Queens Tribune

Katsuno
103-01 Metropolitan Avenue, Forest Hills
(718) 575-4033
Cuisine: Japanese
Hours: Dinner from 5:30 p.m. on; closed Mondays
Parking: Street
Credit Cards: All Major

Some of our borough’s culinary treasures lie buried amongst the slew of delis, banks and 99-cent shops that pepper most neighborhoods. Add Katsuno to the category.

The Japanese restaurant requires a hawk-eye to find, with no awning and an unremarkable facade. Inside, the stoic and cozy ambiance offers the perfect setting for intense conversations and full concentration on food.

The meal started off with the day’s Omakase, featuring a palate-freshening bowl of steamed watercress, two conchi clams (read: large sea snails) in a sake-based concoction which proved to be equally parts delightful and bizarre, and steamed white meat chicken that melted the moment it touched my tongue.

Naturally, it’d be ill-advised to visit a Japanese spot and not have some sushi rolls and sashimi, so I gladly indulged. The main course started with a shrimp tempura roll that provided the perfect amount of crispiness housing tender shrimp. Then came a spicy tuna roll as thick as any I’ve eaten. This was rounded off by a healthy dose of red snapper sashimi, arguably the most succulent I’ve ever had.

The bed of rice and soft fish proved why the dish is among Katsuno’s most popular. And it’s as authentic a Japanese meal you can get in Queens – the restaurant imports all of its fish fresh from Japan.

I followed the sushi with grilled miso marinated beef. The meat came precut into chopstick-friendly slices, cooked to medium-rare perfection, tender as silk and sopping with the miso marinade. The beef, which can easily be overdone with an excess of side dishes, stood alone, flanked by two pieces of a baked potato and topped with onions and greens.

I rounded off the meal with mochi ice cream - essentially a scoop of ice cream covered in a shell of pulverized sticky rice. It was the first time I ever had to eat this summer staple with a fork, and the texture and taste was reminiscent of a bon bon, but tastier.

Keep your wallet a little thicker than usual if you plan on eating the menu’s pricier items. Nixing a bigger hunger will run close to $50 per person. But for this little slice of Japan, your stomach and taste buds will appreciate the investment.