A Fork on the Road: Katana

Katana offers all the camaraderie of a typical Japanese aka-chochin (pub) plus a unique way of serving bar bites: Little boats laden with sushi float on a tile-lined river that flows around the bar. Customers take a seat and grab what looks good. The ukifune (floating sushi) concept originated in San Francisco, and was adopted by Takahito Furaya after he opened his North Beach restaurant in 1993. He named Katana for the single-edged sword that represents the ability and sharpness of a samurai warrior.

Furaya came to South Florida as a salesman for a Japanese company in 1992, but soon pursued his passion for food with a friend from Osaka who knew how to make sushi. Today, manager Toshi Ikegami is a fixture, greeting customers and clearing dishes. (Katana has a second outlet in Miami Lakes.)

Red paper lanterns light up the window each night when the small space opens for dinner. Dishes from the cooked menu include gyoza, tempura, tatsuta-age (deep-fried sake- and soy-marinated chicken served with grated ginger), salmon teriyaki and scallops broiled on the shell under a volcano-shaped cone of crabstick shreds mixed with mayo. Sushi is priced by the color of the plate, with the code displayed on the wall. Turnover is high, ensuring freshness (items are removed if they go around the “river” too many times).

A sushi chef commands the front of the bar — if you don’t see a favorite like uni (sea urchin) ask. Another chef works behind the curtain making four-piece rolls. Popular varieties include fresh mango with snapper tempura and Alaskan Dream with salmon, cream cheese and avocado. Vegetarian rolls include kanpyo (thin strips of gourd), cucumber and mixed veggies. Hamachi (young amberjack), albacore tuna, tsubu (Japanese whelk, similar to conch), sweet shrimp and ikura (salmon roe) are among the raw sushi deuces on offer. For cooked sushi, try eel, crabstick, octopus, pickled mackerel and omelet. It all makes for a fun evening that should float your boat without breaking the bank.

This story was originally published August 11, 2010 at 3:08 AM.