Kai Zan

I went for the tasting menu and I didn't regret it at all. Loved this place. The experience itself wasn't perfect but the food came pretty damn close. Here's my full review:

<a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Ftastetestchicago.wordpress.com%2F2013%2F02%2F25%2Fkai-zan-review%2F&s=74ba11e7d44cdc009fc1ee5e1d0ebe2e5a1cf1ca8c0a5a0e2a53862f4003cae6" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://tastetestchicago.…</a>

Amazing, amazing, amazing.  I can not rave enough about our experience at Kai Zan last night.  A friend had recommended the place to us as her favorite sushi place in the city.  Contrary to a lot of the complaints I've read in other reviews, I had no trouble making a reservation through the online <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fseatme.com&s=47bc43e964c4bd0f55fca9b43fa18c78e060d62825997fcc2ab81204af67691f" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://seatme.com</a> site that Kai Zan directs you to from their Facebook page.  We went on a Monday with a party of 3, and booked an 8pm res.

Also, contrary to other reviewers comments, we had no problems with the service and had no feeling of being rushed.  My fiance and I arrived 5 minutes early and they prepared the table, seated us, and opened our wine for us to enjoy while we waited for our friend.  They may act differently on a busy weekend night, but with a space this small, it is understandable that they want to keep their tables used efficiently.

Once our whole party was seated, our server Chris explained the menu and asked how we'd like to proceed.  Based on the overwhelming recommendations on yelp, we each decided to do the $50 omakase (Chef's Choice) tasting.  

In a word...perfection.  Did we enjoy every single item completely?  No, of course not.  With the kind of variety Kai Zan offers, there's bound to be some items that don't agree with your personal tastes.  But every single item was prepared to perfection, presented beautifully, and only the utmost top quality ingredients were used.  We were completely and pleasantly full after the meal, no room left for anything additional.  It's the perfect amount of variety and quantity, and a tasting like this would easily be $85 at any of the other top sushi places in the city.  Trust me, if you appreciate sushi, this is the best $50 you will ever spend.  And the restaurant is BYOB so our bill was literally $50 each, plus a $5 corkage fee.  Not bad for one of the best meals I've ever had.

You won't need any soy sauce or siracha sauce with this meal.  Just sit back, order the tasting, and let the chefs dazzle you with their brilliance and creativity.

Favorites:
- Uni shooters and oyster shooters: Both were delicious, but I was surprised to find that I liked the uni significantly better than the oyster (and I usually love all things oyster).
- Escolar and maguro pearls: These were both equally delicious and just as everyone else has mentioned, easily a favorite of the night.
- Angry Crab: A bite of heaven and the wasabi perfectly hits you at the end.  It's like it was created in layers so you can taste each individual layer as you're chewing and each has a distinct flavor.
- Steelhead Trout Sashimi:  Imagine the best salmon sashimi you've ever had...and then imagine having something similar but twice as delicious.
- Taco: The octopus salad was served at the perfect time, the vinegar was light and refreshing to cleanse our mouths and the touch of wasabi was nice.
- Unagi Poppers: The jalapeno poppers were also very tasty, but I was a little confused.  They were said to have had unagi inside the jalapeno, but there was none, so I think somebody messed up there.  Either way, the panko covered jalapeno with cream cheese and eel sauce was not their most original creation of the night, but still tasty and enjoyable.
- Shrimp with Shitaki Mushrooms: The shrimp was good but the moist and barely cooked shitaki mushroom cap with delicious ginger dressing and other sauces was fantastic.
- Mussel: My memory escapes me, but we had a mussel on a shell dressed in deliciousness.  I had hoped we'd get to try the Orange Crush, but the mussel was a wonderful substitute.
- Sushi Roll: The sushi roll came out towards the end, as we were all discussing how there was no way we could eat any more food, so my fiance ended up eating most of this for the team.  I'm not sure what the roll was called but it was a simple roll of tuna and cucumber, salmon and a bit of spicy sauce.  It was delicious, but I could only eat one bite.

Not Our Favorites:
- Agedashi Tofu: The broth that the tofu was served in was downright drinkable, but the tofu itself was bland and unseasoned and a little bit boring.
- Enoki Bacon: I didn't try this one, but the other two said it was just ok.
- Grilled Yellowtail: A little bit bland and boring as well.
- Charred Smelt: I believe this dish was prepared to perfection and Chris seemed disappointed that we didn't enjoy it, as it's one of his favorites.  But the smelt was just a little bit too fishy for our tastes.  If you're okay with strong fish (and okay with eating whole fish, head to tail), you'll love this.

Service was prompt and friendly.  They were great about clearing dishes quickly, always explained what each dish was and recommended the best way to eat it, and did not make us feel rushed at any time.  The place is very cozy and casual and welcoming.  I can't wait to go back again.

Definitely would go back again.
Service: Great
Unagi popper: Mediocre; good as a jalapeno popper but couldn't taste any unagi
Green Monster: very fresh and delicious; loved the texture, but it was supposed to have unagi in it and didn't taste any
Escolar pearls: Probably the best thing we had; truly amazing
Kaki fry: LOVE; and love the small salad it comes with
Although not on the menu, we asked for a sashimi platter, and the waiter said the chef could prepare something for us - fantastic; only thing i didn't like was the saba, but ive also spent a lot of time in japan so perhaps i'm spoiled; all the fish was fresh and they gave 2 tempura shrimp heads as well
Tip: everything was great except things that we ordered unagi in; they either serve quantities of unagi that are undetectable or their's isnt very good; would recommend everything but those pieces; having said that, those items were still delicious, just couldn't really taste the unagi! 1 of 2 really great sushi places in chicago