For Master Sake Sommelier Yuji Matsumoto — the first in the U.S. — sake is more than just sushi’s sidekick. Appreciating Japan’s native drink is all about “designing taste.”

ISSUE: Winter 2010-11

DEPT: Entertaining

STORY: Anna M. Park

Master Sake Sommelier Yuji Matsumoto pours the Oyama sake into a white wine glass. Holding the base and stem, he swirls, then sniffs. Fruity. Tart. Perhaps a hint of pear? It’s a familiar scene at any wine tasting, but for sake? Indeed, says Matsumoto, one of only 60 certified master sake sommeliers in the world. In sake, it’s all about taste, he adds, as opposed to varietals or regions.

In fact, Matsumoto gives seminars on “designing taste,” informing the industry on brewing standards, mill percentages and aging. He’s a man who takes his work seriously, so you have to give Kabuki restaurants real cred that it’s got the U.S.’s first (and until recently, only) master sake sommelier on board. Matsumoto oversees all of the 14 Kabuki restaurants’ extensive sake and cocktail menu, making sure to complement Corporate Executive Chef Masa Kurihara’s newly unveiled menu of both traditional and innovative Japanese cuisine. Started in 1991 when owner David Lee opened the first Kabuki in Pasadena, Calif., today the 14 Kabukis in the western U.S. include restaurants in Las Vegas and their newest location in Brea, Calif.

Details Kabukirestaurants.com

Master Sake Sommelier Yuji Matsumoto’s Plum Orange Tokyo Mojito

Ingredients:
7-8 mint leaves
2 oz Jinro Soju 2.5 Takara Plum Wine
1 oz bar syrup
Dash of Yuzu juice (a Japanese citrus)
2 orange wheels

Muddle and mix the first five ingredients. Top off with club soda and garnish with orange wheels.

We introduced Master Sake Sommelier Yuji Matsumoto — one of only 60 master sake sommeliers in the world and recent recipient of the Sake Samurai Award from the Japan Sake Brewers Association — to you in our Winter 2010-11 issue. Now you can try Matsumoto’s famous pairings for yourself.

Master Sake Sommelier Yuji Matsumoto.

Starting Wednesday, December 1, Kabuki Japanese Restaurant debuts its new sake pairing menu, available at all 11 Southern California locations. The self-guided exploration of Master Sake Sommelier Yuji Matsumoto’s list features 12 different sakes and encourages diners to delve into the traditional Japanese beverage. Matsumoto has designed the new pairing menu to include simple tasting notes on each sake and suggestions for matching the best bites.

Kabuki’s new pairing menu features sakes from across the board, including Kiku Masamune ($3.50 glass/$10.50 carafe), a best-selling sake in Tokyo, with clean, tart berry flavors that pair well with Grilled Calamari ($7.95); Mu ($27.95, 300ml bottle), a fruity, well-rounded award winner complements the Kabuki Roll ($10.95); and the unfiltered, California-brewed Sho Chiku Bai Nigori ($10.95, 300ml bottle), whose sweet and milky nuances are perfect for Kabuki’s Fire Cracker ($6.95).

Take advantage of the pairing menu all day or at select Kabuki Japanese Restaurant‘s special Reverse Happy Hour. No more rushing to get to happy hour by 5 pm. (Who gets off that early in this economic environment of do-more-with-less?) At Kabuki’s Reverse Happy Hour, you can stroll in after a late night at work and treat yourself to $1 rolls and sake cocktail specials.

From 9 p.m. until closing, Monday through Thursday, order from a special menu of Executive Chef Masa Kurihara’s traditional and innovative sushi, specialty rolls, and appetizers, and receive a second order for only $1. Rolls start at $2.95 and include the Spicy Tuna Roll; Gold Rush Roll; and Rose Roll with Lightly Battered Shrimp Tempura, A-Grade Avocado, and Spicy Tuna. Appetizers such as Gyoza Dumplings; Broiled Mussels on Half Shell; and Fire Cracker with Spicy Tuna, Chopped Tomato, and Eggroll Chips are all under $5, and edamame comes with the purchase of any sushi order.

Of course, don’t forget what makes happy hour so happy — cocktails! Matsumoto hand selects an assortment of sake, beer, wine and sake-based cocktails for the restaurant, including Reverse Happy Hour specials like the Ki-Bomb Sake Bomb ($3.75); Sapporo Draft Beer ($1.95/12 oz); Cedar Brook Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon ($3.25/glass); Sake Sangria ($4.25/glass); and the Saketini in Creamy Peach, Fuji Apple, or Pomegranate ($5.95). And since one cocktail is never enough, a second order is just $1 each.

Because seriously, after the economic year we’ve had, it’s time get happy.

DETAILS

WHAT: Kabuki Restaurant’s Reverse Happy Hour

WHEN: Monday-Thursday from 9 p.m. to close
Sunday from 8 p.m. to close

WHERE:

Kabuki Howard Hughes Center (West L.A.)
6081 Center Dr.
Los Angeles, CA 90045
310.641.5524

Kabuki Brea
Brea Marketplace
975 East Birch St., #K
Brea, CA 92821
714.255.0090

Kabuki Old Town Pasadena
88 W. Colorado Blvd., Suite 103
Pasadena, CA 91105
626.568.9310

Kabuki Valencia
Bridgeport Marketplace
24045 Newhall Ranch Rd, #A-2
Valencia, CA 91354
661.799.8655