Mr. Ralph and I had our favorite, Izakaya Matsu, in a little strip mall near our Ace Hardware store ... about one mile from home. Since they are closed on Sunday, we went to a newer (open two months) Japanese restaurant called Miso Phat Sushi. Large portions and great sushi. Not very comfortable seating and pretty small ... but Guy Fieri from Food Network had just called to say he was coming next month!
Guess what! I now have a new favorite ... spicy tuna roll. Not very spicy at all ... just really flavorful with a tiny kick. Probably all places make them at different levels of heat so until I know each restaurant, I wouldn't order just that for my meal.
Poke is a fresh (raw) fish salad, usually yellowfin tuna, and common basic ingredients such as soy sauce and sea salt. Poke can be seasoned with ingredients such as inamona (roasted crushed candlenut), sesame oil, limu seaweed, and chopped chili pepper, fish eggs, wasabi, green onions, Maui onions, sriracha, mayonnaise ... every shop has their special recipe. Believe it or not, we have a wine shop with a deli in the back and they have the best poke on Maui! Beth and David probably thought I was nuts but we stopped in to get a bottle of champagne and poke!!! We stayed in that night and had fresh veggies and fruit and poke. Followed by Trader Joe's dark chocolate covered peanut butter cups. Heaven!
Last night we tried my favorite Izakaya Matsu. Once we were seated (about 20 people can fit in there ...) the server announced that the sushi chef was out sick ... no sushi! Lots and lots of other things .... but we opted to try Sushi Paradise. The server was angry looking and angry acting and very bossy. We had to sit at the bar so no cooked food available there ... there were two tables of people and four RESERVED tables (no one ever came in the whole hour we were there!). The chef was an artist but the food was ordinary. Fresh, good but not even as good at Miso Phat.
Tonight we are invited over to friends (of Beth's!) and Thursday they are going out for a special date at Morimoto's (I'm staying home ... out of my budget and they have been paying for everything ... but I have my dignity! It's about $150 minimum each person!!) I actually did get talked into going and my oh my it was worth it. Once in a lifetime anyway. (Thank you Leslie!!!!)
So we will have one more sushi dinner on Friday before they depart at 11pm!
I feel the hives coming on and my throat closing up just reading this post. LOL Have fun with your guests.
ReplyDeleteHives? From fish? I have shellfish allergy but these were all fish. YUM! And again tonight ... at Sensei!
DeleteI think we need a "cleanse" to make sure we don't have intestinal worms from all that raw fish!! I don't like the vinegar or whatever they use on Sushi and I don't like the seaweed wrap. I dislike Miso soup to the max. I had a Japanese friend once that got terribly upset with me because everything I ate I thought was YUK. I guess it is an acquired taste?
ReplyDeleteWell, should we ever meet in person and go to lunch together ... we can find some cooked fish (mmmm fish and chips?) instead!
DeleteOh, you are right sushi isn't shell fish is it. I'm not allergic to fresh water fish or salmon. Still, sushi must be a thing of mind over matter because I can't bring myself to eat it. Which of course, mean more for you.
ReplyDeleteAll the food you describe makes my mouth water. Most kinds of raw fish I love, even octopus. I treated myself to sushi on Kauai, sitting at the sushi bar and trying this and that. I do recall the bill wasn't tiny. AW, you are one loved woman, if your guests are treating you so royally.
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