We started with the ubiquitous “Spoonfuls of Happiness” – two soup spoons, one filled with a tai-wrapped smoked ankimo dressed with a bit of truffle oil and tobiko, the other a preparation of uni with quail egg and house-made ponzu sauce. The spoonfuls are served with a specialty sake and being an ankimo fan, I thought I would prefer that bite, but the freshness of the uni and the subtlety of the ponzu made the uni the preferred bite.

Not wanting to get full on rice, we specifically requested sashimi — with two slices each of maguro, tai aka, sake, hamachi, and and kanpachi. Note that the fresh, real wasabi is certainly a treat.

Indicating we were definitely interested in “unusual” offerings, the chef made us a salad of light mizuna greens, thinly sliced cucumber, and baby raw whole shrimp and squid. I don’t recall ever having been served whole squid the size of my thumb. Incredibly tender and lightly dressed, this was an amazing offering.

As my client requested salmon, a special offering of crudo was presented — thinly sliced white salmon, so tender and bright.

There was also an unagi course, but I’m not remembering exactly how it was offered.

We finished up with my one request of the evening; ama-ebi, as my good friend, Lance (visiting from London), had never had a fried shrimp head before. Perfectly fresh sweet shrimp and the fried heads were light and crunchy. Just perfect.

I brought a potential client and I’m sure we must have been given some deals as we drank a lot of sake, ate a lot of sushi, and the tab was only $300 for four.

The post Koo Sushi first appeared on Feast Blog.

Fortune has taken me to Los Angeles a few times this year and undoubtedly one of the best trips has been to stay with jeweler friend Rose. Being compatriots in a great love of sushi, she and her boyfriend, Andrew, insisted on sharing her personal favorite, Sushi Gen at 422 East Second Street in downtown. I think Rose has a personal “in” with head-chef Masa, but I’m not complaining. We had to wait a long time to get in and apparently that is not unusual for the following this place has. We waited a good 45 minutes for the coveted seats in front of Masa’s station and it was well worth it.

We started with a bottle of Kubota Senjyu which worked well for the entire evening’s offerings. To sort of “cleanse our palate,” our first offering was halibut sashimi in ponzu, with just a touch of yuzu and the fresh green onions, this awakened our mouths with an immediate demonstration of a respect for the fish and how it is best showcased. Not wanting to get too full on rice, I requested more sashimi than nigiri and fatty tuna was the next presentation; so rich and satisfying. There were presentations of both Japanese and Spanish mackeral (I think I liked the Spanish a bit better), sweet shrimp with fried heads (yeah!), and red snapper.

Rose knows of my willingness to try anything new or different and we asked Mas for the most unusual ingredient of the evening. In this, Sea Cucumber to which his sous chef (sorry, didn’t get his name) gave us a little dance on what sea cucumbers look like in the water. I’m just thankful I got pictures documenting that hilarious demonstration! The salmon had perfect marbling and the dressing on the albacore was just enticing enough to bring out its delicacy. Another juxtaposition which was offered was the Ankimo; Rose likes it with miso while Andrew prefers it with ponzu. I got to taste both and I’m still not sure which is my favorite, both worked so very well and it was thrilling to have great ankimo as lately, so much of the livers I’ve been eating have been grainy and not fresh.

We should have been full, but we couldn’t stop ourselves, continuing with some shared nigiri; scallops, unagi, squid with uni, and yellowtail. Rose and I also shared some oysters and then we culminated on a roll that Masa makes for Rose specially: a toro maki that is topped with more chopped toro and green onion. That was about my breaking point – we were too full for words and quite ecstatic. I don’t get this quality of sushi in San Francisco, that I have been able to find. The freshness of fish and its presentation was very reminiscent of Urasawa at a fraction of the price. So glad to have a new destination restaurant in Los Angeles and great friends to share it with!

The post Sushi Gen first appeared on Feast Blog.

Over the weekend I agreed to meet a new friend for lunch in the East Bay. I was thinking something innocuous and friendly, like Fat Burger or some other unknown local eatery. Joe picked me up a BART and had other ideas; Napa’s famed Auberge du Soleil. Wow. All the years I lived in Napa, I had only had an occasional glass of bubbly or attended some private, catered event at the institution. I had never eaten off their menu…

We were seated on the terrace overlooking the valley that had been my home for so many years. There was some debate on how many courses to order and Joe forged through with one of my favorite philosophies: Order whatever you want. What a joy! Thankfully, bites were shared across the board so I got a good sampling of a fairly extensive menu. Joe was very sweet in letting me order the wine and considering the lovely warm weather, I opted for a 2002 Dr. Loosen Riesling which was lightly sweet with delicate hints of a floral aroma and a perfect balance of acidity. Overall, it was a great wine to pair with our day’s offerings…

Joe started with Shrimp Tempura with pickled vegetables, crunchy scallop, and soy vinaigrette. The vinaigrette was creamy versus a classic oil-and-vinegar style and made a great accompaniment. The batter on the tempura was a bit thick and cakey for my taste, but the scallop was encased in shredded filo was delightfully light. Overall the Asian flavors were well-executed and the contrast of textures quite nice.

Sautéed foie gras with cherries and torchon with honey gelée served with brioche. The torchon was a fairly standard offering except that it was served on some powdered lemon verbena along with the gelée which made the offering light and refreshing. This juxtaposed with the perfectly seared foie and the scrumptious cherries which was a magnificent offering.

Poached lobster salad with bibb lettuce, almonds, haricots verts, and curry vinaigrette. This was a stunning concoction and was made most remarkable by the Loosen wine pairing. The lobster was perfectly prepared and not overly chewy with the curry being just spicy enough to entice. Great Sunday afternoon offering and I could have happily finished my meal right here.

Monterey Bay squid salad with chickpeas, roasted peppers, and Picholine olives. The squid were excellent and had nary a tendency towards the rubberiness that can be so prevalent with cooked squid. The saucing was nice with a bit of mustard grain in the vinaigrette. What did not work at all were the olives which I don’t believe were Picholine at all, but tasted like overly brined green Martini olives. They overwhelmed the delicacy of the squid.

Wild shrimp risotto with heirloom tomatoes, and a tarragon and basil emulsion. I believe by reading the description of the dish that a prevalence of shrimp might have existed. While minimal in actual bites, the overall flavor was delightful and elegant. The tarragon/basil ring which surrounded the creamy concoction provided a bright, complex juxtaposition against the richness of the rice.

Day Boat scallops, sweet white corn, wild mushrooms, Prosciutto nage. My main offering of the day was the scallops which were monstrously huge with a great crispy exterior and very tender, succulent interior. They were sitting atop bites of very fresh corn and earthy mushrooms. The Prosciutto nage made for a very rich dish and I was having difficulty finishing the bites. Happily, Joe helped out.

Weakness reigned when it came to order desserts. I was torn between and two and Joe was torn between two and with one overlap between our choices, Joe ordered all three much to my delight.

Crispy filo-wrapped chocolate dumplings with tarragon ice cream and Arbequina olive oil. What called to me about this dessert was the tarragon ice cream and it did not disappoint. The warm, crunchy pockets exuded rich, creamy warm chocolate that was so well complemented with the tarragon ice cream and occasional swath of olive oil. Delectable.

Fromage blanc cheesecake, blackberries, hush puppies, and bay leaf jus. This might have been the winner of the day just for the bay leaf jus under the macerated blackberries and startlingly inventive hush puppies. Honestly, I didn’t give a hoot about the cheesecake. We had a bit of a battle over who was getting the last berry and hush puppy. This dessert was inventive and with the addition of the herb was brilliant.

Blueberry peach tart with oatmeal streusel, verbena ice cream, and Banyuls gastrique. Of the three, this was to most pedestrian and uninspired, except for the verbena ice cream which heightened the dish. It was very well prepared with an excellent crust, but nothing ground breaking other than its comfort-food quality.

Overall, the offerings were fascinating and well-prepared, but it was the desserts where the envelope got pushed. For me, out of the savory dishes, my seared foie and curried lobster salad were the most memorable. A truly beautiful day and the beginning of a great friendship!

The post Auberge du Soleil first appeared on Feast Blog.

Shame on me for not writing this up sooner. My birthday present to myself this year was a trip to Los Angeles to see old friends and to finally dine at the mythic Urasawa. There was as much anticipation in approaching this meal as there was in going to the French Laundry for the first time; so much has been written about it and its masterful chef, that one can almost anticipate disappointment. I mean, how special and remarkable can ultra-expensive hunks of raw fish be after all? Suffice to say, that nary a meal in my past can surpass what I experienced at the hands of Hiro Urasawa. Yep, its true. It is the best meal I have ever eaten in my entire life, bar none. No mis-steps, every taste a revelation, every offering better than the last.

Old food-chat-board buddy, Jschyun, was my dining companion for the evening and this was her — what? — fifth or sixth visit (if you can believe that!). It was funny to watch Hiro recognize her upon our entrance. She insisted on doing the camera duty for the evening so that I could just relax and enjoy what was to come. The only regret is that I did not bother taking notes and when the onslaught of nigiri commenced, upon reviewing the photographs after the fact, all cannot be remembered specifically. I have to laugh a bit about that, though. In perusing other blogs to try and match some others’ recent pictures with what we ate, I learned that we easily had five or six MORE nigiri than what others have been served on similar dates. Jschyun and I are chalking that up to her presence; it seems she used to even eat a lot more than what we had that evening. I left stuffed so how her tiny little self is able to consume even more boggles my mind.

1. We started with a small crystal bowl of Junsai, a bit of fresh seaweed, a bit of fish (I thought shrimp, but Jschyun doesn’t think so), all topped with a bit of gold leaf. Elegant, refreshing and a wonderful start.

2. Next was a gorgeous, delicious offering of o-toro, topped with a bit of grated radish, a bit of green, more gold leaf and all perfectly displayed in a rustic, handmade dish with an exquisite broth.

3. An incredibly simple offering came next, a single slice of Japanese eggplant with dipping sauce. Clean and fresh.

4. Goma Tofu – A stunning little dumpling made of sesame tofu stuffed with fresh uni and some red snapper. A little more gold leaf and a delicate broth.

5. The sashimi offering – on Hiro’s famous hand-carved pillar of ice (which frosted, actually LOOKS like folded paper!). Seaweeds, Spanish o-toro, red snapper, and uni. The wasabi was fresh and very sweet.

6. Chawan-Mushi – Hiro’s sous chef, brother-in-law, Kim, instructed us to lightly mix the bit of wasabi hiding under the gold leaf. When he saw me scooping down the bottom to blend, he reached over with his chopsticks to show me that only the top gelée and wasabi were to be blended together. Within the custard were a bit of grated mountain potato and sweet shrimp. Elegant and enticing.

7. Tempura with uni, red snapper, a bit of greens. I can never not like a fried dish and tempura is a favorite. I could have eaten a number of these…

8. Seared fatty tuna – The stone placed in front of us was the cooking stone and while Jschyun was shooting pics, Hiro looked playfully annoyed as he reached over to cook her food while Kim cooked mine. So flavorful and rich it could have been mistaken for seared quality beef.

9. Shabu-Shabu – We had been watching Kim thinly slice foie gras and I had no idea that it was going to be cooked in a soup! The foie is added first to give the broth a level of depth and richness with the melting fat. Then the sweet shrimp (which we had been laughing at their movement during Kim’s dessication) and a bit of Wagyu beef. Again, Hiro was scolding Jschyun as he is obviously anxious that the foods being prepared are eaten within minutes and she was delaying. I was fascinated that the chef was so conscientious about the timing of the courses and their consumption!

10. Being served some of the chef’s homemade pickled ginger, the onslaught of nigiri was about to begin! First up was o-toro. Ohmygod. I apologize there are not specific notes on all of the nigiri. They were each remarkable and a great deal of the joy was the relaxed enjoyment while not analyzing and note-taking.

11. Seared Wagyu nigiri.

12. Aji nigiri.

13. Tai Red Snapper nigiri. If you look closely at the picture, you will see a fine dusting of yuzu on top. Much of the ritual of the evening involved Hiro slicing the fish for the nigiri while Kim watched intently, grating fresh yuzu in a small hand grater. Just as the pieces were ready, Kim would hand the grater to Hiro who, after topping the pieces with a light marinade of yuzu sauce and a light soy, would grasp a chasen (green tea whisk) to brush the grated yuzu onto the pieces. It was a ballet of culinary proportions.

14. Sawara Mackeral nigiri.

15. Shiitake nigiri.

16. Maguro nigiri.

17. Skipjack nigiri.

18. Red Snapper nigiri

19. Squid nigiri.

20. Ebi (Sweet Shrimp) nigiri. A beautiful presentation where Kim is scooping out the shrimp brains and pulverizing the offal into a “sauce” which is smeared on the raw shrimp. Stunning.

21. Kohada (Spanish Mackeral) nigiri.

22. Abalone nigiri. I enjoyed watching Kim prepare this. Only the “heart” of the abalone is used — the rest discarded. And is very carefully scored so that when eaten raw, is completely tender.

23. Spanish Mackeral Tataki nigiri.

24. Scallop nigiri.

25. Migugai (Giant Clam) nigiri.

26. Anago (Sea Eel) nigiri.

27. Tamago – Egg custard.

28. Grapefruit Kanten – A sweet bite with bits of grapefruit and wolfberries, garnished with a touch of 24k gold.

29. Wagyu nigiri — Okay, we couldn’t resist and I asked for one more serving as I had never tasted a beef so tender. Served completely raw, it absolutely melted in the mouth.

30. Sesame ice cream with green tea – Hiro whips the tea himself and the ice cream also has a touch of gold. Such a beautiful finish to an amazing evening.

31. Barley tea. A way to clean the palate and relax while paying the bill. Yes, this meal was $500 a person (I alone drank sake). In retrospect, it was the most well-deserved and easily spent $500 I have ever spent. Worth every single penny.

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