MURRAY — It's difficult to put Yamasaki Fusion Cuisine in a category.
The name evokes Japanese food, and a few corners of the menu fit squarely into that category.
The atmosphere — multiple dining rooms in what was once unmistakably a home — gives off a French-country feel, lightened somewhat by Asian touches.
Perhaps more general terms will work. Light. Airy. Elegant. Spacious.
And the food? Different. Sometimes challenging. Rewarding.
Whatever Yamasaki is, it's working.
Trust me, you fellas reading this review: take your gal to Yamasaki and she'll thank you. Plus, she'll probably be impressed with your sophistication. There are white tablecloths and servers wearing long aprons; gleaming silver and a fresh rose at each table.
Although each dining area is smallish, a simplicity about the decor makes Yamasaki feel spacious. When my husband and I dined there on a recent weekend evening, we were seated in a sort of summer room: rosy tiles, white walls, lots of windows. It's a great place for real grown-up conversation.
We started with two appetizers, the spider roll and the mushroom ravioli, that typify the dichotomies in Yamasaki's menu.
The spider roll is spectacular, a whole soft-shell crab, deep-fried, rolled into sushi and sliced. It's beautifully presented on a rectangular plate. The legs curl decoratively out of each end piece, and everything is drizzled with a mild, savory sauce.
While that couldn't be much more Japanese, the mushroom ravioli is a delicious fusion of East and West, fat pockets of pasta stuffed with mushroom and cheese, thick-sliced sauteed mushrooms and a creamy red miso sauce that's one of the best sauces I've tried. It's light pink, with that earthy, comforting miso flavor mellowed and lightened with cream.
I felt like licking the bowl, but I refrained to save room for our entrees. My husband had the 12-ounce New York strip steak, grilled and sliced and served with teriyaki sauce.
One of the charming things about Yamasaki is that you can eat practically everything on the menu with chopsticks. You might even be able to manage the rack of lamb. The steak was served with a definite Asian flair, the slices lined up with precision and drizzled with enough teriyaki to complement the meat without overpowering it. Luckily, my husband had a bit of sauce left over to flavor his accompanying bowl of rice.
I had the duck breast, which arrived sliced, curved around a savory potato croquette and ladled with cranberry sauce. The duck itself was fantastic, perfectly cooked and complemented by the thin and very flavorful sauce and plenty of stewed cranberries. Our meals also came with two crispy baby carrots, served just warmed and balanced over a mound of fresh steamed spinach.
For dessert, we tried the mocha checkerboard cake, a construction of smooth, not-too-sweet chocolate mousse and squares of cake, and the tiramisu.
Considering the nice deep-chocolate tones of the cake, I expected a concentrated, barely sweet tiramisu. However, Yamasaki's tiramisu is more sweet than others I've had, a sweetness exacerbated by the caramel sauce on which it's sitting. Despite that, the tiramisu had good, distinct flavors complemented by the fresh blueberries and raspberries and the dark-chocolate sauce also on the plate.
I enjoyed most the green-tea ice cream I ordered with the tiramisu. It's refreshing and earthy and leaves a nice, lingering aftertaste in your mouth. Whatever else you get at Yamasaki, be sure to end with that.
Appetizers $6-$10.50; rolls $4.50-$8.50; soup or salad of the day $3.50; entrees $13-$21; desserts $4.50.
Rating: *** 1/2
Where: 6055 S. 900 East, Murray
Hours: Monday-Thursday 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. and 5:30-9:30 p.m.
Friday 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. and 5:30-10 p.m.
Saturday 5:30-10 p.m.
Closed Sunday
Payment: Major credit cards
Reservations: Accepted but not always necessary
Phone: 293-7115
Stacey Kratz is a free-lance writer who reviews restaurants for the Deseret Morning News. E-mail: skratz@desnews.com