Akinori Sushi (Omakase) - August 2012

Date of Dining: 8/18/2012
Price: $60-90 per person for omakase
Location: 1417 University Ave, San Diego, CA 92103
website

The Quick Bit

+ high quality fresh sushi

+ product from japanese fish markets

+ creative flair to modify sushi

Δ service could be more attentive

Walking into a new sushi bar can be like a first date - you may or may not know something about the chef/restaurant before and you're trying to figure out if it will work out, and the chef is also trying to figure out what might appeal to you for your dining experience. Sitting down for the first time in front of Chef Akinori Sato and saying "omakase," there was definitely one of those awkward silences where he tried to figure out if I wanted the good stuff or just a variety. He went with the polite question of, "Sushi or sashimi?" to which we responded, "A little of everything" before the entire journey kicked off.

Akinori Sato is the owner and head chef of Akinori Sushi, which opened one month ago. Prior to opening his own place, Aki (as he is known by his regulars and staff) was the head chef at Surfside Sushi. When I asked him about his style, he said that it was grounded in edo style, but my take was that he has embraced more of a modernist take on sushi with a liberal use of sauces and blowtorches. However, everything is based in the fundamentals of edo style from the loosely packed small amount of rice to the fresh wasabi.

I had Aki at somewhat of a disadvantage going in as the restaurant came highly recommended by fellow food writer Rodzilla and gastrobit regular Michelle. I had a good feeling that the journey through this chef's menu would be exciting, but I really didn't know how events might play out.

Sashimi

sashimi platter

Aki started us with a sashimi platter - as he was making the sashimi, I inquired to if he had anything from Tsukiji. He informed me that while normally he does have product from there, this week it was closed. Fortunately, it was prawn season in San Diego and he had some amazing product locally.

amaebi (sweet shrimp) - San Diego

The amaebi was from local San Diego waters and still alive when Aki killed it. You could tell because the legs were still moving on the head piece. You can see this in Rodzilla's video if you're interested.

The quality of the amaebi was incredible due to the freshness and both the texture and sweetness of the shrimp was the perfect way for me to start the meal.

hamachi (yellowtail) belly

Next, I sampled the toro of the hamachi. This was an incredibly nice flavor and mouth feel from all of the fat in the hamachi. 

jack mackerel

While Aki called this Jack Mackerel (I'm guessing this is the proper name), usually others call it Spanish Mackerel. This was a great fully flavored cut of the mackerel and had a great depth of flavor as well as freshness.

blue fin kama toro (tuna)

Aki explained this dish as just "blue fin toro" but when I asked if it was chutoro (guessing on the color), he informed me that it was in fact not from the belly. When I offered "kama toro?" I think that is when he knew that I was serious about my sushi.

The toro melted in my mouth and was probably the best sashimi on the plate. However, it was only the best by the smallest of margins as everything on the plate was amazing.

aoyagi (orange clam)

The aoyagi was probably the best in terms of flavor and texture I've ever been served. Usually this was more of a delicate sweetness, but I found that this particular serving had a fuller sweetness in flavor.

uni (sea urchin) - San Diego

We finished with a nice piece of local San Diego uni. Aki was explaining that he had imported from Santa Barbara at the old place, but found that the local San Diego variety was even better.

Prepared Dishes

fried amaebi head

The first cooked dish to come was the fried heads of the amaebi - the perfect way to finish off enjoying the shrimp. The head was fully flavored with the meat and guts still in the shells. I did have a small debate as to if I should suck the head raw, but ultimately decided to wait for it to get cooked.

prepared dishes plate

Since not all the items were cooked, I'll just go with these dishes as requiring some additional preparation beyond the sashimi. Where the sashimi plate was more about enjoying the natural flavors of the product, this is where we learned a little more of Aki's own style and how he likes to present his food.

hirame - white truffle oil, ghost pepper salt

Aki explained this dish as being a "boring" fish so he had to make it more exciting. I was a little afraid when I heard the ghost pepper, but this dish ended up really working well. The ghost pepper gave the spicy kick and was just enough to open the palate to accept the white truffle even more. The halibut was the perfect conduit for the heat of the pepper and flavor of the truffle.

ika (squid) - tapiko (cod roe), shiso

The squid was an excellent quality in the texture, and it was accompanied by the tapiko to add salt as well as an additional element to the dish. The shiso served as a lettuce wrap type vessel for the entire dish.

uni tofu

Aki described this dish as his take on uni as tofu. In addition to the uni itself, he actually did incorporate some tofu cubes as well to give a nice color to the dish. This preparation was just more great uni flavor. 

rock shrimp - green onion, gochujang, miso, mirin

The rock shrimp was a big surprise. The shrimps were fried to perfection and tossed in Aki's special gochujang miso mix. There was a great balance between the heat of the gochujang to the crunch of the batter to the sweet flavor of the shrimp. 

waygu - portabello

This was the best dish on the plate and of the evening. I didn't clearly hear what the top bit was but Aki made a point to say that it was "free". The waygu started out chilled, but Aki brought out the torch to give the dish a quick sear.

The waygu literally melted in my mouth; in combination with the top portion that might have been Fowl, Osprey, Ibis, or Egret liver was an intense flavor explosion in my mouth. There was a duality of succulent rich flavors from the beef itself and the topping on top that combined into a deep complexity of flavor. The most welcome surprise was that in addition to these flavors the torch gave a nice smoky finish to the meat, which served to cut into the fatty flavors.

miso marinated chilean sea bass - shishito

The Chilean Sea Bass was good, but for me the perfectly fried shishito pepper almost stole the show. The cod was cooked nicely and full of flavor, but the flavor of the pepper really complemented the sea bass.

Palate Cleanser

seafood cocktail

okinawa seaweed, hirame (halibut), hotategai (scallop) cucumber, caviar , chive

Aki named this dish a seafood cocktail, and it served as the perfect palate cleanser between the previous dishes and the sushi. I loved the visual impact of the dish as it almost seemed like there was a plant growing out of the cocktail.

The combination of the seaweed and cucumber was extremely refreshing. As it was a hot day, as I enjoyed the cocktail, I was actually feeling any lingering heat escape my body. My only tiny complaint of the dish was that I felt the hotategai was a bit lost in the dish. Really there could have been any protein and the dish would have been just as good.

Sushi

sushi plate

As with any proper japanese meal, we finished with the sushi as the main event. 

saba (japanese mackerel) - konbu, ginger, chive

This was the best sushi for me of the night. The saba was wonderfully full bodied in flavor and the ginger and chive really served as a great topping for highlighting the flavor. The konbu was a nice glue element to tie all the smaller elements of the dish together. I probably could have eaten 10 of these as they were so good.

seared blue fin toro (tuna) 

Aki brought the torch to this dish as well, and topped it with another "free" topping. This time I heard that the topping was a terrine that Aki made himself - it may have contained a combination of Fowl, Osprey, Ibis, and Egret livers. The fattiness of the toro and the terrine was a perfect flavor complement. The flavors of the terrine really integrated well with the toro to introduce a new flavor that had great qualities of each.
This dish drew a great contrast in relation to the waygu dish - both relied on the duality of fat flavors combining into something more rich and complex. I'm somewhat curious how this dish would have worked with ankimo as the topping to get a true surf vs turf comparison.

uni (sea urchin)

There was some slight disagreement to which piece of uni was better looking so I just decided to include both. Uni is always a great way to finish off a sushi meal. The only thing that is better is when it is followed by anago.

This is why I was really surprised when the next dish was introduced

salmon belly - katsuobushi (bonito shavings), olive oil pesto, balsamic reduction

This dish was a great dish for showing off Aki's creative flair. The salmon was topped with bonito shavings to add some extra umami while the balsamic added some sweetness. The real surprise came from the olive oil pesto (hidden under the salmon). The pesto was actually made with shiso instead of basil, so it was more concentrated in flavor. The amount of the pesto included was the perfect balance to give a surprise in flavor, but not enough to overwhelm the flavor of the salmon.

Encore

soba (buckwheat noodles) - sesame shiso pesto, tomato, asparagus, onions, shitake

I was even more surprised when Aki liked that we enjoyed his pesto and wanted to show yet another use of it. In this pesto sauce, he used sesame seeds to thicken the sauce. The result was a great umami-filled sauce to go with the Jap-Italian pasta.

Dessert

As part of the omakase, guests are offered ice cream, but we declined as we were completely satiated.

Conclusion

My experience at Akinori was a wonderful journey. In addition to the traditional sushi and sashimi, I really enjoyed the additional prepared dishes sent my Aki. By the end of the meal he offered me the fist-bump signifying that my initiation to regular was complete. The entire meal was an extreme high with almost no low points. I enjoyed Akinori so much that I'm already trying to plan an return trip. Aki said that he does expect a few matsutake mushrooms to come in during that season, so I'm excited to see what he does with them.

Inevitably, I think the question will be if Akinori or Kaito is better. If I compare comparable preparations of dishes side by side, I feel that Akinori would win more often. However, Kaito's omakase offers more of a progression where the flavors of the fish build on top of each other in a crescendo, so Kaito is still the top for me by the slimmest of margins. However, the experience at Akinori is enough for me to award Akinori Sushi the terrabyte award.

Read more...

Totoraku (aka The Pico Teriyaki House) - Interrupt

Date of Dining: 3/31/2012
Price: $150 per person
Location: Shhhh! It's a secret!


The Quick Bit:
+ The best place to enjoy the best flavors of beef in all of its forms
+ Momotaro tomatoes
+ Amazing amuse platter
+ Great friendly service
Δ Gaining admission can be challenging

Recently, I found that I had the opportunity to select one sub-$200 restaurant to enjoy for a trip to Los Angeles. While I did consider some other trendier options, the difficulty of getting reservations steered me towards Totoraku. Having now enjoyed Totoraku, I believe I made the correct restaurant selection.

For those unfamiliar with Totoraku, it is not your fault. You see, Totoraku is supposed to be a "secret" restaurant - to gain admission, one must be invited or know a regular who have "invitation privileges." To obtain invitation privileges, one must become friends with Chef/Owner Kaz Oyama and receive a business card from him. Once the card is obtained, reservations are made through calling Chef Kaz directly on his cell phone (not by leaving a message on the publicly listed answering service). 

The reason for the secrecy is not that the restaurant is violating any laws, it is simply that Chef Kaz is aware that not everyone will be receptive of his cuisine. He simply wants assurance that his cuisine will be enjoyed and appreciated by all the enter the doors. What is so special about the cuisine? One may be told that Totoraku is a glorified yakiniku place, but in addition to yakiniku, Totoraku specializes in serving raw beef. 

Another aspect of Totoraku is that Chef Kaz is a connoisseur of fine wine - there is no faster way to being granted invitation privileges than bringing some nice wines and sharing with the entire staff. While I normally don't talk too much about wine, I feel obligated to share our table's wine list.

2007 Domaine des Croix 1er Cru

2005 Kosta Browne  Koplen Vineyard Pinot Noir

2004 Chateau Pontet-Canet Grand Cru

2001 Sanford La Rinconada Vineyard Pinot Noir

2001 Luis Canas Amaren Reserva

Amuse Platter:

Once we were seated an amuse platter was brought out for our enjoyment. Clockwise from top left:

• ankimo - monkfish liver
• homemade tofu
• kohlrabi, bacon, hollandaise
• momotaro tomatoes with mozzarella
• mango, white truffle, proscuitto
• abalone, lima beans
• lobster, raddichio, caviar
• crab deviled eggs
• (center) sockeye salmon with avocado

The amuse platter is always an interesting part of the Totoraku experience as it changes with each experience. Yet, every person that has talked about the amuse platter has been extremely impressed with the flavors, plating, and range of dishes. Each item is impeccably prepared and definitely works as an amuse for the rest of the meal.

Highlights for this iteration of the plate include the homemade tofu and the mango. The tofu has such a delicate yet rich texture; it was creamy in both mouth feel and consistency, but definitely remained as tofu. The mango was just a good contrast of sweet with cured saltiness while having a touch of truffle to take the flavors to the next level.

Raw Courses:

top sirloin carpaccio - special sea salt, carrot, lettuce

We started the raw beef courses with the top sirloin carpaccio. The carpaccio was a way to showcase the pure flavors of beef without much fat. The slightly sweet vegetables brought out an almost similar sweet quality in the beef. The crunchiness of the carrot also provided a great textural contrast to the chewiness of the beef. Overall, it was a nice way to start out the beef adventure.

smoked ribeye cap - garlic, ginger, spicy sauce

The next raw course was a sliced smoked ribeye cap, which was the favorite raw course of all the ladies at the table. While ribeye is not traditionally considered lean, this was yet another showcase of lean beef protein. The meat was smoked ever so slightly on the edges, which added some complexity to the flavor. The plate was accompanied with garlic, ginger, and hot sauce which we were asked to mix into our own soy sauce plates and dip the meat. The smokiness of the rib eye was really complemented by the flavor of the soy.

beef throat

Along with the smoked rib eye, we were served beef throat. This was my favorite raw course of the evening. In order to produce the amount of throat in the photo, about one and a half cows were slaughtered. To contrast the less fatty flavor of the smoked rib eye, the beef throat is almost purely about the luxurious, buttery, fatty mouth feel of beef. One key component I found with the throat was that the temperature of the beef was important. The throat retained a chewier texture without becoming too chewy if it had been heated too much. 

beef tartare - cucumber, pear, apple, quail egg

tartare after mixing

The final raw course was the beef tartare. This was the culmination of the raw courses as it showcased a fattier mouth feel with the creaminess of the yolk integrated into the entire dish. The pear added a nice element of sweetness to the dish while the tartness of the apple added some acid as well as additional contrasting sweetness. The cucumber rounded out the textures. 

Yakiniku:

After the raw courses, a yakiniku grill was placed in front of the table:

binchotan charcoal

The yakiniku grill we received contained some binchotan charcoal that were already preheated to extremely high temperatures. Please note that I was elected as the table's grill master, so there aren't as many photos as I would have liked.

beef tongue

The beef tongue highlighted both the fattiness of the beef as well as the texture. When cooked medium rare, the tongue exhibited a bit of crunchiness. Additionally, the marbled fat inside the tongue really permeated the flavor of the tongue.

filet mignon - shiitake, shishito, bell pepers, onions

Following the tongue, we received filet mignon along with a large selection of raw vegetables and vegetables for grilling.

momotaro tomatoes

With the filet a vegetables came the bowl of momtaro tomatoes, which was easily the favorite fruit selection of the table. 

The filet mignon was the consensus favorite of the entire table for the yakiniku portion of the meal. The filet was marinated to have a sweet flavor when grilled. Coupled with the tenderness of the filet and the amount of fat marbled in filet and it was an easy choice as the overall favorite.

outside rib eye

The outside rib eye highlighted an even fattier portion of the beef. This was mainly to contrast with the inside rib eye, which was brought out afterwards. Personally, I'm a fan of outside ribeye on the regular steak, so I am also a fan when they are contrasted in the yakiniku preparation as well.

inside rib eye

The inside rib eye had a similar sweet flavor that resembled the filet, but it contained much less fat. It was easily the least fatty cooked portion of the meal. The less fatty portions do a good job of highlighting the pure flavor of the beef without the fat flavor.

short rib - gal bi

Next, we were served some short rib (or gal bi), which was my favorite cooked protein. The short rib had the most fat content and hence the most luxurious mouth feel and fat flavor of beef to it. The meat was cooked to be extremely tender yet retain some chewiness.

skirt steak

The final cooked course was the skirt steak. I felt this was a contrast to the short rib as it was also a very fatty cut, except where the short rib exhibited fat marbling, the skirt steak exhibits more of a connective tissue fattiness. As a result the skirt steak also had the luxurious fatty mouth feel, but was chewier. 

egg drop soup

The final portion of the meal was an egg drop soup containing beef, beef stock, shiitake mushrooms, wakame, and perhaps other ingredients. The soup was a nice way to close out the meal as it brought a warm liquid feeling to the stomach.

Dessert:

espresso, pistachio, white chocolate ice cream, lychee, blueberry sorbet 

The meal finished with a selection of ice creams and sorbets. My favorites were the lychee and blueberry sorbets. 

Conclusion:

One makes the pilgrimage to Totoraku to pray at the altar to beef and experience all the flavors that beef has to offer. I am extremely privileged to have been able to make the journey and look forward to going back again in the future. Just like any pilgrimage, the adventure of Totoraku is not for the faint of heart - one must realize what they are getting into before making the commitment. However, those that make the journey an accept what it entails seem to all be mesmerized by the experience. 

As Totoraku is perhaps a one of a kind experience outside of Japan, it has great food and great friendly service, I award Totoraku the Terrabyte award. 

Read more...