked as an appetite spur.