What did you eat last night for dinner? - Page 1271

Still thinking on that. I think you might want to prepare yourself to get into a cab once in awhile to go to stuff, I had a few friends visit me last week and we ended up meeting all over the place. That was partially because they were a group of 7 and getting tables for 9 on the same day was hard, but also because the typical things they were looking to find were also just all over the place, and they went unaccompanied to even more places across Tokyo. Staying local in Shibuya is like trying to find hot nightlife in midtown Manhattan.

I think Jiro at Roppongi Hills presents a nice alternative to the honten at Ginza, and yes foreign people who try to reserve at the honten will get directed to call the Roppongi Hills branch instead and get hung up on thereafter, and if walking into the honten and trying to do the same will lead to the same results, as I watched firsthand. I think this is not because the guys can't speak English, it's because they just don't want to speak to you really, period. They are working, and Edomae sushi is fast food, and not the kind of beer-chugging, wasabi-dipping sushi bar experience that they know Westerners may be looking for; that counter is there for you to watch them work, but the invisible barrier is not meant to be breached with conversation and distraction from their work at hand. I think he has sent that second son out there to Roppongi to do an interpretation of the looser, more foreigner-friendly type of sushi shop. In his omakase, Jiro lays down the day's menu in front of you, gives you a moment to look over the list, and then asks you if you don't like any particular item (for example, my wife, who is better versed in sushi than me and is blue blooded Japanese, doesn't like the 'blue fishes' like mackerel, kohada, et al) so he can sub something else, and then gets to work. So, in that sense, he's not the sushi nazi, he just doesn't really encourage eating and talking at the same time, fair enough. Some of the best Japanese food critics pretty much say the same thing, that you should expect to end up eating this great sushi in complete silence, even if all 10 seats at the counter are occupied. Michelin doesn't mention anything about the atmosphere really, but it's pretty much the topic of conversation in the Japanese language restaurant guidebooks.

The good about Roppongi Hills is that it's cheaper, and the second son runs it like a store by itself as a former apprentice of Jiro (which he is) but with the familial benefits in proprietary tech, I guess. The price is a third less or even cheaper (I think 12,000Y for lunch? whereas honten is 30,000Y day/night) , but you're getting the best impression of his father one can buy without going to the Honten. For almost everybody, myself included, that is a good deal, pricewise. You can get some amazing sushi in this town for as little as $10-20 sometimes, so $400 a head for that short of a meal is unabashedly esoteric and not for everyone. It's about going there and watching Jiro move swiftly to make his signature sushi, using his hands to measure the grain count of the rice and the weight of the fish without even having to look, there is this air of quiet confidence in that he will turn out perfection; Yoshikazu is in his 50's and still just slices the fish, which is normally a job for the young nobody apprentices in normal sushi shops. The level of quality is really high, not a beat missed. Since Roppongi Hills is that much cheaper and in line with most other sushi places around town, I'd say the second son probably doesn't have the level of mastery his father has, but still turns out some amazing sushi - after all, the vinegar and sugar, the rice selection, the tare recipes, the sourcing of the products - those are all the same.
that said, I don't think I will go to the Roppongi Hills branch, and I live only a few minutes away from it. There are a lot of sushi places on the level of Jiro honten that are making sushi with different flavors, but the same level of quality. Price is usually a little less, I think. I think my next stop is Sushi Mizutani, who is a former apprentice of Jiro's...

I look like I could play either Jesus or Satan in an Asian theatrical production. I get good service in Asia, and horrible service in America, probably because of this.

isn't that what all the kids are doing these days? that's what our official market research suggested!

Yikes, just knowing that is helpful.

I don't think anyone's going to believe the Asian thing

Not last night but had ink (LA) this weekend and was very impressed! Sorry about the gross cell phone picture. I didn't bring my camera.


2012-05-19 21.25.59 by sygyzy, on Flickr

sygyzy, what did you like/dislike? i wasn't all that impressed when i went.

Sole braisée aux langues de coques

Ramen.

Hmm I liked the first course (fluke, caesar tempura alot). I thought the egg yolk gnocchi and mushrooms were good (pictured) but maybe a little too much food (yeah too big of a portion) and it's kind of heavy. The fish was really yummy (black bass I think). Milk fed veal was great. Super tender, almost fatty and soft like pork belly (weird analogy I know). It was a good portion too and we were getting full by now. Oysters with oyster leaf was a lot of fun. The leaf tastes exactly like oysters. The desserts were amazing. I got the apple because everyone said to get it and it's really good but the greek yogurt is the best.

What I didn't like: Besides the things I included above, I didn't like my rum cocktail. I did like the nonalcoholic drink ALOT. I also thought the service was confusing. You know immediately when you walk in that this is hipster establishment (like the Momofuku's in NYC). What this means is you have guys that have this attitude that you don't belong there and you are not good enough for them, but it's this weird paradox where they are supposed to serve you and they have to be nice to get a tip. So on paper, there's really nothing wrong with the service we received but it's a weird and slightly uncomfortable vibe. I am probably just being picky.

Asparagus roasted with marrow and parmesan

I was one of said friends. If it makes you feel better, I get called a hipster in my rinky dink river town almost daily. In Chicago, noone would dream of calling me that.

I'm virtually certain no one has ever called me a hipster. Yuppie, yes. Degenerate, occasionally. Hipster, never.

I made Copper River salmon this weekend. The difference between that and regular salmon is like, holy god, wow.

yum. looks great.