Kitsho 2005.11.04 -- **

I've heard and read some good things about this cupertino hideaway. And tonight I got the sushi calling. So we headed down to try it out.

First thing, it was busy. 90% space full, lots of japanese faces. Next thing, today's special fish written only in japanese on a board. Good signs. We waited about 10-15 minutes for a table (bar only served appetizers and sushi). As soon as we sat down, things started to look bad.

Right beside us was another table of two that seated at the same time as us. Before we finished perusing the menus, they already enjoyed a towel service and was started on a pair of salads. Now I don't really mind preferential treatment to regular customers, but at least the hand towels we should have gotten. I had to ask our waitress explicitly after seeing other customers also using towels.

Being in the mood for a good fish gorging, we ordered a couple appetizers and loaded up on a variety of fishes.

The food came out in sparse intervals. First arrived the tea and beer, immediately followed by the Agadashi tofu. Fish showed up a while later together with our beef skewer appetizer. Then a spider roll, and lastly our double order (minimum order) of Chawan Mushi.

The tea was yellow, but it wasn't a gen mai. The tofu arrived already half soggy on the bottom, soaked in a not particularly distinguishing sauce. On the fish board, the unagi's were decent if a bit on the saucy side; the "premium hamachi" did stand out as fairly good hamachi; so so sake; the shiro maguro were interesting in that they were served sushi style, rather than the tataki style we were used to. I wouldn't say it was better though. Certainly not compared with Sushi Maru's. I may have missed a few other pieces we ordered, but the recommended (by other reviews) house special marinaded maguro was a definite let-down. They took out the distinct tuna taste and replaced it with a plain saltiness.

The beef skewers were quite boring, just grilled beef cubes with some peppers in a standard teryaki sauce. Eating them necessitated a few sips of tea or beer due to the dryness. I looked forward to the spider roll, for it came at such an interval that seemed appropriate for a freshed cooked up order(in a busy kitchen). But I was sad to find the crab a bit over fried.

Throughout all the sushi's, one problem lingered. The rice. Either too loose or too al dente (sheng ying in chinese), this was a problem that had written off Kitsho in our minds. No matter the quality of the other things, rice, MUST not be wrong at a sushi restaurant.

With that in mind, the final chawan mushi's late arrival didn't even bother us all that much. The texture of the mushi was superb, however, no real seafood could be found inside (unless you count fish cake), and the flavor was far too heavy on the sweet side.

After the meal, my friend and I looked at each other and simultaneously agreed that this will not be a repeat for us.

$75 for two, all incl.