Katz's Bistro & Bar

Food was ok but is highly overpriced. I had a salad with shrimp & it was ok but nothing I would return for.

Oh Katz's, if dining there didn't leave me bedridden with food poisoning for two days, this sooo could have been a 3-star review.

Katz's is what I like to call "the sushi joint formerly known as Sushi Itto" (not unlike the artist formerly known as Prince). The menu and the name have changed, but this is still a sushi joint.

Stopped by one evening with a group for dinner--sushi was on our minds. After we haggled the waiter over the price of their sake (yes, we won) we ordered a few plates. Here's what I remember snagging some bites of:

Lettuce wraps: Yummy stuff. Wish the portion was a little larger--then again, we were splitting one appetizer among a half-dozen of us. Would definitely order again.

C Roll: Hands-down, the best roll we got. Yes, it's the most expensive roll on the menu, but it's totally worth it.

Rainbow Roll: when you get this one, you'll see why it's called the Rainbow Roll. The outside of the roll follows the colors of the rainbow (or at least some of them). This roll didn't taste half-bad, but I have a sneaking suspicion this is the one that did me in (i.e., made me sick)

California Roll: Okay, okay. YES, I ordered the most "Americanized" sushi roll. So sue me--I thought this *was* America!? Pretty much what you'd expect from a California Roll. Good dipped in soy sauce.

We got one of the "spicy" rolls but I don't remember which. Sorry! FWIW, that one was my second-favorite, after the C roll.

Margherita Pizza: OK, so it *did* feel a little odd eating pizza in a sushi joint, but I had a craving. Although it was good, it did taste a little "cheap". Maybe it was the sauce, maybe it was the cheese... who knows? But it didn't quite live up to expectations.

Sake: It was my first time having Sake, so I really can't compare it to Sake served elsewhere.

So that's the food/drink. Pre-tip price was ~$15-20/person. The vibe was pretty good. They have a full-on bar (see pictures) with a couple of TVs. The bar seemed pretty well-stocked. Service was really good when we came there at a slow time. Food came up reasonably quickly.

If you get a chance, check out the sinks in the bathrooms. A bit unorthodox, no?

So I was feeling great all night afterward, but the next morning I woke up feeling atrocious and unable to get out of bed. I slept the ENTIRE day--and, no, I don't mean I slept until noon and then got an early night, I mean I slept ALL day except for when I lay awake in pain hoping to fall asleep so that I could wake up and it could all have gone away. The next day was a bit better--I was able to get up and around the house for a while, but I still spent most of the day in bed. By the third day, I was back to normal.

I know you take a risk of this when you order sushi, but it should not be a problem if the restaurant takes the proper handling precautions. Katz's, PLEASE work on this. You have potential to be a great sushi joint, but if dinner or evening snack translates to two days of pure pain and sickness, I'm going to have a permanent aversion to you.

Katz's replaced Sushito - same owners, same building, different menu. The menu is very limited and eclectic (personal pizza, fajita, fish tacos, burgers). One interesting appetizer - fried avocados - not bad. The rest of the food was disastrous.

The personal pizza looks (and tastes) as though it was a frozen pizza (it's not, I asked). They asked if I had any suggestions and I suggested fresh ingredients, like fresh basil and mozzarella, which always helps. The burgers were overdone and lacked any interesting flavor. Beer selection is limited.

Bottom line: Not worth your time. But, if you want to go, go quickly, it may close soon.