As I sit in Sapporo, sipping my slushy, hard-to-resist Passion Mango Martini, which will give you a grown-up-style ice-cream headache if you drink it too fast, all I can think about is how much tastes have changed during the last 30 years. Back in the '70s, I fit the demographic that I now observe in here, mostly twentysomethings hungry for each other, food they consider interesting and libations galore.
In those days, we congregated in places we called fern bars. The cuisine ran to nachos, glorified burgers and potato skins, all carbs and cholesterol, stuff most of these Gen X and Y'ers wouldn't touch. Now they want spicy tuna roll and a tumbler of warm sake, or edamame-salted green soybeans and ice-cold beer. Well, me, too, and make mine Sapporo, the latest, and greatest, place to feature Pacific Rim and sushi, not to mention teppanyaki, under one roof.
Not that this even remotely resembles a fern bar. It's ultramodern in here, done up in lots of glacial colors like silver and blue. The restaurant is a branch of a successful one of the same name in Scottsdale. But this one is ever so much grander.
For one thing, it's enormous, nearly 12,000 square feet, 800 of which are employed as a sexy outdoor patio. Mirrored walls serve as dividers between the dining areas. The entrance is ringed by fire. The whole thing was designed for fun.
Sushi is a strong suit at Sapporo: fresh toppings, fluffy rice kissed with a touch of rice vinegar, to which a dollop of imagination is added. From a checklist, you can order nigiri, clumps of rice topped with delicacies such as wild King salmon or blue fin tuna, but I prefer to consult the larger menu for one of the cooked rolls, one of those goofy un-sushi creations you'll still have a hard time finding in Japan.
One of my favorites is the Phoenix roll, constructed from sauced eel, shrimp, crab mix, kaiware (radish sprouts), cucumber, avocado and tobiko (reddish-pink flying-fish eggs that pop in your mouth like bubble wrap). Whew!
Whitefish tempura roll is another good one, a simpler roll made with battered fish, avocado and cucumber. And for those who want to dodge California (no avocado), how about a Tootsie roll—crab mayo, cucumber, tempura crumbs and eel sauce?
But sushi only scratches the surface of Sapporo's menu. One of the best appetizers is Mongolian barbecued ribs, meltingly tender baby backs glazed with a sweet spicy Hoisin. I'd like to eat these stuffed shrimp a few times a week. They're stuffed with lobster mousse and come drizzled with a citrus-y butter sauce.
From the tempura section of the menu, the combo, which gives you vegetables such as zucchini, sweet onion, asparagus and sweet potato, plus two jumbo shrimp, is the best bet if you have come hungry. The batter is light and crisp, although someone in the kitchen is still learning how to grate a radish for the accompanying dipping sauce.
But salads tend to be overly sweet because of a surfeit of sugar in the dressing. A half house salad is a good deal at $3, but ask for the Sapporo ginger dressing on the side—or better yet, ask for vinaigrette. And Asian chicken salad, though huge and tasty, is similarly affected by a peanut dressing that would taste better on vanilla ice cream.
Ditto the pad Thai. My noodles were so sweet I simply couldn't eat them. I did like the entrées I tried, which exhibited flair and creativity. Grilled lamb chops are lightly brushed with Thai basil coconut curry, which enhances their gaminess. Ahi is properly blackened and served in a savory soy mustard sauce. A pristine piece of snowy halibut is roasted in a banana leaf with aromatic vegetables, ginger and scallions.
I didn't try the teppan, but I observed the ritual. You sit at a square grill equipped with seats and watch chefs chopping and twirling the meat and fish of your choice, while you eat things like fried rice, sautéed shrimp and a pile of vegetables dominated by the sprout. Me, I'd rather have my Octopussy, a martini garnished with octopus sashimi, no kidding, and order dessert at one of these spacious booths.
The dessert of choice seems to be a bananas Foster spring roll, but I like the gooey chocolate cake sluiced with ginger ice cream. There may also be green tea ice cream, but that dessert is just too '70s for words.