Yuzu

While most of Beaverton's restaurants scream for patrons' attention—usually corporate swillholes with detestable food—Yuzu barely whispers.

Even finding the place through a blacked-out door in the corner of an anonymous strip mall is like partaking in a secret initiation ritual. Once inside, however, the welcome is warm, the seating tolerable and, oh my, what a menu of Japanese pub food delights.

No wonder the place is usually full.

Not everything is great, but go with a group, order a lot, and the vast majority of few-bite items filling two columns on each of the menu's three pages will bring joy to your evening meal. Suggestions from many past visits include thin-sliced, barely seared albacore (bincyou-maguro tataki, $10.50), little blobs of spiced cured cod roe ($4.95); buta no kakuni, chunks of pork belly stewed in sweet soy and sake until the fat begins to render and the pieces of meat are on the verge of falling apart; thin, medium-rare slices of roast duck topped with quick-cooked straws of green onion and sided with a mound of potent shishito paste.

And that's just page one.

Finish, at least on warm summer nights, with traditional cold soba noodles served on a straw mat with a light dipping sauce. Leave the club as a bona fide initiate, knowing it will be easy to find the second time.

Pro tip: Though late-night hours at Yuzu are a thing of the past, you are still better off showing up after the prime dinner hour to avoid a wait.

GO: 4130 SW 117th Ave., Beaverton, 350-1801. 11:30 am-1:30 pm and 6-10 pm Monday-Friday, noon-7 pm Saturday. $$-$$$.

Willamette Week