Wow! Has it really been 2 months since I've shared a glorious meal??? I've enjoyed many a delicious venture since Sushi Damo and I regret not having shared those experiences (I will recount them soon, I promise!). Insane projects at work, general stress and a too-large-to-carry laptop have been problems solved by me kicking my work's butt and inheriting a smaller laptop :D Time to blog my socks off!!
I simply could NOT fail to write about my trip to NYC a few weekends ago. I was told by J to bring an outfit worthy of a 'night on the town' because we were going to celebrate her move across the country. When asked if I wanted to know where we were going, I opted to be surprised; we took the train downtown and walked past Chelsea Market, but no bells were ringing. In fact, even after seeing the entry-way - a red, traditional noren hanging from large arched opening on a very industrial-looking building-face - I was unsure where we were. (Are we at NYC's Sushi Damo? I don't remember it being by Chelsea Pier.)
Finally, we push past the traditional curtain and a glass wall slides open. There, on the glass panel was one word. Morimoto. I can't describe the excitement that followed. I swooned and grabbed J's arm, "NO WAY! REALLY?!?!" I bounced up and down. J was pleased with my reaction, my face ached from the copious smiling.
The restaurant's architecture transports you to a modern reef. Filled water bottles, arranged with bottoms facing out are back-lit with blue light, covered walls mimicking sun through clear water and looking up at the tent-like, draped-fiber-glass roof is reminiscent of swimming beneath breaking waves. My favorite part was the "coral" ... exposed, square concrete piers and columns in ocean-clay gray halted before reaching the waves. (Yes, I work in construction and concrete has a special place in my heart, but the way they left the form-tie holes unfilled just left me giddy!)
We were early for our reservation (go figure, the 2 train ran express on a Saturday), so we followed the hostess' suggestion to enjoy a drink downstairs. Like a hidden cave in the reef, the bare concrete and glass staircase descended into a bar/lounge where the back-lit bottles were arranged vertically (like falling water) on one wall and another was clad in boat cabin-like wood. The space was lit like a glowing bedroom at-sea. It was beautiful and intimate. The seating reminded me of the marlin-fishing chairs you see on the back of boats.
We settled on two cocktails: I chose the Morimotini, J chose the White Lily. Though I have never liked martinis, I trusted Morimoto on his namesake combination of sake, wasabi-infused vodka and cucumber. It was like drinking really crisp and clean water (very zen, very strong and perfect because I will drink a fruity drink WAY too quickly). The White Lily's predominant flavor was yuzu (paired with vodka) - I mean, seriously, how can you go wrong? It was tart, refreshing and delicious.
I excused myself to go to the bathroom. (Are you ready for this? Yes, here comes two whole paragraphs about the bathroom.) So, I stand like an idiot at the bathroom door. I push. I pull. I wait. A guy walks into the men's room behind me, sliding the door open. I get it. The completely matte white bathroom has floor-to-ceiling walls at the stalls and is very dimly lit. I actually felt slightly claustrophobic until I walked into the first stall and saw a pristine pink cherry blossom tree backed by an infinity mirror behind the toilet. I was thrilled!! (I love cherry blossoms!) I ran out to J and told her to come check out the bathroom with me. She said she'd wait at the table until I was done.
I sighed, said "fine" and walked [tail between my legs] back to the bathroom. I opened the door (correctly this time) and entered the stall again. Cherry blossoms couldn't compare to what I experienced next. Not only did the seemingly-plain white toilet open for me upon entry, but it had a perfectly heated seat. There was a silver menu on the wall with ALL SORTS of options: "Back Cleanse", "Front Cleanse", "Pressure", "Position" (with arrows), "Oscillating", "Pulsating", "Dry", "Stop". My jaw dropped open. I heard a muffled giggle in the stall next door. Too nervous to touch anything I ran back out to the table. "J, GO TO THE BATHROOM. NOW." She went and came back a few minutes later, eyes and mouth open wide, gesturing "OH MY GOD." (I KNOW, RIGHT???) The host who was ready to take us to our table questioned us, "did you just come from the bathroom?" Uh. Ya. He laughed and boasted, "it's Zagat rated." Excuse me?? Zagat rates bathrooms?? Who knew?
SIDE NOTE/TMI: It took me two more bathroom trips to work up the courage to press a button. I pressed a few buttons, actually.... no words. All I can say is that I was so startled that I jumped up - a gentle swirling stream of warm water arced and splashed to the floor in front of me.
OK. Sorry ... back to the food.
We were seated at a communal table which can be a pleasant thing if you have interesting people next to you to talk to and are in the mood to chat. We, luckily did and were. We compared all of our dishes with the two older couples next to us throughout dinner. They had children our age and got a kick out of our food reviews.
J and I agreed that this just didn't seem the place to order sushi; avid fans of Iron Chef, we wanted to see what else Chef Masaharu Morimoto had to offer us. We started looking over the appetizers, took advice from our neighbors and our waiter and finally decided on the Tuna Pizza and Kobe Beef Carpaccio. We also agreed that, if we were at Morimoto's restaurant, we must drink his beer. So, we also ordered a bottle of both the Morimoto Soba Ale and the Black Obi Soba Ale. Both are made from buckwheat and brewed by Rogue Ales (an awesome craft beer brewery from Oregon); the Black Obi is darker and more nutty with a toasted flavor, but is surprisingly light - it was our definite favorite.
Before we were brought our first course, our [almost too] efficient waiter brought out a starter of flash-fried whole sardines with a lime wedge. They were awesome, heads, tails and all! Then the Kobe came. It was my first time having the much-talked-about beef, and the texture was incredible - soft, but rich and unlike any cut or preparation I had ever had. The "carpaccio" was drizzled with hot sesame oil which cooked the outside of the meat and was topped with a yuzu soy, ginger and garlic. Divine. My concerns about the Tuna Pizza falling-short of my high expectations were forgotten after my fist bite of the sashimi tuna-topped tortilla with anchovy aioli drizzle, olives and spicy jalapenos. Super fresh, and with a kick!
It was fun seeing our neighbor's appetizers, too. Their Toro Tartare was served packed in a small, shallow, rectangular dish, resting on a large bowl of shaved ice decorated to look like a beach scene. Each person was provided with a little "shovel" in which to sample the tartare and the various accompaniments. The plating of each dish really did make you feel like you were judging a battle on Iron Chef. Like the title of this entry, I would quit my job in a second to take a seat at that table.
For dinner, we decided against the $80 16oz. Wagyu NY Strip and the $20/oz. Japanese Kobe (... if only we were rich.) My sea bass was perfectly cooked, meaty, sweet and savory. Coated in a miso-based sauce, the generous fillet lay over Japanese eggplant and avocado tempura (dense and awesome!). There was also a tofu-like element that was delicious ... I now know what I did not know then: "sweet sake kasu" is what is left at the bottom of the barrel during sake's fermentation process. How cool!! I would have paid more attention to it's texture had I ventured to ask.
J went for the Surf & Turf: "kobe filet & hamachi ribbons, herbed potatoes, crushed citrus & avocado (prepared tableside)". The kobe was prepared simply and well - the same fantastic texture as earlier. The hamachi was truly fantastic. What a difference really fresh, well-cut sashimi makes in the flavor and texture of a fish! The strips were tossed with avocado and lime. We couldn't pinpoint the herb in the purple fingerling potatoes, I did love it for it's uniqueness, though.
I think there's a rule somewhere that someone once said that reads something like, "if you spend a lot of money on a really nice dinner, you are required to have dessert." 10-4, captain. We had a hard time deciding on one to share. Warm chocolate cake with whiskey caramel? Dark chocolate fondant with coffee creme? (Can you tell I was hinting towards a chocolate dish?) Caramel cinnamon chiboust? Chocolate-hazelnut mousse cake w/ pomegranate gelee?
Well, we ended up going with what must have been the most fabulous tasting dessert on the menu: Blood orange panna cotta with kuzukiri noodles and satsuma mandarin sorbet. Out comes a traditional miso soup bowl. The waiter opens the lid to reveal the tender, jelly-like noodles nested under the satsuma sorbet. The panna cotta was hidden under a thin layer of blood orange gelee the color of the bowl, only distinguishable as something more than the inside of the lid by a few flecks of edible gold. It was one of the smoothest and most rich dairy desserts I have ever had. We sighed after every bite. The weight of the cream was perfectly countered by the cool sorbet and fruity, gelatinous noodles. It was just glorious.
What was also awesome, is that my neighbors satisfied my chocolate craving by offering me a bite of their decadent warm chocolate cake. *drool*
In closing, if you want to be an Iron Chef judge, go to Morimoto - it's basically the same!!!
