Kimoto Celebrates Ten Years of Sushi, Sake, Japanese Whisky, and a good Mai Tai
By Middagh Goodwin and Brandilyn Mitchell
Why a Japanese pub in Modesto? Because it’s different! Who doesn’t love drinks, sushi, and hanging out with people you enjoy? With elements of Japanese culture, large TVs for watching sports, a relaxing atmosphere, and mouth-watering food, you are sure to have a great izakaya experience right here in your own city. Some come in to eat creative and delicious plates of food, ranging from small bites like pineapple salmon to large plates like the Fuji Mountain, while others come for the drinks.
ModestoView: You first opened Kimoto Ten Years ago and have been going strong ever since. Tell us what your vision was.
Brandon Dodge: When we first opened, we leaned heavily into the izakaya-style dining. We did not have ramen, udon, bowls, or even dinner plates. We only had small tapa-style plates and sushi. It was supposed to be drinking food. You order a drink and share some appetizers. Modesto wasn’t ready for that. Everyone kept asking where the food was lol. We pivoted. We moved all the small plates into appetizers, added traditional Japanese dishes such as ramen, and dinner plates. Expanded the specialty sushi rolls from 12 to about 42.
MV: You offer a fantastic selection of Japanese whisky, along with sake and craft beer.
BD: We came in right at the tail end of the 2nd Japanese whisky boom, which started around 2013, right when it became harder and harder to find award-winning pours. We still have the largest selection of Japanese whiskey in the Valley.
We started out with a big craft beer company from Japan called Coedo, pulling away from just traditional rice lagers. We had everything they had on tap. Unfortunately, they began to have shipping and distribution issues. However, it proved to us that people love craft beer, such as IPAS, to pair with their sushi, and we continue to rotate taps of craft beer.
MV: Tell us how you got started. You had several partners when you first opened, correct?
BD: When we started, there were 11 of us! But over time, it came down to a core group of three. Danny Zeng, Kern Lew, and I. Sadly, Kern passed away. We keep this photo of him in the bar, though, having him take sake bombs with customers
MV: We hear you have teamed up with a local brewery for a 10th Anniversary beer/
BD: Alex from Contentment is brewing a Ginger IPA for us at 6.4%.
MV: Teaming up with local breweries and Distilleries is nothing new for Kimoto, isn’t that correct?
BD: When we first opened, we had a cocktail called the Manhattan East. It was a riff on a “perfect Manhattan” created by the legendary bartender Dale DeGroff. We partnered with DoGood Whiskey at the time to use as the base. It was crazy popular. Andrew from DoGood actually suggested barrel aging it and serving it on the rocks. Once we did it, it became even more popular than the original! We’ve since replaced the DoGood with High West Rye, but it remains extremely popular, to the point where we go through approximately 3-4 bottles of the cocktail per month.
Brandon Dodge and Danny Zeng opened Kimoto in October 2015. Dodge isn’t just an owner; he is also the head bartender and creates delicious libations to go with his plates. Dodge fell in love with Tiki culture in 2004 during a resurgence. He went to LA to visit several well-known Tiki bars and find ingredients to recreate the drink at home. “The Pineapple version ‘Hawaiian’- was invented in 1953-54, and is often the one people think of when you say ‘Mai Tai,” says Dodge. His favorite rum to sip is the Appleton 12, but for cocktails, he prefers Plantation or Hamilton Ministry of Rum. If you’re looking for something easy to find, though, you can’t go wrong with Sailor Jerry to sip. (It’s not Jamaican, so for Mai Tai, it’s not the best option.) “If you mix Sailor Jerry with diet, it’s perfect. Not too sweet, just right. If you drink it with regular soda, it’s way too sweet.”
Some come in to eat creative and delicious plates of food, ranging from small bites like pineapple salmon to large plates like the Fuji Mountain, while others come for the Mai Tais. So, if you haven’t stopped by or it’s been a while, swing by in October and help Kimoto Sake & Sushi celebrate ten years in Modesto.
Kimoto Sake & Sushi 1809 McHenry Ave B. Modesto, CA 95350 follow on Facebook @kimotosushi
