DINING OUT -- Mary Furr

Brookhurst Avenue hums away with beach-goers headed south to surf and

sand. But just before Hamilton Avenue, behind Del Taco, peace and

serenity fill Misaki, the 10-table Japanese restaurant in the L-shaped

Ralphs shopping center.

Owners Choji Otoe and his wife Sumita manage well, he in the kitchen

cooking the airiest tempura, she in the front bringing tumblers of green

tea to the table and taking meal orders.

There’s no better introduction to Japanese cuisine then sukiyaki (lunch

$6.75, dinner $10.50), a simmered beef dish with assorted vegetables

served in a small, hot, black kettle. It’s filled with large pieces of

napa, Chinese cabbage, the crinkly big veined leaves tender and mild

tasting.

Thick slices of mushrooms, onions, beef and squares of creamy tofu are

found on top of translucent golden noodles. A hot kettle of sukiyaki may

be a little sweet, but is a real treasure chest of healthy vegetables in

a light soy, white wine and sugar sauce. It was one of the earliest

Japanese dishes to become popular in the United States in the 1930s and

‘40s.

At lunch or dinner, a must have addition to any entree is gyoza (lunch

$4.95, dinner $5.25), eight of the best thin-skinned wontons I’ve had

lately. These Japanese “ravioli” are filled to bursting with seasoned

pork and beef, served with a spicy thin dipping sauce.

Another big bargain, salmon teriyaki and tempura shrimp, lunch $6.50, is

served in a one-inch deep, divided bento tray used in Japan as an

economical way to present several small servings with an entree. At

Misaki, the pan broiled medium thick salmon covered with a thick ark

teriyaki sauce of soy, sugar and ginger is in one compartment. The

batter-dipped, deep fried pieces of shrimp, green bean, zucchini and

carrot form a teepee in another section of the bento while other

partitions hold a fresh green salad, thin sliced pickled cucumbers and a

shining cube of red Jell-O. This dish has a variety of textures, sweet

and sour tastes and lovely colors of pale gold, fresh green and cherry

red. The simplicity of flavors and purity of presentation are what the

Japanese strive for.

Misaki offers other generous servings. The chicken cutlet (lunch $6.50)

covers half the plate with slices of breaded chicken, crunchy on the

outside, tender on the inside. The other half of the plate has a fresh

green salad with a bowl of steamed sticky rice on the side.

Mary Furr is the Independent restaurant critic. If you have comments or

suggestions, call her at (562) 493-5062.

Misaki Japanese Restaurant

Where: 9921 Hamilton Ave., Huntington Beach.

Hours: lunch 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., dinner 5-8:30 p.m., Monday-Friday.

Saturday dinner 5-8:30 p.m. Closed Sunday.

Phone: 962-0605.