Crumbs in my 'Stache: Koshu reopens with new chef, renovation

Friday, June 20, 2008

By Ben Cannon

Jackson Hole, Wyo.-Well, after a two-week ‘Crumbs’ hiatus induced by an abscessed tooth and then the subsequent root canal to address the problem, I’m back - and with almost as much chewing ability as ever.

But first, before we get into this week’s food news, I’d like to thank the dozens of you who sent me cards and flowers upon hearing about my dental woes. You people are just the best in my book.

Still, there’s nothing quite as trying as illness and solitude. No one was there to bring me more carrot juice or to change my bedpan. But, ah, all better now, and life goes on, that is, until it doesn’t.

Now back to business as usual … following an extended closure during the shoulder season, Koshu Wine Bar recently reopened and is once again serving its sleek, Asian-inspired cuisine in an intimate setting. The interior is now a bit altered: the off-season break saw some redecorating and renovations of the joint.

The place does not feel dramatically different – there are no major structural changes – but it got a rather red-hued facelift along with some contemporary new tables and hardwood floors. These sort of contemporary Oriental globe lamps hang like small UFOs floating above the refinished bar. One of my dinner companions, who has eaten many a meal at Koshu, remarked that he didn’t like the interior changes. While the glittery, textured backdrop behind the bar does feel a wee bit, um, Liberace, I’m willing to wait and see how the whole place – food and design – comes together over time.

Ah, so the food: we started off with mussels, served with spicy aioli, ponzu and fish roe, and finished with sweet soy sauce. A trio of newly graduated, Ole Miss co-eds ponied up to the bar next to us. They also got the mussel appetizers and pretty soon we at the bar were dinner partying. Sort of.

The biggest prawn I’ve ever seen came fried and over rice with candied walnuts.
Chef Josh Spisak, who took over the kitchen during the spring hiatus, was Koshu’s sous chef for the past two years. He said the restaurant remains focused on luring back its old customers, some of whom might have become turned off by overpriced menu items that declined in consistency, and also appealing to new ones.

The soft-shelled crab, served in a blackberry-vinegar reduction, was made even a little more exotic with the presence of fresh lilac blossoms, which the house rightly recommends you to eat.

The special that night, sea bass with nori mustard aioli, capped off a fine dinner of fully cooked seafood, a meal one does not often associate with Jackson Hole, a valley with a handful of restaurants doing some really commendable work with fresh, innovative, raw seafood dishes.

The Koshu deck will open soon and, with the weather turning warmer by the day, stalwart bartender Chris Scholer can muddle up a selection of fresh drinks with strawberries, mint and limes. That is, you know, if you’re into fruity drinks.

Photo by SPENCER SIMENSEN
Sea Bass with nori mustard over snap peas.

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Crumbs in my 'Stache: Koshu reopens with new chef, renovation | Planet JH News Article: General News

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