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The newest night crowd attraction is downtown Santa Cruz's new sushi palace, Shogun, where colorful "Hello Kitty"
totems line the back bar. Four sushi chefs worked their blades off last week orchestrating that visual razzle-dazzle that
is sushi. While the menu is packed with teriyakis, udon and donburi creations, it was sushi we craved and sushi we got at
our debut meal.
From its beautiful artwork framed in black lacquer to the dramatic red-brimmed lights suspended from the ceiling, Shogun
makes a contemporary statement. The central aisle appears a bit large and empty--a small seating island might add coziness--but
otherwise there's a lot to like.
Especially a menu front-loaded with creative and classic sushi possibilities. Our waitress was prompt and helpful in taking
our orders, bringing a glass (no flute, unfortunately) of Domaine Chandon ($5.50) for Jack (champagne makes a great partner
for Japanese flavors) and a small hot sake ($2.95) for me.
First we ordered our main events: I went for a sushi trio--the Westside roll ($4.95), a Hawaiian roll ($4.75) and my all-time
fave, tekka maki with shiso ($3.50)--and Jack ordered a full-on Shogun sushi dinner No. 2 ($15.95). Then we launched into
appetizers. Shogun has gyoza down cold--or, rather, hot and crispy. These little deep-fried wontons ($4.95) were delicious,
like homemade potato chips wrapped around shrimp and pork filling. The accompanying lemony dipping sauce was excellent as
well. A chewy seaweed salad flecked with sesame seeds ($4.75) made us both happy, and an order of sunomono offered transparent
cucumber slices saturated with a vinegary brine ($2.50). With the gyoza came a tasty slaw topped with the same addictive miso
dressing that had Jack purring. Even over his iceberg lettuce dinner salad, this blend of fermented soybean paste and mayo
was fabulous.
Going for the gusto rather than classic sushi elegance, our entrees were presented on large trays. My three sushi orders
sat like fat nuggets of fish and rice--pretty, but featuring enough sticky rice to feed the computer animators of Pokémon.
Jack's nigiri sushi octet made an overwhelming statement. Each slice of fresh raw fish--octopus, yellowtail, ahi and salmon,
among others--must have been at least 6 inches long. Very daunting. Each thick slice topped a tiny mound of rice.
We had expected more delicate portions, in which the fish-to-rice ratio was in something approaching balance. Restraint
is the better part of sushi; your eyes alone can tell you that. Maybe it's the Americanization of sushi, but in the world
of raw fish, more (way more) isn't necessarily better.
We mixed soy sauce and wasabi from the leaf-shaped mounds on each tray (I really dislike being served from a big tray--too
many institutional associations) and sampled our huge cache of rice and fish. The impeccable tekka maki, bursting with ahi
wrapped tight in a band of delicious nori, really hit the spot. The Westside roll was nice, but the quantity of rice inundated
the two tunas. I liked the crunchy macadamia nuts and ripe avocado in the Hawaiian roll, but Jack complained that the glaze
on the unagi was extremely sweet. In between the tongue-sized slabs of nigiri sushi on Jack's dinner plate, a row of rice-intensive
California rolls offered their tame but tasty charms. We finished up with a bowl of ginger ice cream ($2) that tasted exactly
like green tea ice cream.
*please note that parties over 5 will not be accepted without a reservation. we have received complaints about rat and cockroach
problems. this has not been proved or disproved but any complaints may be submitted in writing, but we cannot guarantee a
reading of the complaint. there have been instances where other items, (such as crickets, raw meat and broken glass,) have
been found in our food. by entering our restaurant you subject yourself to these conditions and failure to pay for your food
and/or beverage is punishable by law.
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