I recently visited Kabuki with my friend, Greg, a fellow sushi-lover, so naturally we decided to start with a few of Sushi Chef Will Drakus’ marvelous creations. We started with the wonderful “tuna salad,” made of raw, chopped tuna served with cucumber salad, seaweed salad, carrots, and tempura crunchies. A delightful appetizer with a nice balance of flavors and textures, we happily washed it down with a house sauvignon blanc. Chef Will also treated us to a volcano roll, a nori-wrapped roll filled with cream cheese, crab, eel, and Kabuki’s secret sauce. It’s a little spicy and quite an ample portion, as well. We also sampled a small sashimi platter featuring blue fin tuna, salmon, and fresh snapper. It was perfect, with soy sauce and spicy wasabi.

Next stop was our trip to the teppanyaki grill, which seats about ten people. Steve Wong, who is the son of owner Steve Wong Senior, was the grill chef for the evening. The grill seating is fun because you sit around a big table, meet new people, and enjoy your meal together. We sat next to John and Pam Downs, Amelia Island residents who visit Kabuki at least once a week. They love the atmosphere and food, and Chef Steve is their favorite grill guy. Steve started us out with a shrimp appetizer, sprinkled with a secret seasoning, grilled up hot and quick, and then tossed onto our plates and served with a wonderful dipping sauce. Next he prepared an onion “volcano,” where he piled up onion slices, then doused it with oil, igniting it into an inferno, much to the delight of my dining companions. The onion was dismantled and joined with other stir-fry vegetables that he piled onto our plates, and they were delicious, still crispy and well-seasoned. He then prepared fried rice, tossing an egg high into the air, then cracking it on his grill spatula, and not a shell landed in the rice! What talent!

Our next course was steak and shrimp, nicely seasoned, and the steak was fork tender and rare as I requested. We also enjoyed a Japanese-style soup, light and flavorful, that was nice to sip on as we watched our dinner being prepared. After our enjoyable meal, Chef Steve suggested Fried Ice Cream or Fried Cheesecake for dessert. My favorite was the ice cream, which is hot and crispy on the outside and creamy cold within. An amazing dessert! Kabuki is a fun and family-friendly dining experience that has been a favorite with locals for 17 years. They are open for dinner Tuesday through Sunday, and also offer a special dining room for private parties.