Scallops, mushrooms, spices set aflame: Kansas City Dynamite dish lives up to its name

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The Dynamite at Brookside Sushi … well the dish’s name says it all.

But the menu goes beyond the restaurant’s name, with far more than sushi. The Dynamite’s lemon butter scallops, mushrooms and spicy mayo are a melt-in-your-mouth combination with just the right kick.

And to top it off, the meal itself is an experience: The dish is served in a half scallop shell, flambé style. As the menu aptly points out, it’s not available to go.

The nondescript restaurant at 408 E. 63rd St. opened as the pandemic hit, then temporarily closed as the city shuttered and (most) people were filled with trepidation.

After it opened more fully in September 2020, I started dining there on the invite of my friend Andy Clark, who lives within walking distance of the restaurant (lucky him). And we’ve been going regularly ever since.

Here’s the scene on a recent weekday: Owner and chef Salvador Ortiz carefully shapes sushi rolls, topping them with pops of orange roe, then prepares a heaping plateful of noodles, broccoli and greens for a group wanting shabu shabu.

Ortiz arrived in Kansas City in 1990 from Mexico and got a job washing and busing dishes at Kabuki, a Japanese restaurant in Crown Center.

“I was not a cook or anything like that,” Ortiz said.

Around 1993, he started working in the kitchen. A couple years later, he began learning sushi basics — like how to make a California roll — skills he remembers being both nervous and excited to take up. He continued taking on more challenging rolls and roles.

“Year by year, I’m learning,” he said.

After Kabuki closed in 2014, he worked at other Japanese restaurants, including Sakura in Shawnee.

Now as owner of Brookside Sushi, a sign outside with an illustration of Ortiz announces, “Sal’s rolling.”

Inside, Andy and I sit at the bar in front of a case of raw seafood in a variety of pink hues. We’re served a crab salad topped with tempura flakes that is delicately delicious.

Then we order some edamame, the Brookside roll and of course the Dynamite, which was created using a recipe “from years ago,” Ortiz says.

“These little bastards are so good,” Andy quips as he takes another lightly salted edamame.

We split the Brookside (tuna, yellowtail, scallions and avocado), carefully dipping it into soy sauce with ginger, and then the Dynamite arrives. The waitress sets it aflame and we watch as the fire spreads, searing the scallops and mushrooms. After it extinguishes, we dig into the rich dish, savoring the satisfying texture (an important quality of food in my opinion).

“It’s very popular here,” Ortiz says. And it costs $13.

Other favorites are the salmon and the Brookside Special (which includes chicken teriyaki, tempura, four pieces of nigiri and three pieces of the tuna maki roll). The menu also offers up udon, ramen and rarer types of sushi like uni (sea urchin: lovely though strange, an acquired taste, according to Andy — and one that I have not yet acquired).

Ortiz says he loves being in Brookside, and many residents have come to appreciate the restaurant. Some greet him by name or thank him on their way out as he makes another Mango Ceviche or Tempura Burrito roll from behind the counter.

“I would travel long distances for food of this quality and it’s right here in my neighborhood,” Andy says. “I feel very fortunate.”