For the last year, Matthew Spinner has taken us on an archaeological dig through Japanese cuisine every time we step inside the 24-seat Tremont restaurant.
The 31-year-old chef’s hyper-regional small plates menu is unlike anything else happening in Cleveland — bold, adventurous, mysterious and tasty as hell, all while being super educational.
His limited-time menus, which focus on a particular city and year such as Osaka 1957 (where he’s explored traditional street food) and Tokyo 1828 (this current menu delves into nigiri or Tokyo-style sushi), allows him to push, pull and expand our idea of what Japanese food should be.
But with months of researching cultures, ingredients and recipes to create those ambitious offerings, Spinner felt like one thing was missing.
“There wasn’t a lot of me on those plates,” he says. “I need to inject myself into the food.”
So starting later this month, Spinner will launch a 13-course menu that distills his historical knowledge and expertise into one dining experience, with options such as a bento box filled with octopus salami and dashi-poached artichokes.
“We’re going to treat Northeast Ohio as a prefecture of Japan,” he says, “and use all of our resources and my experiences to fuel our menus and dishes. 2
Insider Tip:
Before the current menu ends, stop in to try the yaki onigiri ($10), a grilled rice ball that was a Japanese staple before the invention of chopsticks. Spinner’s version, stuffed with tofu, employs trendy matcha foam. 2173 Professor Ave., Cleveland, 216-713-1741, ushabu.com
25 Best Restaurants: Ushabu
Chef Matthew Spinner educates Cleveland diners on his own version of Japanese food.
