Duk Kang deftly balances an egg on the tip of his metal spatula. He tosses the egg in the air, and it magically disappears.
“Where did it go?” he asks the people seated around the grill.
Nobody knows. Blank stares all around.
Then, the reveal. Kang pulls the egg from its perch on top of his chef’s hat.
“Oooooh,” say the diners, who put down their drinks, an indication that they will be paying closer attention from now on.
Such is the sleight of hand that Kang practices nightly at Sakura, a teppanyaki restaurant that for years has been a popular spot for local celebs like the University of Arizona men’s basketball team and baseball players who come to Tucson for spring training.
Teppanyaki cooking was born in Japan and uses an iron griddle to cook food. The chefs who work the griddles are famous for their use of fire and for their sense of humor.
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Kang is no exception. The chef, who has been practicing his craft at Sakura for six years, slices butter with his knife and flings it at the scallops that are warming at the edge of the grill.
“Butterfly,” he says, and then waits for the diners to get the joke. A few seconds pass. Then chuckles.
Read more of our interview with Chef Kang in Thursday's edition of Caliente.
Sakura
• Where: 6534 E. Tanque Verde Road.
• Hours: Open for lunch 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. Open for dinner 5-10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 5-11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Menu available in bar until
For sale: Tucson's Park Place mall
