Table or Booth?

Berkshire.org's newest column is on one of our favorite subjects, food. We're calling it Table or Booth?, a title that serves as a metaphor for the dizzying array of dining choices available in the Berkshires.

Of all the reasons to visit Berkshire County (or live here, for that matter) - compelling art and culture, friendly natives and spectacular outdoor recreation - the area's fantastic food heads many a list. So, let's talk about it! Table or Booth? is not a restaurant review, because we're biased and pretty much love all the food you'll find offered throughout the region. Instead, it's an insider's view, a "peek behind the menu," if you will. Maybe your interest will be piqued by a restaurant or even an entrée that never before caught your eye. Or perhaps you'll discover a reason or three why you can't stop obsessing about the next time you'll taste that special lobster bisque or quiche lorraine. Was it the gifted chef, the vivid ambiance or some remarkable spice...?

There's an old saying that "if you want something done, ask a busy person to do it." That's why we're thrilled that Bess Hochstein has agreed to be the author of Table or Booth?. As the author of the Berkshire Buzz, Bess is found at more Berkshire activities and events than anyone else we know of, including politicians in election years. We can't imagine when she finds any time to write - but we're content just to know that she’s focusing her considerable talents to give us all a peek at the Berkshires' world of fine dining. Pull up a chair (or slide in) for the first installment:

The Many Sides of Bizen
If you think of Bizen as just a sushi bar, it's time to change your perception. Within the walls of this popular Great Barrington Japanese restaurant are several distinct dining environments where just about anyone will find a palate-pleasing meal from a far-ranging menu.

In Bizen's main space, you can sit at the sake lounge, in a tatami booth, or at the sushi bar if you prefer these options to a standard table. Pass through a doorway and you're in Kaiseki -- a traditional Japanese realm of rock gardens and zen fountains, with private zashiki rooms behind sliding shoji rice paper dividers - with special prix fixe menus based on the ancient tea ceremony. These meals gracefully extend over many small courses, served by waitstaff in kimonos. There's a third, lesser known space downstairs, filled with beautifully rustic pottery made by Bizen's owner, Michael Marcus, who is usually found at work behind the sushi bar.

It shouldn't be surprising that the man whose restaurant has multiple personalities is himself multi-faceted. After all, Bizen is named for the region of Japan where Marcus studied the art and craft of its namesake pottery. His restaurant is filled with his ceramics, which he creates at his Joyous Spring pottery studio in his Monterey home. In addition, he has also mastered the Japanese language. Nor is Marcus the restaurant's only multi-tasker; outside of Bizen's kitchen, chef Saturo Sato is known as Sensei Sato of the Shobu Aikido of the Berkshires, a 5th dan Aikido teacher.

While Marcus's creativity is visibly manifested in his pottery, his menu is wildly inventive – and broad, with an emphasis on healthful, organic food. Here you'll find traditional Japanese dishes, such as teriyaki, soba and udon noodles, tempura, seaweed salad, gyoza and shumai dumplings, and seafood specialties, as well as macrobiotic and vegetarian meals, plus decadent and dairy-free desserts. To accompany your meal, Bizen offers an array of rare sakes, many of which are meant to be consumed cold. And then there’s that sushi – replete with pristine fish and creative combinations, including a special list of whimsically named, imaginative makis – or rolls – using unusual ingredients such as lotus root, umeboshi paste, coconut and even cranberries – which can be made with white or brown rice. Dining at Bizen is always an adventure, truly a treat for all your senses.

Bizen Japanese Restaurant & Sushi Bar
17 Railroad Street, Great Barrington, MA
(413) 528-4343

About Bess Hochstein
Buzz chronicler Bess J.M. Hochstein came to the Berkshires as a second-homeowner before deciding to move here full time. Previously a communications executive, she's now a freelance writer living in Tyringham with her corgis Duffy and Hobbs and K. She writes for several publications, including Berkshire Living, the Boston Globe, New England Wine Gazette, and Healing Lifestyles & Spas magazine.