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| - Krazy for Katsu
There are some days where comfort food makes everything better. I was not in the mood for meatloaf or some heavy fried chicken, even though I was dying for fried food. On the way home, we stumbled on a small eatery called Tonkatsu Kiyoshi on Jones and Robindale. Tonkatsu sounded wonderful for dinner. Crispy, marinated, fried pork was just the thing to make my frown turn upside-down.
Upon entering the small eatery, there are about 3 tables that seat up to six people, and a nice, large counter seating 5. We sat at the counter and was greeted by a very nice gentleman who explained the menu layout. The menu is very simple--it's katsu, either chicken, salmon, thick cut pork, or pork tenderloin, ebi furai, curry combos, and apps. The appetizers are the typical karaage, cucumber and krab meat salad, seared beef with onions and ponzu, and edamame. We ordered karaage, krab meat salad, and seared beef.
Before the food arrived, the server explained their sauce tray seated in front of us. There is a container of sesame seeds, one of katsu sauce, hot pepper, salt, pepper, and soy sauce.
We were told to put sesame in the grinding bowl that doubles as our dipping sauce bowl, and to grind the sesame seeds to a powder.
It was quite fun grinding up the sesame seeds and taking in the scent of the nutty oils releasing in the bowl. We mixed in the katsu sauce and some hot pepper with our chopsticks, then awaited the main course.
The apps came out quickly. First up was the cucumber salad with krab meat. It's sweet and tangy from the vinegar, balancing the sweetness of the shredded krab stick. The cucumber was a nice, crunchy, and fresh element to the app. It also acts as a great palate cleanser.
For $5 you get a ton of salad. I almost ate the whole bowl without sharing with my husband.
The next app that arrived was the seared beef with onions and ponzu. We were told that some people like to roll the onions into the meat then dip, which I tried.
I added in the radish (on the right) and some chives into the sauce, rolled the raw white onions in the meat, then dipped. It was delicious and very cold, which was refreshing. The meat was good quality and seared beautifully.
If there is anything in the world I love, it is fried chicken or karaage, and this eatery makes the lightest, crispiest, and most flavorful karaage I have tried in Vegas. They marinate the meat in mirin, soy, and other ingredients for a day or two, then they lightly batter it with seasoned rice flour and serve with a vinaigrette salad and lemon. I squeezed lemon over the chicken, gently dropped soy on each piece, and took a bite. The crispy, light exterior was just heaven. The salad on the side balanced the hot fried chicken pieces, providing tasty, cool relief from the hot and crispy chicken.
With a burst of cherry tomato in my mouth mixed in with the salad, this could be a great lunch dish on its own. Just lovely.
After all those appetizers came the combination plate that I ordered -- fried shrimp with tenderloin katsu. It's served with Rokkyo (Japanese pickled onions), miso soup, hot rice, and ponzu for the cabbage.
The katsu is served on this awesome metal rack to keep all sides crispy.
The katsu was juicy and crispy, with that lovely coating that wasn't too thick. The shrimp (ebi furai) was delicious. I love ebi furai and they make it very well here. With the cabbage covered in ponzu sauce, some Rokkyo to cut through the richness of the katsu, and some hot rice to compliment everything else, I didn't look up once through the entire meal. It was just so much fun to dip in the katsu sesame sauce and then reach for rice, then drink some miso to balance everything. In the end, I raped my plate of all its parts and tapped my tummy in approval.
But what--we cannot end a meal on entree alone. A light, sweet dessert is required here, and what better to eat than a cream puff. A cream puff that is made fresh, powdered with sugar, and filled generously with a whipped cream made in-house was the perfect way to end this "ichiban" meal. The cream was silky and had just the right sweetness, with a puff that wasn't crispy as it was chewy and light. Perfect ending to my day, indeed.
After paying the good man $56 for 2 drinks. 2 entress, 3 apps, and 2 desserts, my husband and I shuffled our cartoon-like full bellies into the car and headed home to hibernate. I love places that have simple menus, provide good food and service, are very clean, and are priced well. Tonkatsu Kiyoshi hits all those marks, which only means that they are on my go-to list when I am in dire need of a katsu, karaage, or ebi furai mix. Thank you, Tonkatsu Kiyoshi, for making my day brighter and my belly full.
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