Zuma Contemporary Japanese Cuisine

• Cuisine(s): Japanese, Sushi
  Hours: Mon-Sat 12pm-3pm, Mon-Thu 6pm-12am, Fri-Sat 6pm-1am
  Price: $$$$ $$$$
  Payment Types: All Major Credit Cards
• Attire: Casual dressy
  Features: Kid Friendly, Patio/Sidewalk Dining, Private Party, Vegetarian Friendly, Wheelchair Accessible
  Serving: Dinner, Lunch
  Alcohol: Full bar
• Reservations: Accepted, Required
  Parking: Valet

Description

A spacious and stylish sake lounge, which pours more than 40 types of the libation, leads to a lofty, Zen-like dining room composed of glass, stainless steel, granite, stone, and raw Indonesian wood tables. An open kitchen, which blends into the space, prepares small plates of Asian-inspired fare, sushi items, and foods cooked on a robata grill. Presentations are stunning; the cuisine is delicate and flavor-packed. The sushi/sashimi is pristine, and rolls such as freshwater eel with avocado, shiso leaf, and pickled burdock root are terrific. Tempura selections are flawlessly crisp and clean. Robata thrillers include chicken yakitori threaded with baby leeks; rib eye steak with chili ponzu sauce; and salt-grilled sea bass with spicy burnt tomato. Desserts are exceptional - none better than a moist, dense banana cake striped at the bottom by a layer of green-tea cake. Ripe banana disks crown the slice, as does a sweet, syrupy topping with bits of toffee in it. A scoop of cool coconut gelato alongside makes this dish a memorable finish. Dining at Zuma can be a pricey proposition, but it doesn't reach Nobu-esque proportions. Sushi (two pieces) is generally $7 to $10; most small plates and salads $12 to $20; mains $21 to $36; and desserts $10 to $12. On one occasion, when two of us selected six plates plus one dessert between us, it ended up costing about what a two-course meal for a couple would at a traditional high-end establishment - but it's much more fun.