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Culinary Connection
Katsuya Restaurant at The Americana at Brand
By Bruce Wildstein
It used to be that you would go to a Japanese restaurant for some pretty standard fare: tempura, teriyaki, - you get the picture. Somewhere along the line, however, a new group of chefs with contemporary ideas transformed the Asian food landscape and created a new style of cuisine. Nowhere is that more evident than at the Katsuya restaurants, and the newest location can be found at The Americana at Brand in Glendale. Starting just a few years ago in Studio City with sushi chef Katsuya Uechi, and flush with success from their recent Hollywood location, owners SBE Entertainment decided to open at Rick Caruso's new Glendale mega center, The Americana at Brand. This is a two-story space with a hip, contemporary bar on the ground floor and the main dining areas on the second floor. There is also a sushi bar on the first floor for those that just want to dine casually on sushi alone. If you like ultra modern decor though, you couldn't ask for more. And like the Hollywood location, the acclaimed French designer Phillipe Starck conceived this one. The space is awash with shiny metal surfaces, stone and tile, sleek lighting, and huge murals of Geisha women's faces. You'll take a unique spiral staircase to go upstairs, where the main dining room surrounds an open kitchen. Outdoor patio seating gives diners a perfect view of the interior of shopping center. Everything is first rate here, from the décor, the tableware, to the wait staff uniforms. When being seated, either black or white cloth napkins will be placed on your lap, depending on the color of your clothes, a nice touch.
Every restaurant offers exotic specialty drinks, and Katsuya has their own signature cocktails. The Eastern Raspberry Sidecar features hand pressed raspberries with Hennessy VS Cognac, Nogori Sake, and a touch of Cointreau and lemon juice. The Burning Mandarin mixes Absolut Mandarin Vodka with a hand crushed Serrano chile plus orange juice, cranberry, and a touch of lemon. A couple of these and you'll be more than ready to order food. Sushi is certainly a main attraction here, and Katsuya offers plenty of favorites. We tried the popular Spicy Tuna, which delivered as promised, about 6 slices on a plate, fresh and tasty. Second up was their Crispy Soft Shelled Crab. It was hot out of the kitchen, crispy and with a wasabi Ponzu dipping sauce. We also tried their Vegetable Tempura, with an assortment of veggies that included crispy morsels of carrots, peppers, mushrooms, etc. If Sashimi is your thing, the menu has octopus, whitefish, jumbo clam, yellowtail, and much more. You could certainly make a meal with just sushi and appetizers, and for many that would be just fine.
Entrees are divided up into cold plates, hot plates, traditional dinners, and the Japanese Bento Box. We ordered the Baked Salmon on Cedar Board, which is served with a Sansho Caper Sauce. The salmon is actually baked on a thin piece of cedar wood, which imparts a flavor to the fish. It was good, if somewhat dry, but the taste worked for us. We also ordered the Kobe Style Tenderloin Toban. The beef was prepared in small cubes with a Ponzu sauce and was very flavorful, tender, better than some others I've tried. They get creative here, as other entrees include the Almond Crusted Scallops and the Prime Filet with Foie Gras in a Plum Wine sauce. Bento box dinners feature food in an actual wooden decorative box with various compartments. You could try the Makunouchi Bento with sashimi, sushi, Almond Crusted Shrimp, Broiled Miso Black Cod, and Sunomono (salad with vinegar type dressing).
Desserts at Katsuya can be over the top but wonderfully decadent. The hot Chocolate Lovers Cake is served with Vanilla Ice Cream, the Crème Brulee is fabulous, Mini Cream Puffs are light but filling, and the Mochi Ice Cream in different flavors is top notch.
The bottom line here is that Katsuya has great food, although its not necessarily cheap. Expect to pay $40-$50 per person before drinks for a complete meal. They do have a kid's menu, although this is more of a date or group restaurant than family style dining. Try the outside balcony upstairs if you want to watch the goings on in the park and water fountain. Katsuya at The Americana at Brand is located at 702 Americana Way, Glendale, 818-244-5900.