Seki's was a Loop standby long before Delmar Boulevard between Skinker and Kingsland reached its current state of full urban renewal, boasting that it's been named "one of the 10 great streets of America." And now that sushi spots are a dime a dozen, even in St. Louis, it remains high among our favorites when the urge strikes for Japanese cuisine. and we always find several good reasons to visit, even after some 20 years.
For one thing, it doesn't feel like the sort of place that's sought out because it's fashionable. Dating couples, people from nearby Washington U. (especially visiting parents picking up the dinner tab for children and their friends) and some old-timers who know their way around a Japanese menu provide a solid core of customers. Seki, who came to St. Louis in 1972 to work at the still-remembered Mikado in the Montclair Apartments on Kingshighway, still does all, or nearly all, the kushiyaki and sushi work. A drawback has been the fact that some of the serving staff have a (deserved) reputation for crankiness. However, we think the food at Seki's is worth taking the chance of finding a server who seems difficult but who might be having a language problem.
The kushiyaki menu is presented like a sushi menu,with diners marking their choices. They are grilled treats, often on skewers, sort of a Japanese version of hot tapas. We tried four, and were extremely pleased. Unagi (eel) brushed with teriyaki sauce, was its usual moist, rich, intense self. Scallops wrapped with bacon, also anointed with teriyaki, flourished with the bacony benediction, the sweet and salty and smoky all dancing together. Beef tongue was thinly sliced after being poached in a lightly seasoned broth, with notes of ginger and scallion, tender and tasting pleasantly beefy. And then there was, as the menu described it, “Shisamo (Melt)” Okay, we said, we want that. We think there was a typo and it should have said “(Smelt)”, because what we got were small, crisply grilled fish, each slightly larger than Ann's forefinger. Smelt and sardines and herring and anchovies are all sort of mixed up in fish-naming circles around the world, so any number of names might work here, but they were good, good, good, the sort of fish that tastes like fish, not veal or chicken, but is tender and delicious.
We ordered from the kushiyaki menu first, before plotting the rest of our attack, and the kushiyaki arrived together. However, after that, as seems to be habit in many Asian restaurants, delivery became erratic, items being delivered as they were cooked, rather than in a more standard sequence of appetizers followed by main courses. Japanese eggplant offered fingers of eggplant, grilled until it was creamy, in a tart, salty sauce that we guessed was soy and ponzu, a good combination. A round of tasty miso soup followed, it being included with most main courses. Then a grilled yellowtail neck, an appetizer, arriving along with a main course of ton kat su. The yellowtail, impossible to eat neatly but perfectly grilled, its white flesh mild but not tasteless, was a winner. Ton kat su, or pork cutlet, was a thick piece of pork loin that was breaded with panko, the ultra-crisp bread crumbs, deep-fried and sliced for its presentation with some shredded cabbage and a creamy mayonnaise-like dressing. It's a dish we'd recommend for the newcomer to Japanese cuisine. About five bites into the ton kat su, here came the appetizer meant to precede it, salt-grilled mackerel, another simple dish that was big-flavor and perfectly cooked. And then, two more main courses, a variety of tempura including vegetables and large, tender shrimp, and a bento box with more tempura and grilled eel. Seki's tempura is exemplary, light and utterly greaseless.
With the dessert courses, order returned. Seki's makes its own ice cream, and it is important to save room for some because it's amazingly good, some of the best we've tasted. Black sesame arrives a pale gray-lavender, a delicate flavor with flecks of sesame seed. Ginger ice cream has more ginger than some we've had, and that's a good thing; too little just makes it taste medicinal, but this, like baby bear, was just right. And lychee sorbet was downright divine, tart-sweet, containing small bits of coconut gel for texture.
Despite the pacing, the food here was so good, all we could do was just sort of grin and roll our eyes. The cooking is careful, and at least nothing sat in the kitchen so long that it cooled off. Dinner was an extremely worthy experience. And while there is some wine, and sake, available, our beverage of choice was cold Kirin Beer, its bitterness the perfect companion to the food.
Seki
6335 Delmar Blvd., Univesity City
314-726-6477
Lunch Mon., Wed.-Sat., Dinner Wed.-Sun
Credit cards: Yes
Wheelchair access: Adequate
Smoking: Yes
Entrees: $12-$22
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