Mika takes a street-level tour of Asia/ Chef spearheads eclectic

Mark Kimura maintains the same philosophy in life as he does in the kitchen. He isn't concerned with frills or fancy names.

"I don't like the term 'chef,'" Kimura said.

What does concern him is the pursuit of great food, in keeping with a tradition established by his boss and friend, Chef James McDevitt.

Kimura met McDevitt about five years ago, just as McDevitt started to make waves in the dining scene with Restaurant Hapa in Scottsdale. Though Asian-American fusion restaurants were - and still are - a dime a dozen, Hapa had singled itself out as a favorite with diners.

"He just amazed me with his food," said Kimura, who has been in the restaurant business for 18 years.

Kimura's respect for McDevitt's blend of American cuisine and Asian sensibilities is shared by a lot of people (in 1999, McDevitt was named one of America's top 10 new chefs by Food & Wine magazine), but Kimura is quick to add that his admiration for McDevitt extends beyond his culinary skills.

"He is one of the nicest, most generous people that I know," he said.

It comes as no surprise, then, that when McDevitt asked Kimura to lead the cooking staff at his newest restaurant, Mika, Kimura jumped at the opportunity.

"I've dealt with tablecloth restaurants for the better part of my career, and I wanted a departure from that," Kimura said.

Under his direction, Mika offers street-style food from various Asian cultures. Recipes are decidedly simple, but thanks to a few key Asian ingredients such as sake and miso, Southwestern taste buds are treated to a familiar, flavorful zest. Kimura adds to the experience by paying special attention to what he describes as an "American- style" presentation that lives up to the restaurant's name, which means "beautiful" in Japanese.

Kimura said that beyond a few contemporary touches, he aims to preserve an authentic Asian taste inspired by the street vendors in Asian cities.

Menu items include a seared Ahi Tuna Burger with caramelized miso sauce and taro chips, and Shisho Shrimp Rolls with a Thai dipping sauce. Perhaps the most wellrounded dishes are the fourpart meals served as a "bento," or box meal. Each Bento Box arrives in a traditional Japanese serving container - a four-compartment, lacquered box with a lid. Recipes such as the Miso Baked Cod are accompanied by rice, stir-fry vegetables and a mixed green salad, but Kimura encourages cooks to experiment with their favorite side dishes and accompaniments.

Q: Who would you most like to "do lunch" with, and why?

A: Any family member or friend, because I rarely "do lunch."

Q: What's your favorite dish to make at home?

A: Rice, sunny side up eggs, fried Spam and kim chee, because it's comfort food.

Q: What culinary gadget could you not cook without?

A: A spoon.

Q: What three ingredients could you not cook without?

A: Freshly ground black pepper, lemon, fresh seafood.

Q: When it comes to eating, what's your guilty pleasure?

A: Kettle-cooked, Hawaiianstyle potato chips.

Q: What's your favorite restaurant?

A: I haven't been out to dine much in Arizona, but when I'm in Los Angeles, I have to eat at Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles.

Q: What one cooking tip could you offer readers to make their time in the kitchen easier?

A: Organize your preparation and have fun while experimenting with food. You only learn to cook by making mistakes.

Q: What's the biggest mistake you ever made while cooking?

A: My first batch of rice in a rice cooker. I forgot to add the water to cook the rice.

MISO BAKED COD BENTO BOX

Yield: 4 servings

2 cups sake

1/2 cup mirin*

1/4 cup soy sauce

3 tablespoons miso*

1 tablespoon grated ginger

4 (5-ounce) cod fillets

Combine sake, mirin, soy sauce, miso and ginger in bowl. Coat cod fillets with mixture and let marinate for at least an hour. Heat oven to 450 degrees; cook fillets on a nonstick baking pan under the broiler for 8 to 12 minutes or until done.

To achieve a taste similar to that of the Bento Box served at Mika, serve with rice, stir-fry vegetables and a mixed green salad.

* COOK'S NOTES: Mirin is a Japanese sweet cooking sake. Miso is Japanese fermented soybean paste. Both can be found at Asian markets or in the Asian section of supermarkets. The marinade will turn very dark because of the sugar in the mirin and the soy sauce.

Nutrition information per 5-ounce serving: Calories 236 (6 percent from fat); fat 1.7 g (sat .3 g, mono .3 g, poly .8 g); protein 29 g; carbohydrates 6 g; fiber .52 g; cholesterol 52 mg; sodium 1,859 mg; calcium 34 mg.

- Mark Kimura

Copyright 2002
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.