Naked Fish
67 W. 100 South, Salt Lake City ; 801-595-8888
(see
map)
A new menu to show off a new philosophy on food that's incredibly delicious. Sashimi, nigiri and rolls are top-notch.
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Cuisine: Japanese, Sushi
Price: $$$
Hours: M-F, 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m.; M-Th, 5-9:30 p.m.; F-S, 5-10:30 p.m.; Su, 5-9 pm
Liquor: Full Service
Corkage: $ 15
Reservations: --
Accepts:    
Website: http://www.nakedfishbistro.com
Recommended Dishes: Fresh fish, fried calamari, grilled chicken wings.
July 21, 2010
Naked Fish scales down to the finest essentials
By Vanessa Chang
Special to The Tribune
A strange feeling came over me at a recent dinner at Naked Fish.
The crowd was steady that night, taking over two and four tops in the main dining room decorated with a sleek, modern, Asian-inflected style in tones of earth brown, mineral black and leaf green. The waiting area looked more like a lounge than a restaurant. And the grand sushi bar that flanked the tables looked familiar.
Yet as I took a seat with my group, placing my legs into the recessed floor of the tatami-style dining room, I had a feeling this wasn’t the Naked Fish that I knew.
In a previous life, it was an echo of Mikado. Traditional, homestyle and familiar to a fault, the menu was nothing striking. The food was barely remembered the next day.
Oh, but this Naked Fish was something entirely different. People remembered the food — everything from the sashimi to nigiri to rolls and even the hot dishes — the morning after and the week after that.
“I thought they were joking when they said I would ‘taste the ocean,’ ” one acquaintance said about a geoduck (pronounced “gooey-duck”) special at the sushi bar (prices vary with the market). “But they were right, like the beach was right in my face.”
If you’ve ever seen a geoduck, you know it has a face that only a mother geoduck could love. It’s a rare find on any menu in Zion. And as I confirmed on a subsequent visit, the fact that Naked Fish’s sushi chefs offered it and managed to capture its freshness is remarkable. Sushi lovers, take note. Naked Fish has turned a new, far more creative page, relying not only on showiness, but on fresh, outstanding products.
Omakase (by reservation only, cost varies) is an experience that begins with a straightforward question. How much do you want to spend? No matter the answer, the sushi creates a sequence of dishes of market-fresh fish like the geoduck, Japanese abalone and any number of familiar and not-so-familiar offerings. Rolls feature a good ratio of filling to rice. The most interesting is the Spicy Geisha, which is wrapped in rice paper instead of nori ($15.50).
The specials board offers more pleasure. Some servers are more adept at translating the Japanese terms into English. And some even offer Jiminy Cricket-like guidance, such as when they informed us that for the size of our group, we’d be better off ordering the Tsukiji sashimi set ($42) instead of the standard combo. Named after the venerable fish market in Tokyo where most of Naked Fish’s selection comes from, it’s a festival of color, shapes and textures complete with strikingly tender and crisp pickled ginger slices and judicious mounds of freshly grated wasabi root (not the powder).
Baby amberjack nigiri is nearly translucent in parts of the thick cut. The rice beneath it is al dente and perked up with a slight amount of rice vinegar and thyme. The octopus is sliced and fanned out in a manner normally reserved for chicken breast, but tastes more tender and refreshing. The centerpiece is a head-and-tail-on fish skeleton gorgeously fashioned as if it were caught and sliced in mid-open-ocean-air.
Mixed drinks ($9-$11) feature the melon green Midori in various guises. But Naked Fish’s sake menu is chock-full of labels not easily found in Utah, including the award-winning Horin ($82, bottle only).
Our server assured us it wouldn’t leave us with a hangover. Skeptical, we sipped and immediately became our server’s disciples. If you’re celebrating, this bottle with flavors of fresh spring water, scents of blossoms and dry finish is a revelation for anyone remotely into sake.
Though there are hot-dish entrées on the menu, such as the Berkshire pork rib entrée mysteriously battered, fried and slathered to resemble sweet-and-sour pork, these aren’t as satisfying as constructing a meal from the fresh fish offerings and the excellent small plates.
Naked Fish offers a manifesto at the top of the menu, which lets you know that the seafood you’re feasting on is not only delectable, but sustainable and likewise are all the other ingredients. It explains the presence of Jidori chicken, which translates to “chicken of the Earth.” It’s a product of the Asian fusion movement in California, akin to the USDA organic label, only with more integrity.
It’s the same likes of chicken used in places like Nobu.Though it’s good enough as an entrée with broccolini and fingerling potatoes ($17.95), it’s absolutely stunning as a small plate from the “robatayaki” section ($7.50). Everything listed there is charcoal grilled, and the Jidori wings arrive sizzling and slightly charred, perfectly seasoned with Okinawan sea salt and lemon juice. The price might seem stiff. But after one bite, you’ll seriously contemplate ordering three more rounds.
The warm-plates menu section offers treasures such as the grilled tako (octopus, $12.50), which are dense, tender and flavorful with sear, chopped green onions and warm cherry tomatoes. The house special is citrus prawns ($7.95), which is enjoyable slathered with a slightly sweet mayonnaise (in Japan, mayo is a topping for pizza). But it’s the calamari karage ($8.95) — batter-fried calamari — that will grab your attention. The imported Japanese squid is tempura-fried and comes out piping hot and meltingly tender.
This is what I mention to the most recent person to mention Naked Fish to me, when we compared notes, wanting to try new tastes. It might not have been the Naked Fish we knew. But it was a Naked Fish we all were eager to get to know better.
Tribune's rating system
Overall rating
1 star Good
2 stars Very good
3 stars Excellent
4 stars Extraordinary
Entree price
$ Entree under $10
$$ $10-$18
$$$ $18-$25
$$$$ Above $25
Restaurant Noise
1 bell Quiet (under 65 decibles)
2 bells Can talk easily (65-70)
3 bells Talking somewhat difficult (70-75)
4 bells Raised voices (75-80)
A bomb Too noisy for normal conversation (80+)
The Tribune covers the cost of all meals at reviewed restaurants. Star ratings are based on a minimum of two visits. Ratings are updated continually based on at least one revisit. There is no connection between reviews and advertising.
June 11, 2008
Without equal emphasis on sushi, service, it comes off like a raw deal
By Lesli J. Neilson
Service can make or ruin a dining experience. At its finest, service is transparent and unobtrusive. At its worst, it is clunky and bothersome. A recent dinner at Mikado in downtown Salt Lake City left me disappointed at the lack of trained employees.
Our server couldn't identify some of the fish on our 30-piece sashimi platter. He didn't know if the miso-glazed sea bass was endangered Chilean or not-endangered black. (The report from the kitchen was that it was Chilean from Alaska. Come again?) And he didn't know Grey Goose was a brand of vodka.
Empty water glasses, forgotten items and a server who was missing in action -- and not just for a few minutes -- when we wanted our bill added to the frustration.
Fortunately, Mikado -- soon to be reincarnated as Naked Fish -- serves mostly great food.
To start, my dining group gobbled up refreshing iceberg lettuce cups ($9) filled with shreds of beef, pine nuts and red and green bell peppers. Agadashi tofu ($6), deep-fried tofu cubes in soy broth, were crisp on the outside and pillowy inside.
Entrees were hit and miss. "Pacific Rim" pork ribs ($19), glazed with a gooey, sweet barbecue sauce fell off the bone but an abundant shrimp tempura plate ($17), with slices of sweet potato, carrots, mushrooms, an onion ring, green chile and kabocha squash, lacked that just-from-the-fryer crunch.
The fish was faultless. Whether in nigiri, sashimi or maki rolls, the high-quality fish was the perfect temperature -- cool but not chilly -- and was sliced neither too thick nor too thin.
If you like fish without embellishments, sashimi (15-piece, $25; 21-piece, $35; 30-piece seasonal specialties, $95) is pristine.
The spider roll ($9), soft shell crab, cucumber, avocado, romaine and eel sauce, crackled with each bite while a fresh crab salad updated an Alaskan roll ($13) with avocado, salmon, lemon and ponzu sauce. The most expensive maki roll is $17. Save some money and try this Thursdays from 8 to 10 p.m. when selected maki rolls and appetizers are half price.
Some rolls need work. The spicy tuna roll ($8) wasn't spicy, the egg (tamago) nigiri ($2) was overly sweet and the salmon skin ($5) was limp. A serving of creamy sea urchin (uni) ($3.25) almost made up for those minor flaws.
Perhaps only in Utah would a Japanese restaurant offer bananas foster ($7), chocolate cake ($7) and New York-style cheesecake ($7) alongside mochi ice cream ($5.95) for dessert. The bananas foster was delicious and decadent -- unlike the freezer-burned vanilla mochi.
Same name, different experience
A dinner at the Mikado Cottonwood was the opposite of our experience at the soon-to-be Naked Fish. Our server was friendly, accommodating and knowledgeable, outshining the food, which was good but not excellent.
Slices of sashimi (15-piece, $24.95; 20-piece, $31.95) were too thick and a touch too cold, making them bland-tasting. A lighter hand would have saved Tosh's prawns ($7.95), five well-cooked shrimp drowned in a thick citrusy aioli.
Other dishes were much better. "Asian fries" ($3.95) were a unique starter: mashed ginger potatoes are wrapped in flour skins and deep-fried. Shrimp tempura ($16.95) and assorted vegetables were piping hot and crispy. Fluffy egg (tamago) nigiri ($2.50) had just a hint of sweetness, and a salmon skin handroll ($6.25), chockfull of crackling salmon skin strips, diakon sprouts, refreshing cucumber and burdock root, was good enough to want another.
At lunchtime, bento boxes ($11.95) and the lunch combination ($14.95, tuna sashimi, nigiri sushi, California roll, fruit, shrimp tempura, beef teriyaki, soup, rice and salad) cost slightly more than when The Tribune visited in 2003. On Mondays and Tuesdays maki rolls are half-off during lunch and from 5 to 7 p.m., selected sushi rolls and appetizers are discounted.
For dessert, there are interesting ice cream flavors, such as the roasted banana, ginger and chai (all $5.95). If you must indulge in chocolate, the sweet caramel brownie ($6.95) hits the spot.
As the downtown Mikado morphs into Naked Fish and the Cottonwood Mikado branches out and adds locations in Sandy and Bountiful, I hope both owners remember that a great dining experience is a combination of great food and a well-trained staff.
Tribune's rating system
Overall rating
1 star Good
2 stars Very good
3 stars Excellent
4 stars Extraordinary
Entree price
$ Entree under $10
$$ $10-$18
$$$ $18-$25
$$$$ Above $25
Restaurant Noise
1 bell Quiet (under 65 decibles)
2 bells Can talk easily (65-70)
3 bells Talking somewhat difficult (70-75)
4 bells Raised voices (75-80)
A bomb Too noisy for normal conversation (80+)
The Tribune covers the cost of all meals at reviewed restaurants. Star ratings are based on a minimum of two visits. Ratings are updated continually based on at least one revisit. There is no connection between reviews and advertising.
March 12, 2004
With Chef Tosh calling the shots, Mikado is on a creative roll
By Nancy Hobbs
The Mikado that many Salt Lakers knew -- the one that opened in 1958 and was operated by the original Japanese immigrant owners until 1991 -- is no longer. In its place is a new Mikado, one that underwent several changes through the '90s, and recently resurfaced after a major face-lift with a new image -- and an impressive new leading man -- to take on the 21st century.
The Kwon family purchased the Mikado in 1991, and quickly added sushi to a menu that had been stuck in time. Four years later, owner Gene Kwon opened a second Mikado restaurant in Park City, and introduced a third to the Cottonwood area last year.
Last November, just in time to lift the curtain on the new downtown digs, Kwon announced that he had convinced sushi chef Toshio "Chef Tosh" Sekikawa, founder of the Sushi School of San Francisco, to move to Utah and take the helm of both the downtown and Cottonwood restaurants.
The downtown Mikado, just east of the Salt Palace on 100 South, couldn't be better placed for diners in town for a convention, or even locals on their way to the ballet, opera, symphony or a Jazz game.
It was a busy weekend night, when several such events were scheduled, that we visited the Mikado for dinner. It was my first time back since a high school prom in the mid-'70s.
After some confusion over our reservation (I had called, but it apparently wasn't recorded) we followed the hostess as she scanned the open, modern dining room to see what was available. Two seats were free at the sushi bar, so we snagged them.
The bar itself is impressive, with 20 stools lining its polished granite surface and overlooking about a half dozen stations where sushi chefs busily slice and build artful creations. Chefs have a view of the entire dining room, which isn't very large -- about 18 tables -- but is full of activity and noise when at or near capacity.
Given the hectic pace this night, with many diners checking their watches, the sushi chefs were under pressure -- and the demeanor of the chef in charge didn't help matters. My dining partner dismissed the chef barking orders at the others as grandstanding -- making a display of his managerial "stuff." I felt he was humiliating his harried co-workers, with a net effect on the diners. Rather than banter between chefs and diners, or even among diners at the bar, there was only quiet chit-chat between dining partners.
Fortunately, as the rush passed, so did the managing chef's impatience; as he started to warm up, so did the diners.
But in the meantime, the chef's impatience affected our order, as we had requested a certain item be included in the 20-piece "chef's special" sashimi plate. When the managing chef abruptly grabbed our order from his co-worker, that request wasn't communicated.
In the end, our sashimi plate was artfully presented and excellent, with five different fish selections, although at $32 it was pricey, especially given the small size of the pieces. And the requested item was missing.
A second visit to Mikado for lunch was more pleasant and relaxing. There were fewer diners, which obviously makes a difference. Our waitress was knowledgeable and efficient, and the sushi chefs were busy at work, filling orders but also prepping for the dinner service.
Again, everything delivered to our table was a visual delight. Eating was another treat, as we were introduced to some of the "fusion" creations credited to Chef Tosh. Especially good was the chicken kiziyaki, with grilled chicken and tempura vegetables impressively tented over rice in an oversized bowl ($6.95). Super-thin chips made of sweet potatoes were an especially big hit, though the chicken was nicely flavored and moist, and the vegetables all crunchy and terrific.
Some of those vegetables, plus a couple of tempura shrimp, were part of a bento box offered only at lunch for $9.95. Diners choose two main items, such as tempura shrimp or chicken, teriyaki salmon or gyoza, as well as a choice between a four-piece California roll or spicy tuna roll.
An unexpected treat was a sample of Chef Tosh's Asian fries, made of ginger mashed potatoes wrapped inside a thin egg roll skin.
The bento box also comes with miso soup, a small iceberg lettuce salad with a nice citrus dressing and rice, so there's more than enough to eat.
The variety of choices extends into Mikado's dessert menu, with a green tea tiramisu, which our waitress described as pretty traditional tiramisu except it is made with green tea powder instead of cocoa; a dense, flourless chocolate cake called "Death by Import"; green tea ice cream; and our choice: bananas foster, made with a tasty rum and butter sauce and topped with vanilla ice cream ($6.95).
And speaking of green, the Mikado is flaunting it -- in sake and wherever else it can -- for St. Patrick's day. In honor of Wednesday's holiday, the downtown and Cottonwood restaurants are offering an "all you can eat" dinner, with special St. Paddy's themed sushi, beginning at 5:30 p.m., for $27 per person. Space is limited, and reservations are required.
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