Izakaya Masa

The Little Lady and I recently found ourselves in Japan for a friends wedding; he was an American who had met a lovely Japanese lady while living abroad. We were delighted to be able to see them, but also to have an excuse to travel to Japan. The visit there was terrific; we got to see the groom for a considerable amount of time, had hoot at the wedding itself, and had the chance to be in Kyoto for sakura season, which, we were told, was seeing the most Japanese city at the most Japanese time.

The idea of something being described, by Japanese citizens, as very Japanese seemed odd to us at first. After all, I would be hard pressed to think of something I would describe as very American, unless I meant to be wry about it. But the Japanese folks we met had a very set, distinct idea of what it meant to be Japanese.

(Don't worry, I'll get to the izakaya in a bit.)

Once we were there for a bit, this description made much more sense. We take pride, myself and the Little Lady, in being fairly cosmopolitan, urbane folks. But we were ill-prepared, on the whole, for how....well, Japanese Japan could be. Part of this was fostered by the Japanese dining in San Diego and L.A. We're familiar with many of the Japanese restaurants locally and up in Little Tokyo. Suffice it to say that Japanese food in the U.S. bears only the vaguest family resemblance to Japanese food in Japan.

Izakaya Masa is an admirable halfway house, offering a way for San Diegans to get a better feel for actual Japanese cuisine without forcing American diners outside of their comfort zones. Each time I've eaten there, I've had both pleasant and unpleasant surprises, and the latter are almost more valuable than the former. The izakaya style of dining is nearly ideal for uniting disparate diners, or diners who themselves are in a disparate mood.

Izakayas are rooted, I understand, in sake shops which, over time, began to allow patrons to imbibe in their shops, and started serving food to accompany their wares. As a result, their style of dining resembles, in an odd way, tapas. They tend to serve a variety of small plates, rather than large entrees. In Japan, these restaurants frequently offer all-you-can-eat or all-you-can-drink specials by the hour.

In that way, at least, Izakaya Masa (located on the ground floor of a mini-mall at 928 Fort Stockton Drive) breaks with tradition. They do offer entrees and do not offer all-you-can-consume deals. The latter, I think, is a good choice; I would hazard a guess that such an arrangement, within the American cultural milieu, would have, to be frank, disastrous consequences for both patron and proprietor. The former is a fine choice, but I recommend concentrating on the small dishes, both because I think they're a little bit better, and also because it's more in the Japanese style, which plays to the particular strength of this restaurant.

The restaurant itself is decorated in the traditional style, complete with red lantern outside. There are, however, no tatami mats. Diners sit either at tables in chairs, or at the bar. Whenever I've been there, the bar seats are filled with Japanese patrons chatting with each other, drinking beer.

The sushi rolls are fine, but the real action is on the first page of the menu. Don't feel put-off by the term 'appetizers'; these are where we build the meat of our meals. You can build a nice, light, but filling, meal here with about five pieces split between two diners. The prices are reasonable enough that, without alcohol, the meal comes in under $30 with tip.

The shumai are delectable. Light without being fluffy, these are about the texture, rather than the taste, which mirrors the texture. The shrimp taste is, in fact, light enough that over-dipping is an issue, so be careful; your care will be rewarded. The octopus is also terrific. Usually, I find octopus to be too rubbery to enjoy. Here, it comes out resembling good scallops; firm without being tough. Again, the flavor is a bit muted, so I eat the pieces unadorned.

Not everything worked for my poor American palate, however. The eggplant was surprisingly bitter, however. If you like that kind of thing, this is the kind of thing you'll like. I doubt it was the preparation, so I'm not entirely sure what to attribute it to. I ended up enjoying it, but only after I had changed my expectations of it. It's less like a latte, and more like black coffee, if that comparison makes sense. The small whole grilled fish (a special), tasting like vastly more intense anchovies, were simply put, too much for me. And while I had high hopes for the lotus root, I was disappointed in the other direction; while the texture was engaging, it was virtually flavorless.

The kushiage are a treat uniformly, however. Well-spiced, well-grilled, we've enjoyed all the ones we've tried thus far. The onion is surprisingly good, as is the cheese. The cheese was a special treat, since Japanese cuisine rarely uses it. This is too bad; cheese cooked according to Japanese techniques comes out very, very well indeed. I understand that the Japanese relate to cheese largely the way Americans relate to silken tofu. So, it's unusual to see in Japanese restaurants. Here, it's well-worth ordering.

The service is more American than traditional Japanese service, and more Japanese than traditional American service. Don't expect to become fast friends with the wait staff, but they're certainly polite, engaged, and efficient.

So long as you can engage it on its own terms, Izakaya Masa makes for an excellent introduction to Japanese (as opposed to Japanese-American) food. Order things you're not sure of, and order a variety for the table to share.