Katami

Katami is a damn good restaurant. The sushi is so great, we would come here even if it was served in a crumbling cardboard box. Thankfully, this minimalistic Montrose spot seems beamed in from an aspirational magazine spread where people who own Eames loungers snack on sashimi at a mountain health spa. But even if it didn't, we would traverse an obstacle course amidst hurricane-force winds just to eat the nigiri. 

Katami took everything often reserved for pricey omakases and shook it out onto an a la carte menu. And while you can still have an omakase experience here—similar to its sister restaurant Kata Robata—shelling out $300 upfront isn’t necessary to order premium nigiri and sashimi. Everything here feels fresh, new, and somehow precious. Like the precisely plated luscious toro tar tar with a raw quail egg, tiny pickled enoki mushroom caps, and perfectly square little toasts. Or tiny sheafs of raw Japanese wagyu dotted in edible flowers paired with simmering shabu broth atop miniature konro grills. 

photo credit: Richard Casteel

photo credit: Richard Casteel

photo credit: Richard Casteel

Order a chef’s selection of sashimi and what arrives is a mountain of ice and glass dripping in flowers nestled around glistening cuts of silver-skinned gizzard shad, intense but sweet barracuda, and perfectly pink hamachi. Everything here is like a chic mullet: trim and precise up front, but packing a flavor supernova in the back.

With such a generous edible flower budget and detailed, luscious cuts of fish, we halfway expect someone to begin feeding us grapes between courses. And while they do pour sake-by-the-glass table side here, unfortunately, grape hedonism isn’t on the menu. You come here for an elegant meal with refined and simple details, that also happens to feel luxurious whether you spend $50 or $500. For anyone whose idea of fun is a well-folded napkin, dinner at Katami borders on the divine.

Food Rundown

photo credit: Richard Casteel

Sake Service

There are over 75 bottles of sake on Katami’s menu, some of which aren’t available anywhere else in Texas because that’s how we do it in Houston. Plus, when you order a bottle, it arrives on a bed of ice surrounded by flowers.

photo credit: Richard Casteel

Toro Tar Tar

The pairing of silky, fatty tuna belly with toasted milk bread feels like the food equivalent of a plush down mattress we could fall into over and over. If you don’t order anything else, at least order this.

Sashimi

Every piece of fish resembles a crystal glistening from the inside served at just the right temperature. The large sashimi boats float to your table in glass dishes, full of fantastical colors, textures, and yes, even edible flowers.

photo credit: Richard Casteel

Corn And Mushroom Okonomiyaki

Most things with corn taste pretty good, and this seared yet doughy corn and mushroom pancake drizzled in mayo and smoky okonomiyaki sauce is no exception. The added crunch of dehydrated sweet potato makes each bite even more satisfying.

photo credit: Richard Casteel

Kagoshima Wagyu Shabu Style

Everyone will fight to drink the dregs of this umami-rich broth after polishing off the slices of wagyu. Form your dining companion alliances early, and maybe you’ll only have to share a little bit.

photo credit: Richard Casteel

Foie PBJ Milk Bread

Foie gras-spiked peanut butter and jelly smushed onto toasted milk bread sure tastes damn good. What’s not to love about rich, warm, nostalgic sandwiches?

photo credit: Richard Casteel

Green Tea Kakigori

If any part of you has ever wanted to bite into a fluffy cloud, this kakigori serves as an opportunity to do so. Ice shipped straight from Kanazawa (it’s cold there), gets thinly shaved, piled high over red bean ice cream, and crowned with fluffy yuzu foam.