Akira owner Anna Saito had one rule before she added wild fugu to tonight’s Taste of Japan menu: Her chef must take the first bite of the potentially fatal fish before serving it to customers. “If the chef doesn’t clean it just right, he’s dead,” says Saito. “I take the second piece… if he hasn’t dropped dead.”
@cal body 1:Akira is one of only 18 sushi restaurants in the country that’s licensed to prepare fugu. If the natural poison isn’t completely drained, it’s as deadly as cyanide. Still, Saito stands behind her chef’s training. “More people die from choking on hot dogs every year,” she says.
Feb. 22-28, 5-10 p.m.
This article appears in Feb 21-27, 2007.