Your Mt. Fuji burger has bacon, two kinds of mayonnaise, three kinds of cheese, and every kind of fried, breaded meat on the menu. Do you provide patrons who order this burger with maternity pants and a free ride to the hospital if needed?

I've seen one guy eat the whole thing. That was crazy. [Laughs] I hope people don't see it as a challenge.

Your other restaurant, Mashiko, is Seattle's first sustainable sushi restaurant. Do you use environmentally responsible ingredients at Katsu Burger, perhaps organic or locally grown?

Yes, but locally grown is a tricky issue—you can end up with bad products. For instance, farmed salmon is local, but it's one of the worst things you can get. If a company is bad for animals, we won't use it. If we find a good product that happens to be from Nebraska, we'll use that.

Have you discovered anything in the world that is not better fried?

Of course—sushi!

Was the choice of cabbage as a burger topping inspired by fond memories of your days as a 16th-century European peasant?

So many people in this country don't like cabbage. Lettuce, especially iceberg lettuce, is like this water-injected fiber with no flavor.

John Waters calls iceberg "the polyester of vegetables."

[Laughs] Except you can't even make clothing out of it! recommended