Tall and lean, with an artful tattoo embellishing one arm, native New Yorker Darren Lee Norris looks like a typical nonchef sort of guy in his casual clothing. But looks can be deceiving. Norris is the executive chef and driving energy behind a new Japanese concept in D.C.: a Japanese gastropub, featuring a charcoal-fired grill (the robata), sushi created by chefs from Tokyo, and an aggressively intoxicating sake program. Its name? Kushi Izakaya & Sushi.
If you go
Kushi Izakaya & Sushi
465 K St. NW
202-682-3123
Hours: Lunch — 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday to Friday, noon to 2:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; Dinner — 5:30 to 11 p.m. nightly; Late night — 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. Thursday to Saturday
While admitting that he is not behind the stoves all the time — “I am not Japanese,” he points out, “so I’d rather leave the authentic cooking to the Japanese” — he does draw up the menus and test out the recipes. “Kushi’s sushi chef comes from Tokyo,” he said. “He used to have his own restaurant in the Ginza [the shopping and entertainment area of Tokyo] called Ginza Gakyu.”
Of course, it helps that his Japanese wife, Ari Kushimoto, who often takes Norris to visit her parents in Tokyo, understands the intricacies of her native cuisine. It also benefits Norris that his father-in-law also owns a Tokyo-based restaurant and is an avid gastronome. Whenever the couple visit, Norris said, the two men take a culinary tour of Tokyo.
“My father-in-law helps me with the menu,” he said. “For me, I am trying to stay true to the food I have experienced in Japan.”
While not always cooking, Norris does drive the kitchen agenda, spending many hours as the restaurant’s buyer, seeking quality ingredients.
“We are not cheap, but we give really good value,” he said. “I don’t go out and buy just any old pork. I buy the best product, then manipulate it as little as possible.” Expect to find such quality meats as heritage breed chickens and Wagyu beef.
Just because he looks like the average Joe does not mean that Norris is just that. Growing up in a household that exposed him at an early age to elegant cooking in fine-dining restaurants here and in Europe, Norris developed a discerning palate long before he picked up his first spatula and skillet.
“I realize now that my vivid childhood memories are of fine restaurants in Paris,” he said. “We always went first-class. … Those seeds planted in me are for the food world.”
Formerly an art student in Laguna Beach, Calif., Norris supported himself with odd kitchen jobs, discovering along the way that he really enjoyed cooking. Dropping art school for the culinary arts, Norris entered on his life’s journey through a variety of kitchens, most notably as the executive chef of New York’s China Grill and Bethesda’s Ridgewells Caterers.
After years of exposure to many different cuisines, Norris described his main culinary attribute as his ability to adapt to many different menus, many different styles.
“I worked in many hotel restaurants with fusion cuisine, and I was a student,” he said. “On my own, I read books. Asian cooking has had the most appeal to me. Wherever I cooked, I tried to bring in some Asian influence.”
Now on his own, it’s all Asia — well, Japanese — all the time.
Q&A with chef Darren Lee Norris
What is your comfort food?
New England clam chowder, mashed potatoes and beef brisket. It’s so basic. I get my fix once every six months.
What is your approach to cooking?
Keep it fresh and simple, and not overhandle or overprocess [ingredients] because all foods have a peak. It is my job to bring them to that point.
What’s in your fridge?
Kimchee, tofu, Greek yogurt with honey, and lots of bottles of sake. My fridge is also packed with Japanese condiments.
What do you do in your leisure time?
I do chores for my pregnant wife.
Which is your favorite restaurant?
Adour [in the St. Regis Hotel]. They have the best preparation and executive of vegetables; Alain Ducasse [of Adour in New York] focuses on vegetables. I can go have amazing food, so I also go often to Bourbon Steak.
From the Chef’s Kitchen
Japanese Pickle — Citrus Daikon
Serves eight to 10
Mirin is the Japanese sweet rice wine available in most well-stocked supermarkets. The pickled daikon make a delicious condiment.
1 pound daikon, trimmed and cleaned
2 tsp salt
4 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1 Tbsp. mirin
2 tsp lemon zest
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
Cut the daikon into small sticks, or batonettes. Put them into a small plastic bag, and add the salt. Set aside for 30 minutes.
Combine the remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Drain the daikon, squeezing out excess water, and add to the bowl. Toss the daikon with the combined ingredients, and put into a plastic bag for 1 hour. Refrigerate the bagged daikon, and serve within two days.
