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The name Yasu Sushi Bistro is a bit misleading. Although “Yasu” denotes its principal player (young and talented chef Yasu Hashino) and “bistro” accurately describes the hipness of the venue, “sushi” doesn't begin to convey what this winning little restaurant can, and routinely does, do.
Pristine fish, prepared as sashimi, nigiri and fanciful rolls, may be ordered from the usual sushi checklist, and that's one perfectly reasonable option. But I typically find myself drawn to the cooked Japanese classics found on the multipage, bound menu, and to the imaginative seasonal specialties (both cooked and raw) listed on the one-page menu printed each day. You don't have to like sushi and you don't have to eat sushi to have an exciting, authentic experience here.
The scene: More restaurant than sushi bar, this tiny neighborhood spot has a cool vibe. Love the bamboo roof over the sushi bar and the rustic dinnerware.
Hashino was the first guy to bring sumibiyaki — Japanese charcoal grilling — to the Valley, and his list of charcoal-grilled dishes has grown considerably since the restaurant opened two years ago. An abundance of small plates and a decent selection of beer and sake (plus one shochu) make the place a modified izakaya, a Japanese drinking establishment serving snack-type dishes for grazing while drinking, and drinking some more.
The food: Curly shavings of crisp-fried gobo (a root vegetable reminiscent of taro chips in this preparation, $4) are flecked with sea salt. They're the ideal accompaniment to frosty Echigo, a light, crisp lager (rice-based and faintly sweet, $9) that suits the food (and me) perfectly. Five Kumamoto oysters on the half shell, served on a bed of ice and topped with spicy grated daikon and snips of green onion, are sweet, buttery-textured little morsels, clean and fresh-tasting with a spritz of lemon ($10).
Chilean abalone sushi, served on a pad of rice nigiri-style, is another clean-tasting selection — a bit too rubbery for me, but that's the nature of the beast ($6.50). I'm happier with golden-fleshed, slightly smoky hamachi sashimi, topped with jalapeño slices ($11). Happier still with garlicky yellowtail tartare, smoothed with pureed tomato, decorated with fresh cilantro and set in a puddle of wasabi-spiked dashi ($10). Wow!
But the dish that makes me feel joyous about summer (no small feat) is crunchy soft-shell crab, accented with cubes of juicy watermelon, marinated in sweet vinegar and sprinkled with daikon sprouts ($13.50).
Sumibiyaki dishes can be as straightforward or as challenging as you want them to be. Hashino grills jidori chicken breast, an all-natural, free-range bird, over special white charcoal until the skin is brown and lightly crisped, the meat incredibly moist and flavorful ($16). Salty hokke, from the mackerel family, is a simple Japanese classic bearing the smoke, char and crunch of the grill ($16).
For dessert, creamy tiramisu flavored with green tea or green-tea cheesecake and a side of gorgeously floral green-tea ice cream are both terrific.
I'm always astonished that this little gem isn't packed day and night. If it were in Scottsdale, it would be.
Service: Informed servers explain menu and obscure ingredients well, but the kitchen can be slow.
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