Atlanta's Finest Dining



			Every month, we will feature stories that delve into various culinary delights served up by Atlanta's finest restaurants. Click here to see our special promotions, events and features. Also register to win a dinner for two at one of Atlanta's finest restaurants or win a free cooking class by one of Atlanta's top chefs!

Soto Japanese Restaurant: Haute Cuisine
by Billy Newman

Twenty years ago in America, “Asian dining” meant eating from a white cardboard box in front of your favorite re-run. If you were seeking cultural enrichment you used chop sticks instead of a fork. But, in recent years the introduction of sushi and its subsequent popularity has opened our minds and our mouths to the salivating temptations of the orient.

Surprisingly, Atlanta is home to one of the best Japanese chefs in America. At Soto Japanese Restaurant, chef Sotohiro Kosugi pushes the limits of traditional Japanese cuisine with artistic and tantalizing creations. In 1997, Food and Wine Magazine ranked chef Sotohiro Kosugi among its top twelve chefs, not just sushi chefs, but all chefs. That honor, the first received by any Japanese chef, vaulted Soto Japanese Restaurant into the limelight. But, while Kosugi may be new to such fame, he is no novice to Japanese food. Kosugi comes from four generations of sushi chefs and carries with him ten years experience in Japan.

Sushi lovers, if you thought your passion for raw fish was esoteric, you are in for a surprise. Tired of tuna rolls and salmon sashimi? Try the Ika truffle. In this dish, thinly sliced squid and flying fish roe are served with a black truffle puree. Or, you can venture off and taste the delicate flavor of Uni ika sugomori zukuri, fresh sea urchin wrapped with a thin slice of sashimi squid. And then there’s always the Tuna Tar Tar. Served on a glass candy dish, this pile of chopped tuna, is seasoned with a soy sauce mingled with the flavors of ginger, peppers, and sesame. Bites of Japanese pear, a fresh (yes, fresh) quail egg, and avocado accompany this most delicious plate of mush that you will ever eat.

If you still can’t stomach the idea of eating anything raw, Soto has a full kitchen where the food is cooked, Japanese style. Almost one third of the menu lists hot dishes like Lobster Tempura, a lobster tail deep fried and served with asparagus and avocado. The squeamish can slurp one of the noodle soups, huge bowls of broth swimming with thick wheat flour “Udon” or buckwheat “Soba” noodles, and garnish it with one of thirteen different toppings, from Japanese yam to fried shrimp. The truly timid can order a small house salad with ginger sesame dressing, a bowl of rice, and a fried chicken breast marinated in light soy and ginger sake with red pepper.

Vegetarians, have no fear. The Kaiso Salad, a dish of marinated sesame flavored seaweed is delightfully different than traditional vegetable dishes. Follow that with an order of Agedashi Tofu, deep fried tofu, served in light soy flavored “Dashi” broth. Accompany it with a side order of pickled vegetables, Tsukemono.

Unless you are familiar with the menu and Japanese cuisine, ordering at Soto can be a daunting task. Appetizers can be a meal in itself, while entrees can barely whet your appetite. My suggestion is let your server know how venturesome your palette is and then follow his/her suggestions. But by all means don’t skip the appetizers. Some real treats lay hidden in this list like Uzaka, broiled fresh water eel, and the seared Tuna with Nuta sauce.

But wallet-wide-open, my bottom line recommendation is to have a seat at the sushi bar and ask chef Kosugi to prepare his favorites. I did so one evening, and he started me off with a simple sushi plate of marinated mackerel and boiled sea eel. Then I tried three different lobster dishes, steamed lobster with uni(sea urchin)-musse, broiled lobster with yellow pepper musse, and live lobster marinated in truffle vinegar and kimizu sauce. They were all fabulous. I even boldly asked for a spoon to scoop up the remaining musse. Although the live lobster dish was not moving, it had skipped the boiling cauldron that its compatriots often enter. It had a slightly rubbery texture, but what a taste! After eating that, I wondered why we ever bother to cook the crustacean. Finally he served a beautiful arrangement of steamed monkfish liver sandwiched between slivers of black truffles. This entree is a must, but very rich; be prepared to share it, and be prepared to crave it a few days later.

Soto Japanese Restaurant is unobtrusively located behind a nondescript storefront in the “disco” Kroger shopping center near the intersection of Piedmont and Peachtree, and the atmosphere is about as plain as the shopping center. Formica table tops and plastic laminate chairs crowd the restaurant interior. The service is attentive at quiet times, and halting at the busier hours. But then, no one goes to Soto expecting to be pampered, everyone comes to Soto to eat Kosugi’s sensations that appeal to the eye as much as the palate, that press the edge of Japanese cuisine, and that leave us wanting to come back for more.

Soto Japanese Restaurant is located at 3330 Piedmont Rd, (404)233-2005. Open 6:00pm to 12:00am, Monday - Saturday.

from top: Steamed monkfish sandwiched between slivers of black truffles; Assorted sushi of marinated makerel & boiled sea eel; Assorted lobster specials; Chef Sotohiro Kosugi.