Climb a winding, slightly battered staircase at Kado No Mise and discover a world unlike anything else in the Twin Cities. A serene 10-seat counter — a kind of minimalist diner — becomes the stage for chef/co-owner Shigeyuki Furukawa to host his three-nights-a-week show. It's a 10-course exercise in kaiseki, the extravagant, symbolism-laden Japanese feast. It's spectacular.
Course 1: After an earthy millet tea served as a fragrant liquid salutation, this amuse-bouche helped take the chill off a cold winter evening: fried tofu, the exterior light and crispy, the bean curd silky and rich, served with wood ear mushrooms and shirauo, a tiny, translucent, midwinter fish with a mild flavor that hinted at the ocean.
Course 2: Such beauty, and creativity; if only Super Bowl party snacks were approached with such care and finesse. A snappy blue prawn, glazed in egg yolk and grilled. Herring roe that amusingly popped like bubble wrap when chewed. Smoky whitefish, cured, jerky-style. Duck breast, ridiculously rich and tender. And soybeans simmered in carrot and daikon. The pine? A gracious symbol of winter.
Course 3: The arrival of this elegant broth underscored how this experience is a seafood lover's dream. Front and center was sake-steamed tilefish, a pale, opalescent treasure from the sea, immersed in a dashi perfumed with ginger. The finishing touches included a carrot carved in the shape of a plum blossom (this crew's knife skills are off the charts) and a tender baby bok choy.
Course 4: A dreamy sampler of radiantly pristine sashimi, light years beyond its supermarket counterparts. There was fatty, terra cotta-tinted tuna belly; translucent, snapper-like needlefish; and firm, lean Spanish mackerel, all cut with a surgeon's precision. Wasabi, freshly grated on a gorgeous patch of sharkskin, provided a searing zing, and a shiso leaf acted as a minty palate cleanser.
Course 5: This stunner will resonate in my memory. Pulled from cool Washington state waters, the knobbly, ovoid shell of this Hama Hama oyster served as another vessel in the evening's long line of eye-catching serving pieces. The grill lent the meaty flesh — glazed in sake and soy — a sultry, slightly smoky aura. I immediately wanted to order a half-dozen more. Make that a dozen.
Course 6: The temperature returned to chilled with this play on starchy, potato-like taro root, fortified with a hearty red miso, chicken, subtly bitter greens and a much-needed citrusy pop of yuzu. It was a more intensely colorful twist on Furukawa's disciplined, less-is-more aesthetic.
Course 7: The cool temperature continued with another fascinating exercise in textural contrasts. This time it was a kind of Japanese ceviche, with delectably sweet shrimp cured in an acidic ponzu-chile vinaigrette, then paired with crunchy-stemmed, slightly bitter mizuna greens. Ingenious and delicious.
