By ANNE CHOVEY
Special to The Herald-Mail
SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. — My friend, Pap Ricka, and I found ourselves in Shepherdstown, W.Va., recently as Pap wanted to check out the really cool, natural running shoe store there.
As it was lunchtime, we decided to get a bite to eat and went into Kazu, a Thai-Japanese fusion restaurant on German Street.
I have to admit, my knowledge of Thai food is minimal, but I was eager to try it out. Kazu’s in an older building and it looks as if part of the wall between rooms has been knocked out to make two separate eating areas. The first dining room is relatively spacious with booths along the dividing wall and an area in the middle where tables can be pushed together to seat large groups.
We were met promptly at the door and ushered into the second dining room to the left. That room had the sushi bar with tall stools in front of it and booths along the walls.
The menu listed a variety of options both Thai and Japanese. For example, under appetizers, you could get tempura (shrimp and vegetables) and a spring roll if you felt like ordering Japanese or crab puff and a squid ball if you wanted Thai. The dual theme continued with the “Chef Recommended” section of the menu.
Most of these dishes were a bit more expensive, ranging from $18 to $25. Then it divided into traditional Japanese dishes such as teriyaki and tempura, which came with misosoup and rice ($13 to $18), and traditional Thai like shrimp or chicken with basil or garlic or ginger ($13 to $17). There was also a great selection of curry and noodles.
“You order for me,” Pap instructed. “I don’t know about any of this stuff.”
I know Pap likes things spicy so I asked the waitress which was hotter — the red curry or the green curry. Surprisingly, she said green curry was spicier.
Pap also loves vegetables so I ordered him vegetable and tofu green curry. He raised an eyebrow over the tofu, but like me, he is a pretty open-minded eater, so he didn’t complain. I also wanted to try out something traditionally Thai, so I opted for chicken pad thai.
Kazu had some interesting décor. There were touches of Japanese art and by each table was a large mirror framed in rattan which expanded the space. Music played in the background at a volume that muted the voices of others in the restaurant, but didn’t drown out our conversation. Very nice.
As we waited, I noticed that others around us were drinking tea. It was brought to the table in small pots and the cups looked like handmade pottery without any handles. I also spotted a sushi menu on the table along with a small pencil.
“We should have ordered some sushi,” I told Pap.
We agreed and looked at the little menu. I love all the different possible combinations of sushi — so many sound good to me — but we settled on crab with asparagus and Old Bay — definitely a fusion of great ideas.
The food came out all together. The sushi roll was large, packed with crab and asparagus. We negotiated the big pieces in our mouths using the chopsticks provided. These were quite nice — not the usual wooden ones — but a smoother texture. It was probably plastic, but I liked that it was reminiscent of ivory. The sushi was interesting: mild and delicate with just a hint of Old Bay, which enhanced the flavor rather than overpowering it.
Pap had a large bowl of fragrant curry. The smell was exotic and the color a strange pale green. He also was given a bowl of white rice.
“How am I supposed to eat this?” he asked me.
I could see that eating vegetables in broth with chop sticks might prove challenging.
“Put the rice in the bowl, too. It will soak up the sauce and you can eat it with the vegetables.”
He tried it. “Yum.”
I couldn’t resist. The bowl was full of broccoli, mushrooms, zucchini and red pepper. There were also what appeared to be bamboo shoots and either Chinese cabbage or bok choy. The tofu was firm and flavored by the sauce. I can’t describe the flavor but it was complex and spicy. It was indeed “Yum.”
I tackled my chicken pad Thai. The chicken was cut in small slices and chunks. It was tender and moist and not at all dried out. The noodles were rice noodles — thin and almost see-through.
Large pieces of scallions and some bean sprouts were also tucked in.
The whole dish was topped off by crushed peanuts. It was quite challenging to hoist those slippery noodles to my mouth with chop sticks, but I was determined.
The flavors of pad thai are supposed to include fish sauce and tamarind paste. I don’t know if these were in the dish I ate, but I enjoyed every bite and left no noodle behind.
Pap and I left stuffed and satisfied. It was definitely worth the trip.
Anne Chovey is a pseudonym for a Herald-Mail freelance writer who reviews restaurants anonymously to avoid special treatment.
Restaurant review
Kazu Cuisine
3 1/2 (out of 5)
Food: 4
Service: 3
Ambiance: 4
Value: 3
Address: 120 W. German St., Shepherdstown, W.Va.
Phone: 304-876-8798
Hours: Closed Mondays; Tuesday through Thursday — 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., reopen 4:30 to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday — 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., reopen 4:30 to 10 p.m. Sunday — 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., reopen 4:30 to 9 p.m.
Food: Thai-Japanese fusion. A number of vegetarian options.
Bathrooms: Clean and accessible.
Parking and handicapped accessibility: Parking is always a nightmare in Shepherdstown. There is metered parking on the street in front of the restaurant, but you may need to circle the block a time or two to find something relatively close. No accessibility issues were noted.
Reservations: Not necessary.
Website: Kazu does not have a website. Kazu has a Facebook page, but not much information is on it.
