Sushi Otaku

Archive for May, 2011

Faithful reader, Hayato, has asked me where to order sea urchins, so I thought I’d post that information for all to see. While the company I got mine from isn’t around anymore (online at least) I have found another place for them. Since you are on the west coast anyway, Hayato, Catalina Offshore Products has sea urchins here and while I have never ordered from them, I’ve heard good things about them and they are on my list for my next sushi party. You can order both Uni and live urchins. Good luck and let me know how it turns out!

Warren
The Sushi Guy.

All sushi in the US is flash frozen at some point in transit before it gets to your table, which I believe is a legal requirement. This is done to kill any dangerous parasites (such as Anisakis simplex) in the fish and protect consumers. I understand the policy, and won’t argue the safety point, but I will argue that it does something to the food that we consumers end up paying for. Well, not all of us, mind you, but there is an element out there that really savors the fish (like those audiophiles who claim to hear all sorts of things in music that the rest of us have no clue about) and there is no question in my mind that the quality is impaired by this process.

I can speak from experience. Years ago I was on a fishing boat with my cousin and, to make a long story short, he caught a large bluefin tuna. When we returned to shore that day the crew had already arranged for a group of Japanese men to meet us at the dock and offer a large sum of money to my cousin for the fish, which he took. What we also took was a large hunk of the fish that we ate then and there on the dock. This was not a chilled, previously frozen, perfectly cut and presented piece of neta, this was a hunk of maguro that was alive only a few hours ago. And it was great. The flesh was resilient and smooth, with slightly more texture than I was used to with standard maguro. I can’t say that it was night and day, because the differences were subtle, but to me, this was clearly not the maguro that was my usual fare. It made me wonder what else I should try right from the boat (although the only other fish I have tried raw and fresh was one I cannot remember the name, but I had the opportunity to catch on my sister’s research vessel in the Caribbean as she is a marine biologist).

Fresh sushi is something that anyone should try if they have the opportunity. I guess the risks of parasites are higher if you don’t treat the fish, but if you are willing to take that risk (and I sure am, and I eat oysters, clams and other critters raw all the time too) then do it. It’s like the Kobe beef vs. standard beef issue, if you can appreciate the difference then you deserve it, but if you are like my father, it’s probably just another piece of steak. I personally prefer the Kobe.

Happy New Year!
Warren
The Sushi guy.

Well, holiday sushi only in the sense that we’re in the holiday season I guess… My birthday was December 24th and my wife had asked me what I wanted to do for dinner. It’s the night before Christmas and what we often do is have dinner at home with whatever family came into town and spend the rest of the evening putting together toys for the kids. There was only one thing I wanted… Sushi .

My folks were in town and they are, as I have mentioned, meat and potatoes people. They eat fish, but not raw. My brother the vegan won’t even eat anything that has a brain/ganglia or a face, as he puts it. My kids are only interested in playing with the food (and my daughter is too young for raw fish anyway), but they will eat edamame. But my aunt and uncle, who live one town over, are sushi eaters, so we had a small percentage of the crew who would eat if we got sushi.

We got sushi.

I gave fair warning and my folks got Chinese food. My brother always makes his own tofu or seitan or something (which is usually pretty good I must admit) and my kids got eggs, rice and veggies. I think it was a pretty boring spread of food, and when you put the sushi up against everything else, it makes you scratch your head and wonder how it got there. The sushi looked great, well presented on the plate (itamae made, my layout), a stark contrast to the bowls of greasy Chinese somethingorother and a dark mass of somethingelse I had to ask my brother the contents. Overall a strange spread. So I (and my wife and aunt) had a healthful dinner, with a clean and fresh feel to it, craft and quality while most of the crew got to have a bowl of grease and unidentifiable foods overly seasoned and full of MSG. For a Christmas eve/birthday dinner. And it was good. But my aunt left my birthday cannolis at home.

Warren
The Sushi guy.

Small Business – Green-Eyed Monster

This is an article I just came across in Fortune about wasabi (how timely). I really love that people in North America are getting to know this great plant, but for the life of me I can’t understand how someone who supposedly loves this product would then go ahead and turn it into a powder. The volatiles that make wasabi what it is are destroyed when the plant is turned to powder, so what you end up getting is something ‘sort of like’ wasabi. I guess it’s better than horseradish, but still, I would always buy from the folks who sell the unpowdered form in NorthAm over this guy. Just my opinion…

Warren
The Sushi Guy.

How do you decide where to go? A colleague of mind has invited me to a dinner at one of two different sushi-yas in NYC and I’m in a quandary. They are both top rated, traditional restaurants and I’ve heard great things about both. The problem is that I have no frame of reference.

That may sound odd, but when it comes to sushi, it’s very particular and the differences are established by presentation, freshness, and creativity. These are not things that can be judged without having been there. It’s easy to arrive at a restaurant and say ‘Oh My God, I’m leaving’ (as I did when I saw a rat walk casually up to me in an Indian restaurant about 10 years ago). But when it looks good and sounds good, It’s impossible to tell the difference between two dedicated sushi joints without having the experience oneself.

When it comes to sushi, especially, what is ‘good’ is really determined by ones preferences. Some folks like uni and can judge excellent quality in a piece. To others, it’s a slimy goo (which is practically blasphemy, IMHO). The point is, I hear they are good restaurants, but will they satisfy this sushi otaku?

I think there’s only one way to find out. I’ll flip a coin, head on over and ask for the ‘omakase.’ There is no better way to test an itamae’s abilities and see what a restaurant can offer. Then, I’ll have to mosey on over to the other one (perhaps I’ll invite him) and do the same. then compare.

There is no other type of food that is so personal an experience than sushi. I love items that my wife won’t touch. Everyone has their favorites, and with the variety of flavors and textures that sushi offers, it’s not hard to find something you like. But finding something that you will mortgage your soul for (I can’t sell it outright) is truly a unique experience, and for some people, this is it. For others, it’s just a dinner. But the experience that a particular sushi restaurant offers is what makes this type of dining so very personal.

Warren
The Sushi Guy.

I like sitting at the sushi bar at a restaurant. Tables are fine, but when I really want to get into things I sit at the bar. Omakase (chef’s choice) is much better when he is right in front of you, and even if you have your preferences, it’s always nice to watch it being made right in front of you and eating your hamachi moments after being cut. It’s also a great way to befriend the itamae.

When I started more regularly to sushi restaurants, there was one in particular that I would go to with my extended family. We went somewhat regularly, and were fortunate to always be seated at the bar. We got to know the itamae, Sato-san, well enough that he would always seem to find something different or unusual for my cousin and me (two kids who would eat pretty much anything) and was a really friendly guy. He took notice of us because we took notice of him. We were full of questions, and he was full of tricks. Not those silly Benihana kind of tricks, but to a 16 year old who is one of the only non-Japanese in a restaurant, origami critters and strange fish parts served in a creative manner are always interesting.

I’m older now and not so fascinated by origami, however when I get the chance, I always sit at the sushi bar, especially when I know I’ll be back. The itamae will get to know you, will sometimes suggest other items if he thinks what you ordered might not be the best that day, and is often a really interesting person. He knows the food he handles and can be your guide as well as your chef. If you show an interest in his skills he will usually steer you right. Buy him a beer (as I mentioned before). Talk to him. Ask about the special or unusual items (often reserved for the Japanese clientèle who are more familiar with them). But most of all, enjoy your stay at the bar because you might discover things you would otherwise have overlooked.

Warren
The Sushi Guy.

I’ll eat sushi any way and chance I get. I end up eating a lot of take out simply because it’s easy and with two young children, it’s not always fun when the edamame starts getting tossed around. But I really like the experience of being in the restaurant, drinking my sake, listening to the hum of the other diners. It’s fun watching what other people eat and watching the expressions of the people next to you when you get the raw quail egg and slurp it down with gusto. Or start munching on the shrimp heads. These are not common occurrences in North America.

My favorite restaurant does a pretty brisk take-out business, I’ve asked them, and I get everything from my regulars to bowls of their salad dressing to keep me ‘fixed’ for a week. And while their sushi is always great, whether eaten here or there, there’s just something about the temperature of the food that seems really important to me. Sushi is not served room temperature. It’s usually slightly chilled (or warm if cooked like Unagi maki). And this makes a huge difference. By the time I get my take-out home, my food is room temperature and the avocado has often lost some of it’s texture and color. It’s just not the same. Even the same brand of sake just doesn’t taste the same at home. It sounds dumb, but it’s true.

While I always prefer take-out to no sushi at all, there’s something to be said for getting off my bum and heading over to the restaurant and hunkering down. The food is great, the dishes are cleaned for you and the tea is, well…. restaurant bancha is never great, but it’s all part of the experience. So when I can… I’ll be sticking around.

Warren
The Sushi Guy.

I was introduced to sushi when I was around 10 or 11 years old, I think. I was at a fairly ritzy party of some sort and they had a large plate of basic items for the taking… but no one was taking. This was over 20 years ago and I guess sushi hadn’t caught on here in North America, and it looked kind of weird. But then again… I’m kind of weird

so… I bee-lined for the table and tried a piece. And then another. I couldn’t believe that something this good existed and I hadn’t come across it. My mother had a catering business, and food was a large part of my lifestyle, but here was something so totally different, so intricate yet simple that it really made me stop and think about what food can be. For a minute. I was only 11, after all. I was used to fancy foods, I even cooked for my mother’s business at times and knew the routines. But I knew that these pieces required skills that no one I knew possessed. This was food as art, and it was mighty tasty too. Food, a basic requirement of life and a mere commodity, couldn’t get better than this.

I knew that I had found something that I would seek out for the rest of my life. I didn’t eat anything else that day, and I probably polished off most of the sushi and sashimi that was offered, since no one else seemed to want any (and 11 year old kids kind of do what they want anyway, right?). It wasn’t a problem. But what was a problem was finding more sushi. It was years before I realized that there were restaurants out there devoted to sushi. And even longer before I could eat at one(the thought of raw fish was never something that the rest of my family could appreciate). Eventually, I found my way, and my aunt, seeker of all things culinarily different, became my sushi savior. But that too is another story.

Warren
The Sushi Guy.

Welcome to my sushi blog, and, yes, I am aware of the negative connotation of the word ‘otaku’ in Japanese, however being a gaijin I thought I’d throw caution to the wind and use the word anyway. Westerners seem to think they have adopted the word for themselves so at least I’m not the first to misuse it
(stands up) “Hi. My name is Warren and I am a sushi freak.” I love sushi. I obsess over sushi. The yielding crunchiness of Ika (squid). The fresh and fecund creaminess of Uni (sea urchin). The way tobiko (flying fish roe) hides between my teeth for hours after a meal.
I talk about it way too much and if I had my way, I’d have a personal chef preparing me a new type every day for lunch and dinner. I also run the Sushifaq.com website as a labour of love. I *do* have a life outside my obsession, but I can honestly say that sushi factors heavily into my life nonetheless. As yet another outlet, I figured I’d start this blog to clear my head, share my thoughts (and meals), and interact with other sushi lovers out there in the real/virtual world. With that… on with the show. Happy eating!

Warren
The Sushi Guy.