October 30th 2011

Venison Pie

venison, foie gras, pumpkin, maitake mushroom wrapped in pie crust, served with red miso/red wine sauce

October 23rd 2011

Grilled Scampi foamed americaine sauce on top, served with mushroom rissoto







Halibut 2 ways

Halibut fillet and enoki/shiitake mushroom, potato, seaweed wrapped in pie crust, served with yuzu butter sauce

Halibut fillet, chanterelle, porcini, enoki, maitake, shimeji , shitake mushroom and leek wrapped with wax paper, served with ponzu sauce

October 19th 2011

Hon Maguro from Boston


Right under the skin of the tuna, there is a very tasty super fatty layer. It is between two strong tendon layers and is most often scraped off with a spoon to be used for rolls.



This time around, we are taking the time to peel off this layer piece by piece, to serve it as nigiri or sashimi.

Hagitoru = verb meaning to peel off.

Therefore, this is called "Hagi Toro".

Nanbu Bijin / Tengumai Pairing Dinner

Sunday 10/09, we held a pairing dinner with a variety of sake from two breweries: Nanbu Bijin and Tengumai.


from left:

* Nanbu Bijin - Sparkling Plum Sake (no added sugar)
* Nanbu Bijin - Tokubetsu Junmai
* Tengumai - Yamahai Junmai
* Nanbu Bijin - Daiginjo
* Tengumai - Daiginjyo
* Nanbu Bijin - All Koji
* Nanbu Bijin - Plum Sake (no added sugar)


It was warmer than expected on this day, so at the last moment we changed the order and pairing of the sake - Therefore, if you had previously read our menu plan, the following is a tiny bit different.


Amuse Bouche
Gyusujii Nikomi Choux:
Shichimi choux stuffed with braised beef tendon

pairing with Nanbu Bijin - Sparkling Plum Sake

We paired here the salty-sweet taste of the braised beef with the sweetness of the plum, plus the richness of the beef tendon and the bubbles of the sake.

1st Course
Bonito Tataki Salad with yogurt/miso sauce

pairing with Nanbu Bijin - Tokubetsu Junmai

We initially planned to pair the acidity or the Yamahai with the fermented elements of the yogurt miso sauce, but at the last moment changed the sake to contrast the refreshing feel of the Nanbu Bijin Tokubetsu Junmai with the fattiness of the autumn bonito.


2nd Course
Dashimaki Tamago

Cooked Egg served with mushroom ankake/micro mitsuba
(chanterelle, porcini, shimeji, shiitake, maitake mushroom)

Pairing with Tengumai - Yamahai Junmai (warm)

Key of the pairing here: Mushrooms with the warmed Yamahai to accentuate its earthiness.




3rd Course
Grilled Eel (shirayaki), eggplant & shishito pepper tempura
served with tomato miso sauce, balsamic reduction, micro chive

pairing with Nanbu Bijin - Daiginjo

The fullness of the aroma of this sake was paired with the earthiness of the grilled eel and the acidity of the tomato,
and its long finishing laced up with the balsamic sauce.



4th course

We did not take any photo, but we here served some nigiri, 3 pieces each from the following:
Tuna Zuke w/wagarashi (Japanese mustard)
Kanpachi w/yuzu kosho
Fluke cured with konbu seaweed w/yuzu zest
Botan shrimp w/ lobster miso
Ankimo (monk fish liver) w/Nara zuke (Radish pickles)
Uni / Ikura (Sea urchin / Salmon Roe)

Pairing with Tengumai - Daiginjyo

For a Daiginjyo, this one is not overwhelmingly flagrant but instead has a very good body to its taste, so we chose for it sea derived ingredients with rich taste, some spicy element and citrus.


Entree
Kamo Soba

Roasted duck, leg confit, sauteed foie gras, buckweat noodle, mizuna, served with bonito broth

pairing with Tengumai - Yamahai Junmai

The particular game flavor of the duck and the richness of the foie gras is paired here with the umami and sharpness of the Yamahai.

Dessert
Kuri Zenzai

cooked chesnut, sake ice cream, grilled rice cake, sesame senbei served with chilled red bean soup

pairing with Nanbu Bijin - All Koji

This pairing allowed the aroma of koji from this sake to blend with the sweetness of the dessert, adding another element to it.

Oct 7th 2011

Pike Makerel (Sanma) from Hokkaido

Grunt Fish (Isaki) from Oita

Needle Fish (Sayori) from Kumamoto




Golden Eye Snapper(Kinme) from Kouchi

Black Snapper (Kuro Dai) from Fukuoka

October 6th 2011

Sea Urchin from Maine

Please try with chilled Denshin Aki - Junmai Genshu Nama Zume







Chanterelle & Porcini from Washington, Seattle

Please try with warm Masumi Yamahai Junmai Ginjyo

Oct 6th 2011

Denshin Seasonal Nama Sake Series (Dec 2010 - Oct 2011) - The last version of this one year series has arrived.

Denshin Aki - Junmai Genshu Nama Zume

(Aki = autumn)
Fresh fruity aroma that intensifies as you sip, presence of sweetness of rice, with a sharp/clean finish.

This one is the summer version.

Not available right now, but we will have it again next summer.

Denshin Natsu-Junmai Daiginjyo Shizuku Nama

(Natsu = summer)

Fruity aroma , hint of earl grey tea, rich, complex, with a very long finish.

Denshin Fuyu - Honjyozo Nama

(Fuyu = winter)

see our blog Dec 2010

Denshin Haru - Junmai Ginjyo Nama

(Haru = spring)

see our blog April 2011

Oct 4th 2011

Gnome Fish (Medai) from Nagaski

Blue Snapper (Ao Dai) from Fukuoka

Grunt Fish (Isaki) from Saga

Pike Mackerel (Sanma) from Hokkaido

No Photo : we have baby spotted sardine (Shinko) & Crystal squid (shin Ika)