Get Outta Town South Bay
Sumika Yakitori
By Susan Dyer Reynolds

Yakitori restaurants are popular in Japan – barbecue/bar combos perfect for visiting with a group of friends while munching family style on bite-sized morsels. Because the food tends to be highly seasoned (spicy, salty, smoky), it begs for lots of beer and sake, adding to the social timbre.

There are only a few yakitori places in the Bay Area. A former Silicon Valley techie hailing from Japan opened Sumika Grill, located in the heart of downtown Los Altos. She recruited the head chef from a popular Tokyo-area yakitori spot, and he brought the kushi-yaki (skewered grilling) recipes with him.

Sumika’s signature dish – or, I should say, signature bite – is nuggets of organic Petaluma Poultry on bamboo skewers grilled over Binchotan, a charcoal imported from Japan and revered by grillmeisters for imparting the best flavor. Made from ubamegashi oak, it is chemical-free, burns hot, and is virtually smokeless. You can order a variety of chicken parts (heart, liver, skin, breast, wing), but my favorite is the momo, or thigh, which is unbelievably juicy and tender. You can also try American Kobe beef on a stick, as well as scallops and a variety of vegetables Skewers range from $3 to $4, so it’s easy (and inexpensive) to mix and match. Other highlights include homemade tofu, incredibly moist fried chicken, and a refreshing salad of cabbage, mizuna (a mild, feathery Japanese green) and cherry tomatoes with a light peanut-based dressing.

Sumika Yakitori: 236 Central Plaza (near 3rd), Los Altos, 650-917-1822, www.sumikagrill.com

– S. Reynolds