Tai Chi
Owner and sushi chef, Chiso, 3520 Fremont Ave N (Fremont), 632-3430.
In a relatively short time frame, Tai Chi has earned an honest reputation as one of the city's most gifted sushi artisans, deftly carving simple, succulent slivers of the best market-fresh fish he can find. Working within the warm yet clean-lined comfort of his Fremont restaurant since 2000, Chi charms his customers with a gregarious, inquisitive hospitality--an approach that makes raw novices and seasoned urchin-eaters feel equally at home. I highly recommend his special Spider Roll (soft-shell crab, cucumber, avocado, and tobiko).
How does your love of cooking reflect in your interactions with customers?
"It's all about communication. It's very important to me that people get what they want out of the experience, but everyone has different expectations with sushi."
You can't assume anything when someone sits down at the [sushi] bar...
"No, absolutely not. And I want to build upon people's interests. If they've never tried a particular type of fish, I find out what they've had before, what they enjoyed about it, and then suggest the next thing to try."
So what do you give to a newbie?
"Albacore. Nice, fatty tuna is always a good choice. They have that and they're always surprised that it 'doesn't taste like fish'! Then maybe they'll try yellowtail, or striped bass."
How do you choose your specials? Are they seasonally based?
"Some of it does depend upon the season, but a lot more has to do with what unusual [varieties] I can afford. Truly good fish can be a lot more expensive in U.S. ports than in Japan, so I have to figure out what I can buy and still charge a reasonable price. I'm not going to charge $10 for one piece of sashimi."
Do you still eat a lot of sushi?
"Well, I do, but my favorite things to eat are cheeseburgers and steaks... [laughing]."
Really? Good man! So you won't be offended if I order some beef instead of more sushi?
"No, no. You should try the yakiniku--honey-kalbi marinated beef tri-tip, grilled and served with green leaf lettuce and some miso sauce on the side."
Sounds fabulous--bring it on!
