The last time I had beef cheeks this memorable they were tucked inside a delicate pierogi wrapper, topped with wild mushrooms and presented atop a pool of horseradish crème fraiche. Unlike Michael Symon’s signature appetizer, however, the ones served at Kyuu-juu have nowhere to hide. Presented in an elegant porcelain bowl, the long-braised cheeks ($21) are sparsely garnished yet deliver an outsized level of flavor, tenderness and depth.
I expected to find some of Cleveland’s best sashimi at this new Ohio City hotspot, but I was equally impressed by the non-fish items on this wide-ranging menu. Partners Ryan Endrian and Chef Kwan might be best known for their extraordinary omakase dinners, but guests at Kyuu-juu will also encounter stellar plates built around vegetables, chicken, beef, duck and more.
Open since summer, Kyuu-juu shares a sharp two-story Victorian with Sushi Kuwahata, the eight-seat omakase restaurant on the upper level. Billed as a “contemporary izakaya,” the 50-seat eatery offers a daring and deliberate take on these traditionally informal Japanese bars. Classics like yakitori, karaage and grilled veggies are present, but so too is impeccable sashimi, chef-driven small plates and luxurious A5 wagyu beef. What links the traditional and modern is the easygoing, shared-plate style that defines the izakaya experience.
Many operators claim to have the freshest possible seafood, but few go to the lengths that Endrian and Kwan do to ensure quality, consistency and selection. Items are hand-picked by colleagues at Tokyo’s Toyosu Market and shipped directly to the United Airlines Cargo facility at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. Some products are destined for Sushi Kuwahata and others for Kyuu-juu.
Even for well-seasoned diners, the menu can be intimidating. It’s a two-sided affair with eight different categories – and that doesn’t include the beverage menu. There is likely a customary progression of courses one should follow but when asked, our server offered little guidance. Instead, we obeyed our intuition, starting with sashimi and fish-based small plates before moving on to fried foods and meats. A tasting menu-style option might be appreciated, we thought.
Mackerel ($18), firm, glossy and slightly warm from the blowtorch, is drizzled with pale-green shiso oil and garnished with local microgreens. Three buttery, peach-hued slices of hamachi ($18) bare little in common with the pale, bland sushi staple served elsewhere. The faintly sweet fish is slicked with a citrusy but not overpowering ponzu sauce. From the otsumami category we enjoyed a fine-textured bluefin tuna tartare ($15) and a bowl of briny but underwhelming salmon roe ($18) seasoned with Japanese peppercorn.
While knocking back glasses of ice-cold Sapporo draft ($8) and crisp Oregon white wines ($15) we chartered our next moves. We landed on some of the best drink-friendly snacks on Earth: the crackling-crisp chicken skin chips ($9) seasoned with togarashi and flaky salt. A dish of blistered shishito peppers ($9), served cold and topped with bonito flakes, also makes a fine bar snack.
As savory as those braised, seared and sliced beef cheeks were, it was the chicken thigh yakitori ($11) that stole round three. Two skewers are threaded with the juiciest, tare-glazed meat, expertly grilled, garnished with scallion, and served with a side of salt and Japanese pepper. Likewise, marinated duck breast ($24) arrives sliced to reveal a rosy-red interior and melt-in-your-mouth texture. Executive chef Dereck White, formerly of Red Steakhouse, also offers a variety of imported Wagyu beef cuts that are grilled, sliced and served on hot clay plates. An ideal accompaniment for any beef dish would be the “five kind mushrooms” ($13), a ridiculously savory, umami-rich medley of – you guessed it – five varieties of sauteed shrooms.
In true izakaya fashion, every dish is finger- and/or chopstick-friendly. Despite the luxe ingredients, obsessive attention to detail, and precision plating and presentation, Kyuu-juu remains a casual neighborhood bistro. Tables are set aside for walk-ins, there’s no “90-minute time limit,” and we never once felt rushed to place our next round of orders.
That said, the space is limited to a bar, nearby window counter, and small dining room. As the place fills up, which it does quickly after opening, that dining room grows louder and louder. It’s also very bright, a situation made worse on our visit due to the fact that we were sandwiched between two separate influencers who lit the joint up like Times Square.
The beverage list has a concise but compelling selection of sakes, served by the glass or bottle, as well as cocktails, beer and hard seltzers.
A word of note: a 20-percent service charge is applied to every table, a detail that is listed in fine print on the menu but was not brought to our attention by the server.
Kyuu-juu
2054 Fulton Rd., Cleveland
216-785-9296
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