Abe’s take on Japanese cuisine a culinary delight

Kathy Mader

Every now and then, there comes a restaurant that makes you wish

you were not only a better writer but better educated in the art and

science of food so that you could truly do that place justice. Abe

(say ah-bay) Restaurant in Newport Beach is just one of those.

This lovely Japanese restaurant was recommended to my by a

Japanese student of mine, Koji, whose family celebrates every holiday

there. That should tell you something. To regain some of my writing

skills (I have a sneaking suspicion that giving birth robbed me of

more than a few adjectives) I will concisely use some alliteration:

Abe is elegant, exotic, expensive (moderately) and, oh, so excellent.

Chef Takashi Abe opened Abe almost seven years ago after working

in various places, including Santa Barbara and Alaska. He came from

the countryside in Japan, “a place nobody’s ever heard of,” about 20

years ago. He calls himself a “country boy.” You would never ever

guess that by his food.

His cooking incorporates traditional Japanese cuisine with

ingenuity and independence. I love that! I read a review in another

newspaper where top local chefs Pascal Olhat of Cafe Pascal and Tim

Goodell of Troquet were on fire about Abe. I thought that was worth

mentioning. If you are indeed a foodie, that carries some clout.

As you enter the elegant yet simple restaurant with its warm

caramel-colored walls and its dusky-sky painted ceiling, the entire

staff greets you with “Irashaimase!” which means “Welcome to my

place” or “Welcome to my restaurant.”

And welcome you are. This is a very nice place to be, with windows

on every wall, small quiet tables and great background music. The

daily specials menu reads like a treasure map, and I should just

print one here. Abalone with light garlic saute ($24), black mussels

or bay scallops with escargot butter ($7.50), smoked roast duck or

smoked toro with foie gras ($20) are just a few of the items found. I

need to eat here about 20 more times. This year.

The sushi list has all the regulars for the fearful and incredibly

unique choices for the fearless. The California roll ($5.50) is as

good as any, with asparagus added for crunch. The crunchy roll with

tempura shrimp ($5.50) is very good, but maybe not the best I’ve ever

had. But did somebody say tempura? We had popcorn shrimp ($12.50)

with a ginger-truffle dipping sauce that was out of this world.

We also ordered the mother of all tempura platters ($25.99) with

extremely generous amounts of crispy fried shrimp, lobster, sweet

potatoes, red peppers, asparagus and halibut, garnished with wasabi

potatoes and udon noodles. Order this. If you need more convincing,

on top of the mashed potatoes sat a “yamamomo,” a Japanese mountain

berry, and I bet most of you have never seen one of these.

And chef Abe is gifted in the art of presentation. Everything was

beautiful to look at. And the bay scallop in escargot butter ($7.50)

served on a decorative clam shell is my new destination dish, i.e.

the item that gets me back to the restaurant the quickest.

For you fearless sushi explorers, there is orange or red clam, eel

and mussel, all with extra smelt eggs available. This does not begin

to list all the choices but should intrigue you none the less. The

real adventurers should try the “omakase” or tasting menu, featuring

the “special creations” of chef Abe. This changes daily and always

includes a sushi course, a sashimi course and “the best of Abe’s hot

dishes.” This menu ranges from $50 per person for the tasting menu to

$75 for the full menu to $100 for the luxury course. Whether it’s

filet with yuzu, oysters with ponzu, or Chilean Sea bass with fois

gras and sake, you can’t help but appreciate the creativity and the

talent that went into this cuisine.

Not all is unknown. Abe offers a delicious miso soup, a salad with

an incredible sesame dressing, teriyaki chicken and filet mignon.

Finally, if you are usually fearful and want to be fearless, start

with the elaborate sake menu and go from there.

If I had to complain about anything ... well, I can’t. We enjoyed

Abe thoroughly. Abe is a treat, and I suggest treating yourself as

soon as possible.

* KATHY MADER’s dining reviews appear every other Thursday