Kalamata Cafe
Phone: 865-531-2363
Fax: 865-531-2351
E-mail: kalamatasushibar@comcast.net
Description: Greek and Japanese fusion, including sushi. Closed from 2:30 pm after lunch until 5 pm for dinner.
As seen in The Metro Pulse Restaurant Guide
An abundance of sushi. Authentic Japanese dishes, from noodles to steamed seafood. Oh, and of course, Greek sandwiches and delicacies—that’s the improbable but tasty combination of foods available from Kalamata + Sushi Bar, a pleasant, sunny restaurant off Northshore near Pellissippi Parkway. New owner Seisuke Fukuoka, a third-generation sushi chef from Japan, took over the establishment about a year ago, with the attitude of adding his heritage cuisine to the menu while retaining the Greek highlights Kalamata had based its reputation on—olive hummus, lamb, panini and the like.
The restaurant kept the Kalamata chef, though Fukuoka and three fellow Japanese chefs do the honors with the Asian side of the menu. The decor is the same as before, too, with its lively, oversize Mediterranean oil paintings and sage and mahogany tones, and the Kalamata bar (now lined with glass-encased sushi ingredients) still bustles with an after-work crowd looking for “little bites and drinks,” says Fukuoka, or a late-night sushi fix (the place is open until 12:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday). But Fukuoka is fast making an indelible Japanese impression on the menu with such authentic dishes as Japanese curry (“thicker, sweeter and milder than the Indian equivalent,” he says), Shabu Shabu, a sort of Japanese fondue, and Suki Yaki, with thinly-sliced beef, tofu, cabbage and such simmered on a stove in a soy-based broth.
Specials like half-off all tuna products on Mondays, and the same for salmon on Tuesdays, are fresh and new—as are the items concocted by Fukuoka that don’t precisely fit into either the Greek or the Japanese menu: tempura cheesecake, for example, or dessert fruit rolls. That’s just his way of keeping the best of two traditions, while reserving the right to cut loose every now and then.
Restaurant details
| Cuisine: | Asian, Fusion, Greek, Japanese, Sushi |
| Price range: | |
| Delivery? | No |
| Buffet? | No |
| Local establishment? | Yes |
| Outdoor seating? | Yes |
| Party room? | No |
| Reservations accepted? | Yes |
| Call-aheads accepted? | No |
| Kids menu? | Yes |
| Occasional live music? | No |
| Heated smoking area? | No |
| Smoking porch? | Yes |
| Wheelchair accessibility: | Very accommodating * |
| Accepts barter? | No |
| Number of vegetarian dishes: | 20 |
| Number of vegan dishes: | 15 |
| Number of TVs: | 1 |
Payment options
- Visa
- Mastercard
- Discover
- American Express
- No checks accepted
Business hours
- Sundays: noon to 9 p.m.
- Mondays: 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- Tuesdays: 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- Wednesdays: 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- Thursdays: 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- Fridays: 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.
- Saturdays: noon to 10:30 p.m.
* Restaurants are rated either: Very accommodating, ADA-compliant, Inaccessible. * For more detailed accessibility profiles, check wiredonwheels.com.
Comments
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0 of 0 people found this comment useful.
Posted by davidchisholm (David Chisholm) on July 31, 2008
Food: 7/10 Vibe: 6/10 Service: 1/10 Value: 1/10 Overall: 1/10
How do I state this clearly and simply??? We received the worst service of any restaurant that we have ever visited - EVER! The management was unaccommodating and unresponsive, and the service was slow enough to allow us to take naps between courses. Nearly every dish came to the table at various times for each person. One dish took nearly 45 minutes to make an appearance - and it was a child's meal! We were told that we could not substitute rice for pasta, even though our request was because of a food allergy. Apparently the price of rice has recently skyrocketed! The Spanikopita was very dry, and tasted like it contained lemon grass (not a Greek ingredient that I remember). We asked for something else and were told that we would still be charged for it. We complained about this, and we were finally told that they would reduce the cost by 50%. When the check came, it was only reduced by 15% - on a $5 item! We finally asked for the manager, and we voiced all of our concerns. She looked surprised and said there was nothing she could do, and that the 15% reduction was correct! Heck – I could have reduced it that much by omitting the gratuity. There was no attempt to make us happy. We told the manager that we would never be back, and there was still no effort to appease us, or even the slightest hint of concern. When this place was owned by the Klonaris family, it was awesome. Don't waste your time or money!
0 of 0 people found this comment useful.
Posted by plemium (linda alfred) on August 26, 2008
Food: 10/10 Vibe: 10/10 Service: 10/10 Value: 10/10 Overall: 10/10
We have been dining here every week for almost a year now, and we love this place. You can have a Japanese dinner on the more traditional side or you can experiment with Greek dishes, which are also very tasty. The service here is wonderful and friendly. The sushi is always fresh - we love the yellowtail, tuna and Spanish Mackerel. Extensive choice of sake... try the Kurosawa - and for dessert, you must try their dessert fruit rolls... an aboluste treat!
0 of 0 people found this comment useful.
Posted by CortneyTree (Cortney Hall) on September 12, 2008
Food: 1/10 Vibe: 1/10 Service: 1/10 Value: 1/10 Overall: 1/10
My last trip to Kalamata (and I do mean last) marks the first time that I have WALKED OUT of a restaurant. I've enjoyed Kalamata for ages, even after the bizarre "fusion" of Japanese and Greek menus, ignoring its steady decline. When we entered on a Saturday for lunch around 1PM, we were greeted by a chalkboard still declaring "Sorry, we're closed!" and when we pointed this out to the manager, who let us stand there for what seemed like an eternity before finding someone to seat us, we were met with a humorless shrug. Should have known then. The table next to the door was occupied by a server rolling silverware (wasn't there a table in back more suitable for that?), and we were led from there to a booth on the front row. After waiting some time unattended, we were able to flag someone down who could bring us sushi menus (they were not given to us at seating) and eventually brought us our drinks (which were mixed up when delivered) Our server was not only completely unfamiliar with the menu (we had to point out every item we ordered to him) but also completely unfamiliar with any greek food at all. We ordered stuffed grape leaves and red pepper hummus as appetizers. The grape leaves arrived mushy and messy. They tasted stale and looked incredibly unappealing. We were told our dip would be coming out later, as they were out and had to make another batch. Running out of hummus in a greek restaurant? Not a good omen. After sitting with closed menus, ready to order, only to be passed by our server several times, we finally ordered our sushi rolls (again, having to point out each one to our server, who had to dig around his apron for several minutes before finding a suitable scrap of paper and pencil to take our order with). Nearly 30 minutes had passed before we were finally presented with our hummus--in the form of a runny and suspect-looking babaganoush. The combination of bad service, careless preparation of our food, and a general atmosphere of complete and TOTAL indifference was enough to kill it for us both, and after several attempts to get the attention of our server, ANY server, and finally the manager, my husband left the table. He then stood BESIDE THE MANAGER as he obliviously continued punching in things into the computer terminal, until finally acknowledging us and asking if everything was okay. My husband told him we'd been given the wrong dip, our grape leaves were terrible, that we no longer wanted our sushi, and could he please ring up our drinks and appetizer so that we could leave and eat elsewhere. The best thing I can say about the experience is that the manager had enough sense not to charge us for the grape leaves (which we *did* eat) and to apologize for the "bad food". As we left, we could hear him in the kitchen, shouting. We didn't stick around to hear more.
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