Kushi Izakaya & Sushi, DC

I'm pretty insistent on eating Japanese food only if it's actually made by Japanese. Being based in Baltimore, most if not all "Japanese" or "sushi" places are either run by Chinese or Koreans, so I don't really eat Japanese cuisine much. I've been looking forward to get to Kushi Izakaya & Sushi Restaurant in DC for some time, and thanks to a recent Groupon, I had my chance last weekend.

We started with several small plates. First we had kimpira, simmered burdock root. This was followed by nagaimo, mountain yam, which had the crispiness of an Asian pear, but is also a little slimy like okra. Both are supposed to be medicinal, but I don't know how. They just tasted good to me.
I also quite enjoyed the grilled corn with soy butter.

We ordered a few items from Kushi's Kushiyaki (grilled skewers) menu: nankotsu (soft chicken bone), kawa (chicken skin), and shishito peppers. I liked the bone/cartilage- it was not so soft, but I think I'll have healthy bones and teeth later. The skin was really crispy and juicy, and the peppers were very spicy.
We then followed this with yakionigiri, grilled rice balls. These had some sour plum inside

For our sushi course, we got the deluxe platter and opted for more nagaimo in our maki roll. All the fish was really fresh and delicious, and the rice was superb. I also added some uni and a wasabi scallop roll.
For dessert, I had some hoji tea with a trio of mochi: green tea, vanilla, & mango.



465 K Street NW
Washington DC
(202)682-3123