The Scene: The Izakaya Experience at Kushi

I now officially have a new favorite spot for Japanese cuisine, Kushi Izakaya and Sushi Bar.  Located on K St and 5th N.W. (by the new Safeway) Kushi has filled a void in my life that I never knew existed.  An izakaya is a Japanese style pub that normally focuses their cuisine on grilled items and at Kushi their specialty is their "kushi" or skewers.  Everything from Korean Kalbi to whole branzino to the most amazing miso marinated black cod I've ever had in my life.  Now for people like me who just want it all they offer an Omakase (pretty much a chef's tasting menu) offered Wednesday through Saturday.  It will consist of 9 courses that will be chosen by the chef for being at the peak of the season and delivered to you with your choice of sake pairings for an additional charge.  Nothing will give you the full Kushi experience quite like the Omakase but make sure to reserve a spot 24 hours in advance.

The actual location itself is huge, splitting itself naturally into a quiet and low key sushi bar on one half and a high ceiling, music-playing izakaya on the other. With the only sake chiller machine I've ever seen in my life and their vast knowledge of asian liquer, the bar scene is perfect for the person with an experimental palette and knowledge of how to have a good time. I will warn you that after you've gone once and experienced the sochu, raw bar, grill etc., you will never treat any other Asian restaurant the same! (I've already started a slow boycott of all others non-Kushi.)

Don't take my word for it. Check out the Scene below and also our bonus fotage that we didn't have enough time to fit on TV: