Kaizen Sushi Opens in Downtown Portland | Eater Portland

"In January I visited a light-bathed Japanese restaurant in downtown Portland that Job Martinez built from the ground up after 24 years in other kitchens. At Kaizen he greets fishmongers each morning and begins slicing salmon belly and hamachi, flicks his wrist preparing tamago, and tosses tuna and octopus tentacles in ponzu for his take on ceviche. The menu showcases some of the most beautiful food he’s made — briny oysters topped with yuzu tobiko and ponzu; slivers of salmon belly wrapped around grapefruit supremes; Hokkaido scallops and uni dressed in yuzu juice and white truffle vinaigrette — alongside echoes of his past work, from minimalist nigiri to maximalist maki with pesto and spicy yuzu, hamachi carpaccio with yuzu jalapeño vinaigrette, and sashimi “salmon flights.” His ceviche, which he calls his own, combines sea bream, octopus, shrimp, and tuna in a ponzu marinade with red onion, cucumbers, and heirloom tomatoes. There are also touches of his Oaxacan roots at the bar — a small but growing mezcal selection next to extensive saké and Japanese whisky offerings — with cocktails by Enrique Bautista and saké picks by Marcus Pakiser. The name reflects his philosophy: continued improvement." - Brooke Jackson-Glidden