If you are looking for a romantic japanese restaurant, this is the place. You will need to call ahead to make a reservation. I had a 15 minute wait on a Tuesday night. Put in a special request for a curtained both if you want more privacy.

The food was great! One of the restaurant's signature dishes is the Shabu Shabu (meaning "swish swish"). The meal comes with about 3 appetizers, a main dish, and a desert all for $35 dollars. You may want to ask in advance what the appetizers are if you are not a fan of raw and exotic seafood. The main dish is a pot of boiling broth, raw beef, veggies, and noodles. The waitress will light the burner plate for the broth and then you cook your ingredients. Basically you "swish" the ingredients in the broth for a short period until cooked and then dip them in the sauces they provide. I thought the food was more than enough for one person. I would recommend ordering some sushi and one shabu shabu meal to share between two people. Two shabu shabus were too much for me and my date.

My wife and I go to Kitayama for one dish, Shabu Shabu. They do it really well!

When you order Shabu Shabu the first thing that is brought to the table is a small gas stove with a pot of broth. The waitperson will light the stove and when it begins to boil will bring very thinly cut beef and an nice assortment of vegatables. Using ohash (chop sticks), you put whatever it is that you want to eat into the boiling water and cook it. Because the beef is sliced so thin, it cooks in about a minute.

Shabu Shabu is a "fun" meal, especially with a small group. Because you cook and eat at your own pace, dinner tends to stretch out and is anything but formal.

Shabu Shabu runs about $30 per person (or more for a better cut of beef). It is a lot of food and we have never had room for desert afterwards.

One of the signs that a Japanese restaurant is good is how many Japanese dine there. My observation is that well over half the diners ar Japanese. They go to Kitayama for good food and authentic atmosphere.

This place is a real treat. It is in an odd office park location, near the entrance to the 73 freeway. What is especially nice is the way that the seating is made: private little booths, with curtains covering part of the booth facing the aisle in the restaurant. There is also a sushi bar if you are not able to get a table.

Fish is very fresh here, with special commendation to the blue fin and yellowtail. I went a few times in the course of a couple of weeks, and found the food always good, although sometimes the chef offered larger cuts of fish than others. I was surprised that it was a little inconsistent, with some rolls bursting with fish, and other times they were more rice than fish.

Service is very attentive and presentation is nice.

I gave this restaurant a higher rating than Abe. I was surprised to see Kitayama have the same price rating as Abe: it is probably 1/2 of the price, and 90% as good.

If you are in the area and you like sushi, you should definitely go.