While staying up in Park City for this summer’s Forum Fest at Park City Canyons Village, my wife and I had the opportunity to return to KITA Japanese Steakhouse & Mountain Grill at the Pendry for dinner. We’ve loved KITA on previous visits and this one sure didn’t disappoint.
As I understand it, KITA in Japanese can mean “north” as well as “a field of trees” or “many happinesses.” With many trees surrounding Canyons Village there are also many happinesses to be found at KITA. In warm weather, al fresco dining at KITA is an excellent option.
T.J. Consiglio
We were happy – many happinesses, remember? – to be greeted at KITA by Pendry Director of Restaurants & Bars, T.J. Consiglio who, with stellar servers like Claudia, provide hospitality and service second to none at KITA and all of the Pendry dining outlets.
Japanese Milk Bread
As guests settle in for dinner at KITA, they are treated to a complimentary serving of light and airy Japanese Milk Bread and house-whipped butter with black Hawaiian sea salt – a nice touch. Japanese milk bread, also known as “shokupan” in Japanese, is a soft and fluffy white bread that is characterized by its tender texture, light sweetness, and a rich flavor that comes from the use of milk and sometimes other ingredients like cream and butter. Warning: KITA’s Japanese Milk Bread is highly addictive!
Hamachi Collar
KITA is a surf & turf restaurant of sorts, with an expansive selection of steaks, seafood & chops, as well as sushi, sashimi, nigiri and such. Diners might choose to start a meal with one of KITA’s shared plates, which includes temptations like the heavenly Hamachi Crudo ($32), Cucumber Salad ($18), Salmon Carpaccio ($22), Japanese fried chicken called Karaage ($33), or the stupendous appetizer we enjoyed: Hamachi Kama ($36). This was a grilled hamachi collar (also called yellowtail collar) with yuzu chili glaze and herb salad with chile peppers. It is the collar of the yellowtail located just above the gills and below the head. It is the fattiest and most tender part of the fish, making it naturally juicy and delicious.
Nigiri
Before diving into more substantial dishes at KITA my wife and I like to enjoy some nigiri and/or sashimi. This visit, we opted for two nigiri choices: fatty bluefin tuna called Toro ($19) and Bincho-Maguro ($13), also known as albacore. Additional nigiri/sashimi choices include Hamachi, Maguro, Sake, and Hotate Batayaki.
Maki Roll
KITA also offers Maki Rolls in addition to sashimi and nigiri. There are standard rolls like a California Roll ($16), Spicy Tuna ($18) and Veggie ($16), as well as a handful of Deluxe Rolls. We particularly liked the Albacore Roll ($30), which was spicy tuna with sweet red onion, scallions, yuzu kosho sauce, and soy-mustard dressing. Next time we’ll try the signature KITA Roll with salmon, crab, avocado, cucumber, spicy tuna and crispy rice ($34).
American Wagyu Ribeye
Among Chef Kevin Lee’s specialties at KITA is The Ssam Platter., Korean-style wood-fired grilled steak served sliced, with Chef Lee’s accompaniments of butter lettuce, shiso leaves, sesame, turmeric horseradish, and miso ssamjang sauce. The hands-on Ssam Platter is available with a 20 oz. Dry Aged Bone-In Delmonico steak for $180 or 38 oz. Tomahawk for $320. Not wanting to go that big, I selected a 16 oz. American Wagyu Ribeye ($118) for the “turf” portion of my dinner.
Grilled Whole Branzino
Faith is never one to pass up branzino when she sees it on a menu, and so her main entree was Grilled Whole Branzino ($68) with pickled sweet peppers and chimichurri – a delicious dish, indeed. Other fishy dishes at KITA include Miso Chilean Sea Bass ($53), Pan-Seared Salmon ($44), and Seared Bay Scallops ($46).
Jidori Chicken
KITA offers a terrific selection of USDA Prime, American Wagyu, and Japanese Wagyu steaks, as well as Grilled Rack of Lamb ($74), a Grilled Kurobuta Bone-In Pork Chop, and a chicken dish I loved. It was a Carved Half Jidori Chicken ($42), grilled and served with a luscious charred honey sauce and chimichurri. Jidori is to chicken as Kobe is to beef. It’s free-range, humanely raised, natural chickens raised on small farms in California, fed all natural grains, without meat by-products, hormones, or steroids. The Jidori chicken at KITA was just splendid.
A friend of mine – one of Utah’s premier chefs – is a huge fan of KITA and I can certainly see why. The cuisine from Chef Kevin Lee’s kitchen is unsurpassed, as is the ambiance, service and outstanding beverage selection. We’re already looking forward eagerly to our next visit to this place of many happinesses.
Photos by Ted Scheffler
Culinary quote of the week: “You leave Japan a better cook or you give up cooking all together. Japan tends to focus the mind in wonderful, new ways.” – Anthony Bourdain
