Happy Valentine's Day! + Lamb Romantic Recipe Challenge

 

I am one of ten bloggers competing in the American Lamb Board's Romantic Recipe Challenge. Though I've made several lamb dishes, my Lamb Loin with Chili, Mint, and Mustard Seed is the official entry. The winner gets a one year "Lamb of the Month" membership, which means a lot more posts about lamb on this blog if I win!

Anyway, I would love your support! Please click here to vote. Voting is open between February 14th - 28th.

In other news, it is Valentine's Day today. Frankly, it's been years since we've gone out to eat on Valentine's day. I've found that I prefer not to "fight the crowds" on that day. This year, I plan to  pick up some nice ingredients from a local gourmet market, cook, and just enjoy relaxing at home. Maybe we'll put some logs in the fireplace and just chill.

And dream about warmer days.

Just for fun, I'm including some photos from our trip to Australia back in November (yes, it was spring down under during that time). Now that we've finally finished the Japan travel series, we will be moving into a couple more travel series: An exploration "Down Under" and also a look at a few more awesome restaurants in Las Vegas.

Stay tuned!

Riding Camels in the Outback in Uluru, Australia

Diving (for the first time!) at the Great Barrier Reef in Australia

Looks like Lord of the Rings! Visiting the forests on the Milford Track in New Zealand

Rack of Lamb with Morels, Asparagus, and Mustard Seeds

Bryan loves rack of lamb but often avoids it because he hates getting his hands dirty. If we do end up ordering it at a nice restaurant, he eats as much as he can (with a fork and knife) and then hands me the bone, which I proceed to gnaw on quite happily.

After all, the meat next to the bone is the tastiest part, right?

This post is part 3 of the crazy lamb-centric meal that I created on Sunday night (right after our crazy snowstorm) in honor of Lamb Lover's Month in collaboration with the American Lamb Board. Other posts in this series include Lamb Loin with Chili, Mint, and Mustard Seed and Lamb Bolognese.
Inspired mostly by Daniel Humm's preparation of lamb rack in his Eleven Madison Park cookbook, I decided to try adapting his gorgeous (insanely complicated) dish into something that a home cook a whip up in a couple hours for a nice, romantic dinner.

Daniel Humm makes a morel mushroom cream sauce by cooking fresh morel mushrooms with butter, shallots, and cream. I simplified this by just cooking reconstituted dried morel mushrooms with a bit of butter and salt.

His recipe also calls for handmade lamb tortellinis (filled with lamb shank, goat cheese, mint, sheep's milk yogurt, among other things). I simplified this quite a bit by making a lamb Bolognese instead and adding "swirls" of pasta on the plate.

I made braised mustard seeds from a recipe in Grant Achatz's Alinea (since Daniel Humm's book didn't have it, even though the picture of the finished product clearly includes mustard seeds).

Finally, inspired by the artful way in which Daniel Humm always plates his dishes, I tried to recreate something that was similar.

Enjoy!

Rack of Lamb with Morels, Asparagus, and Mustard Seeds
1 Rack of lamb, Frenched
Salt and pepper
1 T Olive oil
2-4 Morel mushrooms
1 T butter
2-3 mint leaves
1 tsp braised mustard seeds (see below)
1 asparagus stalk

Prepare rack of lamb (two ways described below)

Sous Vide
Generously season with salt and pepper the entire rack of lamb. Vacuum pack lamb inside a vacuum bag with 1 T olive oil and seal. Cook sous vide at 55 °C (130 ° F) for two hours. Quickly sear the edge in a very hot cast iron pot for about 1 minute or until a nice sear has been formed. Slice lamb rack between the ribs.

Oven Roasted
Generously season with salt and pepper the entire rack of lamb. Cover the bone tips with foil to prevent then from burning. Allow rack to warm up to room temperature (about 1 hour). Preheat oven to 350 °F. Sear all sides of the lamb rack in a cast iron skillet. Place in the oven and cook until the rack reaches an internal temperature of 145 °F (medium rare). Let the rack rest of 10 minutes before slicing between the ribs.

Asparagus Ribbons
Bring a pot of water to boil. Cook asparagus for 3-4 minutes. Rinse immediately with cold water to preserve the bright green color. Shave thin ribbons with a peeler.

Butter Morel Mushrooms
Melt 1T butter over medium heat until melted. Cook Morel mushrooms in butter for about 5 minutes, until softened. Season with salt to taste.

Braised Mustard Seeds

50g (1.8 oz) dried mustard seeds
50g water
5g white wine vinegar
3g sugar
1g Kosher salt

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for 5 minutes. Cover and let stand for an hour. Water will be completely absorbed and mustard seeds will be plump and tender.

Putting It All Together
Arrange each plate with the components:
1 sliced lamb rack
1 butter morel mushroom
2-3 small scoops of braised mustard seed
2-3 mint leaves
1-2 lamb Bolognese ribbon swirls

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I received free lamb from the American Lamb Board. 

Lamb Bolognese

I've been scared to make bolognese for a long time. Probably a couple years, in fact.

I'm one of those people that is strongly motivated by success. The ugly flip side of that is I'm strongly demotivated by failures. I still remember the first time I tried making bolognese. I had found this purportedly authentic recipe off of a food blog devoted to Italian food. I slaved over the sauce, letting it stew for hours all afternoon. I followed the supposed "rules" of a traditional bolognese - "no tomatoes!" "No herbs!".

After hours of slaving away in the kitchen, I invited Bryan to join me in partaking in my creation.

"It's sort of bland. It's lacking that depth of flavor."

I was so disheartened, I didn't make bolognese for almost three years . . . . until now.

This post is part 2 of the crazy lamb-centric meal that I created on Sunday night (right after our crazy snowstorm) in honor of Lamb Lover's Month in collaboration with the American Lamb Board. Other posts in this series include Lamb Loin with Chili, Mint, and Mustard Seed and Rack of Lamb with Morels, Asparagus, and Mustard Seeds.

This bolognese is a little different because it's made with ground lamb. I pretty much followed a traditional bolognese recipe but with a few tweaks.

First, I used a decent bottle of Italian chianti as the wine. The Nipozzano Riserva Chianti Rufina (2008) retails for about $18. The 2007 vintage (which we also own but Bryan didn't want me to use it for cooking) actually made Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines list in 2010.

Second, I made the bolognese in a pressure cooker. It was awesome - instead of stewing for 3 hours on the stove, I only cooked it for about 20-30 minutes, tops. It came out super tender, flavorful, and was one of the most popular dishes of the night.

Finally, I snuck in a few less conventional ingredients. I didn't have pancetta on hand, so I used a few strips of bacon instead. I also threw in a handful of diced tomatoes because I felt that the sauce could be just a tad brighter. Finally, I did add herbs!

It turned out great, and I totally plan on making this again. The guests I made it for loved it. My one friend who really loves lamb enjoyed this dish more because she thought it had more of that "gamey" flavor. Guess what? I couldn't find American ground lamb at the market, so this pasta was actually made using New Zealand lamb. Of course, you can easily use American lamb if you prefer a less gamey/grassy flavor.

Between using the pressure cooker and the food processor for chopping the mirepoix, this could almost be a weeknight meal that I can still make from scratch!

Enjoy!



Lamb Bolognese
Serves 4 as a starter or 2 as a main dish

mirepoix (1 carrot, 1 celery, ½ onion)
3 slices bacon, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
¾ cup red wine

¼ cup tomato paste
1 cup chicken broth

1 lb ground lamb
½ cup diced San Marzano canned tomatoes (optional)
½ T dried rosemary
1 bay leaf
salt & papper to taste
1 package of pasta of your choice ( 8-12 oz dried; 1 lb fresh)

1. Make mirepoix by finely chopping carrots, celery, and onions in a food processor. Set aside.

2. Cook bacon at medium heat in a pressure cooker (or normal Dutch oven) until fat is rendered. Add mirepoix and garlic and cook in the bacon fat for about 10 minutes, or until softened.

3. Add wine and deglaze the pan. Cook at medium high heat until all the alcohol has evaporated. While waiting, mix together the tomato paste and the chicken broth.

4. Add lamb and cook until no longer pink.

5. Add tomato paste/broth mixture and optionally tomatoes to the pot.

6. Add rosemary and bay leaf and cook under pressure for 10 minutes. Release the pressure.

 7. Add 1 cup of water, mix up the sauce, and cook again under pressure for at least 10 minutes or more. During this time, cook pappardelle according to the directions on the package.

 8. Release the pressure of the pressure cooker and cook off any excess liquid until sauce is nice and thick. Season to taste and serve with the pappardelle.  Optionally roll pappardelle “ribbons” into swirls for plating.

Serve!

Pasta "rolls" accompany a rack of lamb dish

Lamb Loin with Chili, Mint, and Mustard Seed

I'm sure most people's culinary worlds expand after marriage.

After all, it's unusual for two people to have exactly the same palate, upbringing, and preferences when it comes to food. Inevitably, your tongue will be opened to a wider variety of flavors when these two worlds collide.

Case in point: When Bryan and I first got married, I mostly cooked Chinese food, with a bent towards Taiwanese cuisine. It was the food I grew up eating, and I was comfortable cooking it. As time has gone by, in an effort cater to Bryan's palate, I've moved towards cooking a broader range of food, such as trying to perfect his favorite pasta dishes, making way more steak than I ever would have on my own, and . . . . learning how to cook lamb.

I never really liked lamb because I've always found it to be a bit too gamey. However, for the sake of my husband, I've been dabbling in trying to learn more about how to prepare perfect lamb. In honor of Lamb Lover's Month in partnership with the American Lamb Board, I had the opportunity to explored several lamb dishes this weekend. Bryan was thrilled to eat so much lamb while enjoying some of his favorite bottles of red wine at home.

Me? I'm excited to continue expanding my repertoire of dishes I can make.

And maybe, just maybe, I am finally starting to enjoy lamb.

The American Lamb Board provided me with some lamb loin chops with which to "play" to celebrate Lamb Lovers Month. Most lamb sold in the US is either locally raised or imported (mostly from Australia or New Zealand).

To prepare, I pored over books by Grant Achatz (Alinea cookbook), Daniel Humm (Eleven Madison Park cookbook), and Nathan Myhrvold (Modernist Cuisine at Home) looking for inspiration. I soon realized that most of these dishes were not suited for the home cook, requiring a plethora of complex components as well as fancy equipment.

However, after reading some of these recipes, I was surprised to see that oftentimes, the preparation of the main protein is not necessarily complex. More often than not, it's the creative combination of side ingredients and their flavors that make these dishes three-star Michelin quality.

So I decided to draw inspiration from one of these recipes but simplify it for the home cook. I chose Grant Achatz's "Lamb in Cubism" recipe, incorporating his ideas of whimsically accenting sous vide lamb loins with mint, braised mustard seeds, and red jalapeno chilies.

I do own one piece of slightly "fancy" equipment that I decided to use - my sous vide machine. It makes cooking lamb to a perfect medium rare absolutely brainless. Just set the temperature and cook the vacuum sealed lamb (seasoned liberally with salt, pepper, and olive oil), for about two hours.

Lamb makes me think of spring, so I decided to add a few more "spring-like" accompaniments to the meal, like butter sauteed morel mushrooms and lightly blanched asparagus ribbons (please see this post for recipes on how to make those components).

After briefly searing the sous-vide cooked lamb (just to brown it), top each slice with a tiny mint leaf, braised mustard seeds, and a slice of chili. Optionally serve with morel mushrooms and asparagus ribbons.

Serve!

Thoughts
We were all really impressed with the tender texture of the American lamb. Sous vide is seriously an awesome and foolproof way of preparing lamb. It comes out perfectly each time.

American lamb is definitely much milder than Australian or New Zealand lamb. For those that don't really like the gamey taste of lamb (like me), this lamb is actually tolerable, and, dare I say, enjoyable? Others who love that deep, grassy lamb-y flavor (like one of my guests Sunday evening), may be a bit disappointed. As my lamb-loving friend said, "it's sort of bland." On the other hand, her husband, who usually hates fat on meat, actually thought the fat on this lamb tasted decent.

So, it really depends on whether you like that distinct, gamey flavor of lamb. If not, you may actually want to give American lamb a try before writing off lamb completely.

Other facts: American lamb are also bigger than Australian or New Zealand lamb, so the cuts of meat are generally larger and meatier. A majority of American lamb is finished ("fattened") with grain, which contributes to a more tender and milder meat flavor. Contrast this with lamb from Lamb New Zealand and Australia, which is typically grass-fed (and thus gamier) and likely leaner.  On a recent trip to Whole Foods Market, I found lamb from both New Zealand and Maine.

Lamb Loin with Chili, Mint, and Mustard Seed
Serves 2-4 people
Inspired (but severely adapted) from Grant Achatz's Alinea

Lamb Loin Chop
4 lamb loin chops
salt and pepper to taste
1 T olive oil
4 mint leaves
1 tsp braised Mustard Seed (see below)

Cut lamb loin meat away from the bone. Set aside bones for other use (e.g., making stock). Tie together two loin sections into a cylinder with twine. Generously salt and pepper all sides of the lamb loin. Cook sous vide with olive oil at 55 °C (130 ° F) for two hours. Remove lamb loin from bags. Quickly sear the edges in a very hot cast iron pot for about 1 minute (or until a nice sear has been formed). Set aside.

Mint Leaves
Pick out smaller, unblemished leaves and keep in ice water for freshness.

Red Jalapenos
Any red pepper the right size will work, so pick peppers depending on your tolerance of heat. Thinly slice rings and set aside.

Braised Mustard Seeds
50g (1.8 oz) dried mustard seeds
50g water
5g white wine vinegar
3g sugar
1g Kosher salt

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for 5 minutes. Cover and let stand for an hour. Water will be completely absorbed and mustard seeds will be plump and tender.

Plating in All Together
Arrange each plate with the following components:
1 slice of lamb loin
1 mint leaf
1 slice of chili
1 dollop of braised mustard seed

Optionally decorate the plate with other components, such as butter sauteed morel mushrooms and asparagus ribbons.

Serve!


Disclaimer: I received free lamb from the American Lamb Board. 

Bondir (revisited)

It's a cold, cold snowy night. Where shall I go for dinner?

2012 was an unusual winter, to say the least. It was really the first winter in my life where snow did not stick around at all the entire winter. It was our first winter in our new home, and the lack of snow gently eased us into the life of "homeownership".

This year is quite different. All of a sudden I'm dreaming of warm, cozy spaces, crackling fires in brick fireplaces, and hearty, soul-satisfying food. Of course, when I think fireplace, I think of Bondir.

I can't believe it's been this long since I've visited Bondir. It's not for lack of trying, that's for sure. It's seems virtually impossible to book a last minute reservation at this tiny, intimate restaurant in Cambridge. Since I lasted visited, Bon Appetit Magazine crowned Bondir as one of the ten best new restaurants of 2011. There's a reason why it's hard to get a seat here.

So over time, I lost the will to try, and (sadly) it sort of fell off my radar screen.

A couple weeks ago, a local Cambridge start-up called Nara contacted me about trying their new restaurant recommendation mobile app. Now, I get contacted about trying new food type apps all the time, and there's no way I have time to really play with each and every single one. So I have to choose. For some reason, Nara seemed a bit different for two reasons. One, it was started by MIT folks (my alma mater!) who are applying their proprietary algorithms to predict and learn which restaurants you will like - sort of like a Pandora for food. Second, they offered to treat me to a meal in exchange for trying out the app. How could I resist?

After downloading the app, I immediately tried looking for a place. Obviously, since it knew next to nothing about me (I think I answered two questions in the beginning), the predictions were average, at best. However, as I began inputting "thumbs up" and "thumbs down" for every restaurant I had visited, I began to see that it was learning my preferences. Over time, the recommendations got better and better.

You aren't completely beholden to the app's suggestions, of course. You can filter by a variety of categories, such as distance, cuisine, and price. You can even type in the name of the restaurant into the search box, if you really want. The app is integrated with Opentable, which is really really useful for making immediate online reservations. For restaurants that are not on Opentable, an address and phone number are listed, so you can call directly from your mobile phone to make a reservation.

One cold Sunday evening, I did a search on Nara and Bondir popped up. It had really been awhile since I had visited the restaurant. I noticed that they were on Opentable, which (from my memory) was different from a couple years ago when all I could do was call to make reservations.

Shockingly, there was an opening at 5:30PM. Not ideal, but we took it. Lucky for us, there ended up being a cancellation that day, and we were able to dine at 7PM instead.

Thanks Nara!
 The most fun part about the menu at Bondir is that every single course is offered in half portions. They recommend getting 3 "half portions" per person, which is most definitely plenty of food. For fun, Bryan and I enjoy variety, so we always get 5-6 half portions every meal.

We began with the Long Island Cheese Pumpkin and Smoked Haddock Soup which came with a variety of toppings that you could add yourself, such as crisp garlic root, ginger salad, and sesame oil.

It's hard for me to ever turn down Handmade Burrata. Here it's served with roasted Jarrahdale pumpkin, red currant mousseline, chestnuts in Vin Santo,  petit greens tossed in a huckleberry vinaigrette, olive oil poached jerusalem artichokes (sunchokes), flavored with pain d’epices. The Chestnut Flour Tart looks almost like it should be sweet, but it's actually a savory pie, served with butter confit shallots, washed rind cheese custard, seared teff, and puffed amaranth. The tart is topped with sprinklings of mustard "snow" and served with a side of winter vegetable "mignardises."One of our favorites, the homemade Rigatoni Cacio e Pepe, was served with sherry vinaigrette, guinea hog prosciutto, fiore sardo (an ancient Italian hard cheese), and toasted breadcrumbs for texture. The Scituate Scallops with Lobster came highly recommended by the waiter and turned out to be one of my favorites. It came with sesame roasted sweet potatoes, leeks, and Brussels sprouts. Japanese flavors, such as nori (black seawaeed) tuile and the lobster dashi, anchored the dish. Overall, the dish was excellent: the texture of the scallops were perfect and the lobster dashi was richly flavorful and sweet.Capon Galantine (traditional English-style deboned stuffed chicken) came served alongside Saint Émilion milk-poached red onion petal, roasted hedgehog mushrooms, braised mustard greens, and a cute little Rhode Island white flint corn cake. The chicken was extremely tender and the whole dish was hearty and well executed.Our last savory course was a Vermont Lamb Duet, which came with poached quince with dates, roasted Waldoboro "turnip" (a rutabaga from the state of Maine), and rye berries (similar to wheatberries!) in a red wine roasting jus.
Another unusual favorite of ours, the Caramel Poached Sunchoke and Spiced Olive Oil-Caramel Gingerbread Cake, was served with a bergamot mousseline and Lady Apple leather. I was pleasantly surprised how much I liked sunchokes (Jerusalem artichokes) served as a dessert. According to Chef Bond, the dessert was sort of a serendipitious creation, born one night when they ran out of their original ingredient and substituted sunchokes instead. The dessert became a hit, and I think it's shown up on the menu in one form or another time after time. Finally, for a simple finishing note, we sampled a taste of three homemade ice creams: Black Walnut Praline Ice Cream, Blood Orange Sorbet, and Chocolate Sherbet. I loved the intense darkness of the chocolate sherbet, which was rich, bitter, and gorgeously dark. The blood orange sorbet was bright, fruity, and tasted real.
There's some exciting news on the horizon. Chef Jason Bond will be opening a second Bondir in Concord Massachusetts. It will be located at 24 Walnut Street and will be much, much bigger, having the ability to accommodate 128 seats (unlike the current Bondir which only seats 26!). This one will preserve the same "farm to table" style of food that you see in Bondir right now. However, it will have a full liquor license, and will take advantage of the larger kitchen, including the wood stove! They are currently shooting for an August opening.

Jason plans to split his time between the two restaurants. Can't wait to see the new one!

A Snowy Chinese New Year

Happy Chinese New Year!

Can I just say it's been a crazy weekend? I really think this is the biggest storm I've ever encountered in my conscious memory. It was fascinating to watch the snow just continue to fall . . . and fall . . . and fall.

The next day, after the storm was over, we ventured out. Check out how deep the snow is! (Yes, it is up to my knees).

Virtually everything was closed in Harvard Square except for the CVS and the Starbucks. It was weird to see the door of the T (subway) closed.

Poor bikes.

The river was frozen over in an oddly yellowish color.

Stuck at home, we obvious couldn't go out. Instead, I ended up cooking . . . a lot! I was a bit bummed that I couldn't have a proper Chinese hot pot on the eve of Chinese New Year. Nevertheless, I did manage to squeeze out something sort of Chinese. :)

On Friday night I made a hearty lamb osso buco in the pressure cooker with saffron rice and cilantro gremolata. It was warm, hearty, and the perfect dinner to accompany such cold weather outside.

We had that with one of my favorite vegetable side dishes, roasted Brussels Sprouts with bacon and habanero peppers. So good.

On Saturday morning, as the snow slowly came to a stop, my mom called me to check to make sure we were OK. She also reminded me that it was the eve of Chinese New Year, a time when families get together and eat Chinese hot pot.

Alas, there was no way I could head out and pick up Chinese groceries, so I did the best I could. Bryan and I enjoyed a fun little lunch of fresh udon with XO sauce, Taiwanese meat sauce, and a simple stir fry of spinach with garlic and carrots, celery, and shitake mushrooms with XO sauce. It was surprisingly simple but really hit the spot, reminding me of home.

For dinner, we enjoyed one of my favorite fish dishes that's so easy to make and tastes fantastic. This is Nobu Matsuhisa's famous miso black cod (I'll publish a post very soon about this, or you can just Google it!). It only takes about 15 minutes of prep and never disappoints.

Happy New Year all! I have a few fun Chinese New Year themed posts lined up for the next two weeks, along with some cool Boston restaurants I've visited lately. Finally, we'll start a couple more travel series very soon.

And if you're looking for Chinese recipes, definitely check out my Asian Food Gallery for inspiration. I've fallen behind on adding a photo for each new recipe, but you can scroll to the bottom to see the entire list.

Happy New Year!

Sukiyabashi Jiro

This is the eleventh and final post in the series titled Tasting Tour of Tokyo detailing my recent trip to Japan. Other posts include Kikunoi Akasaka, Rokurinsha, Mikawa Zezankyo, Kaoriya, Sushi Sawada, Sushi Aoki, Street Food in Tokyo, Omotesando Koffee,Ukai-tei, and Japan's Underground "Depachika" Markets

Dreaming of Sushi
How often does one get to personally taste the handiwork of a man who has been obsessively honing his craft for over seventy-five years?

Meet Jiro Ono, one of the most famous sushi masters in the world. The Japanese government considers him a "national treasure." The Michelin Guide has awarded him its highest honor, three Michelin stars. Many world famous chefs, such as Eric Ripert and Joel Robuchon, consider him one of the best sushi chefs in the world. Anyone who has seen the movie Jiro Dreams of Sushi understands the devotion, dedication, and near-obsession this eighty-six year old man has for the art of creating perfect sushi.

His perfectionism is evident in the way he runs his restaurant. Apprentices begin by learning how to wring out hot towels for guests. For months, all they do is wash dishes and clean, only saying "yes, yes" and never talking back. Eventually, they are "promoted" to other tasks, such as making rice and massaging octopus (for up to 45 minutes to make it soft!). Somewhere in the middle of all this, they finally get the chance to touch fish, make tamago, and eventually - the holy grail - work the front counter with Jiro.

Jiro's restaurant, Sukiyabashi Jiro, has been called one of the most difficult reservations to get in the world. This tiny sushi bar is hidden in the basement of a subway station and only has ten seats. Rumor has it that they only speak Japanese and thus won't even talk to foreigners who try to reserve in English. You may need to book up to a year in advance. Forget modern conveniences like email or credit cards at this old establishment.

I'd heard about this place years ago when I started researching restaurants to try in Tokyo. However, it wasn't until recently that I more deeply appreciated the back story of this little place.

"Jen, you have to watch Jiro Dreams of Sushi. I think you'll love it."

My friends had purchased the Blu-ray disc after seeing the movie because they loved it so much. Soon after we watched it, Bryan declared that he wanted to go to Jiro. Unfortunately, it was just about a month before our Tokyo trip. The likelihood of booking anything so late into the game looked extremely grim. Nevertheless, Bryan's pretty relentless when he really wants something, and will pursue as hard as he can until he gets what he wants.

First Attempt

"Ring . . . . Ring . . ."

"Moshi moshi?"

[in my broken Japanese] "May I make a reservation for dinner?"

[still in Japanese - this is a paraphrase since I'm really not sure I understood everything he said]
"We are sorry. We cannot take the reservation. Please call your hotel concierge and have them make the reservation for you."

I turned to Bryan.

"I'm really sorry, but I tried. They said we need to have the hotel concierge call."

Minor problem: we didn't have a hotel booked yet, which meant there was no concierge.

Second Attempt
Did I mentioned Bryan was motivated? Within a day Bryan informed me, "OK, I've booked a hotel for the trip. Can you email the concierge?"

Soon after, yet another disheartening email:

"Sukiyabashi Jiro is very specific traditional sushi restaurant, having very strict reservation policy. They only take reservation for foreigner who has Japanese friend or who live in Japan. Do you have any Japanese friends or colleague who live in Japan?"

Defeated, yet again.

Third Attempt
Relentless, Bryan contacted his Japanese colleague in Tokyo. The Japanese colleague asked his assistant to call Sukiyabashi Jiro to make the reservation. The restaurant sent an email which included the price of a meal, the cancellation policy, along with other slightly unusual requests, such as "please refrain from wearing a lot of perfume." To confirm the reservation, the assistant hand delivered 20,000 yen cash to Jiro, which Bryan's colleague graciously lent us.

Wow. Crazy.

We couldn't believe it, but we finally had a real, solid - ahem financially backed - reservation to the most sought after sushi restaurant in the world.

Finding Jiro

I know I keep saying this, but it's absolutely true. Restaurants are really hard to find in Tokyo. Even though we are holding really detailed instructions from Bryan's Japanese colleague's assistant (who is truly sweet in trying her hardest to take care of us), we still get lost.

Pictured above is the corridor at the Ginza Subway Station into which you need to turn (C6).

We blindly walk past these glass doors the first few times, heading instead straight up the steps out into the street.

Finally, after asking a store clerk (who chuckles and says, "actually, Jiro is right underneath this store"), we head back down the stairs and notice (for the first time) a set of bright gleaming doors.

If you don't read kanji, it's easy to miss the sign that says "Sukiyabashi Jiro." One easy way is to note that Jiro is right next to Birdland (a very well known yakitori place), whose sign is written in English.

Once you enter the doors, you'll see Birdland on your left and the humble sliding doors of Jiro straight ahead. It is surreal seeing the restaurant for real after seeing it so many times in the movie.

As we enter, we see both Jiro and his elder son, Yoshikazu, who is also a key character in the movie. It is so weirdly familiar, even though we've never stepped foot into this place.

Bryan starts with cold beer, and then we also order a bottle of sake to go with the meal. I am tickled by the cute little gold flower that lazily drifts to the bottom of my cup.

We sit right at the end of the bar. This is good and bad, I guess. Bad because we are sort of far away from Jiro, which means we can't really see his magical sushi-making skills up close. Good, because we feel a bit removed from his serious probing stare, which often makes diners nervous because they feel pressured to eat quickly. Sitting a bit "away" from the rest of the diners gives me a chance to relax, take my photos, and  enjoy my bites at my own pace.

The Sushi
Jiro's restaurant only serves sushi. No sashimi, no appetizers, no side dishes. They ask you your drink order, present you with the list of sushi being served that day, and then ask if you have any allergies. The menu is translated into English, which makes things a lot easier.

It's been widely reported that a meal at Jiro flies by, with sushi being thrown at you almost a piece per minute. Diners lament about feeling "rushed", pressured to finish a meal in 20 minutes under the watchful eye of Jiro. One article sums it up quite bluntly, calculating that a meal at Jiro will cost you about $20/minute. Our experience is not quite so rushed; however for fun, I wrote down the times so you could get a sense of the pace of our meal.

I will confess that photographing probably slowed me down a tad, though I pretty much kept up the pace. There was one point where Bryan started beating me and Jiro began giving pieces to Bryan only (!!!). I quickly fixed that, and I believe at the end we both received equal amounts of sushi.
7:01
karei (sole fish)

We start with a gorgeous piece of karei. Immediately, the fantastic rice texture jumps out at me. This is among the best sushi rice I've ever had. Eric Ripert has called Jiro's rice "a cloud that just explodes in your mouth". Jiro sources his rice from a very particular rice purveyor, a person who saves his best rice for Jiro and refuses to sell to anyone who cannot give the rice its proper glory (including the Grand Hyatt in Tokyo!).

Jiro's rice is slightly warm (like body temperature) and soft, yet you can still taste each individual grain. I haven't had such good rice since my meal at Mizutani, whose chef is one of Jiro's proteges.
7:03 Sumi-ika (Squid)
In the movie, we learn that Jiro's apprentices massage octopus for 45-50 minutes in the morning before cooking it. Jiro has learned that octopus needs to be massaged this long, not the 30 minutes he was taught. I regret that the octopus does not appear on our menu. However, the sumi-ika (squid) is one of the best I've ever had. It is insanely soft (not a tad bit of rubbery-ness), yet has a distinct "bite" to it. It's hard to explain, but it goes perfectly with the special rice. It makes me seriously wonder whether he massages his squid too.
7:05 Inada (Yellowtail)

At Sukiyabashi Jiro, as it is with many other high-end sushi restaurants, you don't dip the sushi into any soy sauce or wasabi. Jiro tailors the flavor exactly as it should taste, and you just eat it. For many pieces, including the one pictured above, Jiro brushes just the right amount of soy sauce on top. The wasabi is already inside, so the bite is already perfect as is.

Bryan quickly notices that Jiro's wasabi is a lot stronger than ones he's tasted at other sushi establishments in Japan. Up to this point, I had pretty much conceded that freshly made wasabi in Japan is sweeter and more flavorful, but definitely packs less of a punch. Jiro shows us otherwise.
7:06 Akami (tuna)
We move onto a mini-tasting of tuna, beginning with a simple akami (red tuna) and ending with a couple pieces of chutoro (tuna belly).

Tuna in Japan is completely different from most tuna in America. Before I tried tuna in Japan, I used to dislike tuna sushi because I thought it was bland and flavorless. There is nothing further from the truth. Tuna in Japan has beautifully complex flavors. In fact, it is probably one of my favorite sushi fish in Japan.
7:08 Chutoro (semi-fatty tuna)

Jiro sources his tuna from one very particular tuna dealer at Tsukiji Fish Market who possesses similar levels of obsession about tuna quality. Jiro ages his tuna for ten days, which results in a much more flavorful piece of tuna. The resultant fish stands up well to the strongly vinegared rice, another very signature (and polarizing) aspect of Jiro's sushi.

A lot of Japanese cuisine is defined by subtle flavors. Jiro's sushi definitely pushes the bolder edge of the envelope with its stronger flavors. The rice is more strongly vinegared and the wasabi has a bigger punch. Not everyone prefers his strongly vinegared rice, but it definitely holds up well to many of the stronger flavored sushi pieces. Bryan has always loved strong flavors, and thus prefers Jiro's sushi to most others he's ever had.
7:09 Chutoro (semi-fatty tuna)
I can't get over the intricate "veins" of fat distributed throughout this piece of fish. Jiro has truly procured some of the best tuna belly from the fish market. I find it interesting that there is no otoro (the fattiest tuna belly) on the menu. I can only conclude that there wasn't a piece that was good enough for Jiro's standards that morning.

It's quite alright, actually. I am quite content enjoying my pieces of akami and chutoro.
7:11 kohada (gizzard shad)
Jiro makes sushi in the Edomae tradition. Edomae (often just called "Edo" style sushi) refers to a style of sushi that emerged in the late 1800's in Japan. Edomae literally means "in front of Edo", and the style uses only fish and seafood available during the Edo period when Tokyo was a shogun capital.
7:14 Mushi-awabi (abalone)
Those that stay true to the style only use seafood from Tokyo Bay. Typically, they cure or marinate the fish, using techniques that were common back in the Edo days prior to the invention of refrigeration. This means that some pieces may taste saltier or more preserved. Even Jiro's strongly vinegared rice is sort of a nod to the Edomae tradition.
 7:15 Aji (Jack Mackerel)
Aji, another one of my favorite fish, is fabulous. I am loving the perfection of his rice along with the insanely high quality of the fish. Yes, I've only been here for 15 minutes, but it already feels like I've been here for quite some time.
7:17 Hamaguri (Clam shell)
Typically I'm less of a shellfish type of person and prefer raw fish sushi over most types of shellfish. For some reason I don't notice this while I'm at Jiro, even though over half the menu is not fish. He's somehow crafted the tasting menu in a way that keeps me interested.
 7:19 Iwashi (Sardine)
One way in which he does this is to intersperse pieces of fish between every few pieces of shellfish.
7:21 Kurumaebi (Prawn)
The fresh prawn is served in two pieces. Though it is juicy and sweet, I actually think that it's still not as good as the "super fresh" one I've had Kyubey, which, admittedly, was killed in front of my eyes just minutes before I ate it.
7:26 Akagi (Ark Shell)
Though most pieces have been coming out every 1-2 minutes, there is a five minute gap between the previous piece and this next piece of akagai (ark shell). It turns out Jiro has left the sushi bar temporarily in order to take a photo with a guest who is leaving. We take a mental note to remember to ask him for a photo at the end.

We do love the akagai, which has a unique, almost crunchy, texture that sort of "pops" as you bite into it. It is surprisingly good, and becomes one of our favorite shellfish pieces.
 7:28 Katsuo (Bonito)
Katsuo, or skipjack tuna, has always been one of my favorites. Here's it is just slightly cured (or salted?) and tastes phenomenal.
 7:31 Shako (Squilla)
The shako is probably the only one I don't really like. The texture is unlike any sushi I've ever had. It sort of reminds me of dried shrimp - mealy and a bit crumbly. Bryan enjoys it, saying that the deep umami flavors remind him of unagi (freshwater eel). I can sort of see where he gets that, although the texture is so different from unagi that I can't seem to quite agree 100%.
7:32 - Uni (Sea Urchin)
The uni is fantastic, just like most of the uni I've tried in Japan. It's sweet, creamy, and has absolutely no hint of the funky "stinkiness" that I associate with most of the uni I've tried in the US.

I'm hesitant that it will fit in my mouth in one bite, but Bryan insists it's the only way to truly enjoy it. He's right. I love how the uni just dissolves and incorporates itself all around the perfect rice. Quite a heavenly bite, I must say.
7:37 - Kobashira (Baby Scallops)
Kobashira (baby scallops) are piled on top of a gunkan (warship) roll, a style first invented at Kyubey. These scallops are super sweet and also very oishii (delicious).
 7:40 Ikura (Salmon roe)
Ikura (salmon roe) is bursting with its fragrant, flavorful, briny juices. Again, underlying all of these pieces, it's the perfect temperature of every component plus the texture of the special rice that creates each ethereal mouthwatering bite.
 7:42 Anago (Sea Eel)
The anago is melt-in-your-mouth soft. This is the type of bite that makes me close my eyes and just revel in its perfection. I love the slightly sweet sauce that's brushed on top.
 7:46

And then - the signal that things are about to end - the perfect tamago.

Getting the tamago (egg omelet) right appears to be a near-impossible goal for young apprentices at Sukiyabashi Jiro. In the movie, one of the senior apprentices, Daisuke Nakazawa, describes how he made over 200 tamago - all rejected by Jiro - before finally achieving spongy, custard-like perfection. When Jiro finally indicated his approval, Nakazawa wept like a baby.

The tamago here is awesome. Blended somehow with fish paste and sugar (among other ingredients), the tamago is sweet yet definitely has underlying tones of subtle umami. The razor-thin edge is gorgeously browned, and the entire piece is luxuriously spongy, moist, and soft. It almost tastes more like a delicate sponge cake than a traditional omelet.

We slowly take small bites out of it, savoring each small piece.

It has been exactly 45 minutes since we tasted our first bite.

At the end of the meal, Jiro comes and asks whether we want any extra pieces. I am seriously stuffed at this point, and I tell Bryan I can't do it.

Bryan's rationale?

We may never, ever get the chance to try this man's sushi again. If there are ones we want to try again, we should do it.

Bryan orders three extra: akami, chutoro, and tamago. That's right - the egg omelet was that good.

When we finally finish all the sushi, we are whisked off to a side table for "dessert".

8:04  melon
One of the apprentices hands us each a simple slice of melon accompanied by hot tea. The melon is ripe, super juicy and sweet. It's actually a refreshing end to a clean meal, and I feel energized.

We take our time here. There's less pressure to eat quickly since we are at the end of the meal.

8:30 
At this point, Jiro seems much more relaxed as well. The restaurant has virtually cleared out at this point, and he seems to be chatting up a storm with one of his Japanese customers - perhaps a regular?
I'm surprised that there are no more customers. Soon afterwards, Jiro retires from the sushi bar and sits down near the front, taking a nice, deserved break after a marathon of sushi making (which probably started early in the wee hours of the morning).

As we pay our bill, the apprentice asks us if we want a photo with Jiro.

"Yes, of course, please."

Jiro dutifully stops what he's doing and walks out with us. We don't really know what to say. All my dumbfounded brain can think of at the moment is, "oishii desu, oishii . ." (that was really delicious). I feel stupid that I can't express more than that, considering the life-altering meal we've just experienced.

We take a few photos, and then Jiro walks back into the restaurant as the assistant escorts us outside.


Epilogue
It's interesting to me to see that the restaurant actually was not completely full the night we dined there. Some think that, because Jiro hands out sushi at a rate of a piece a minute, he can really rake in the dough in a night. Just imagine - $400 USD per person, every 20 minutes. You could make a killing each night.

But Jiro doesn't seem to do that. He seems to be quite selective about his customers. My guess is that he tries to leave open some seats for loyal regulars or (perhaps?) even walk-ins? I'm not sure. I was just really surprised that the place wasn't packed. It's nice to think he isn't in it just for the money but instead wants to offer the best, most personalized experience for his diners. That just may mean making only a certain number of pieces of sushi a night.

The night we went, virtually every diner was a foreigner. Most of the diners were snapping photos of the sushi, and I most definitely heard several languages being spoken around the table. It was clear that the fame from the movie had driven even more tourists to seek out his sushi. In some ways, it was weird being one of those tourists in the dining room that night.


Does it live up to its hype?
I think so. Jiro's sushi is incredible and definitely ranks up there as one of the best sushi meals I've ever had. Several things really stand out: the top notch quality of the fish; the incredible sushi rice; and that delicious tamago.

In my mind, Jiro and Mizutani have provided the two best sushi experiences I've ever had in my life. My dinner at Sushi Mizutani felt a bit more personal partly because I was there with mostly local Japanese people (it was right after the earthquake when foreigners were avoiding Japan) and because I had extended heartfelt conversation with Mizutani (though to be fair, he was pretty shy in the beginning of the meal too).

The atmosphere at Jiro felt a bit more serious. There was definitely an air of reverence by all for the grand sushi master. I didn't exchange a single word with Jiro aside from my half-hearted "oishii" at the end of the meal. All the apprentices were courteous and respectful, but they were also quiet and possibly a bit nervous under the great Jiro?

Jiro believes the key to success is to devote one's life to mastering a skill. Interestingly, despite his accolades, he still says, “even at my age in my work …. I haven’t reached perfection.” Jiro continues to strive to improve this craft he started learning at the age of nine.

"I will continue to climb, trying to reach the top, but no one knows where the top is."

It's hard to imagine that sushi can get better than this, but I'm certainly happy to come back again (if I ever get the opportunity), to find out.

Additional Facts
The restaurant is located right inside Ginza subway station at C6. Look for the Birdland sign. The two restaurants are right next to each other.

Sukiyabashi Jiro
Tsukamoto Sogyo Building Basement 1st Floor 2-15, Ginza 4-chome Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Phone: 03-3535-3600 (+81-3-3535-3600 from abroad)

Reservations: According to their website, you can either call their international phone number or arrange for a reservation through your hotel concierge. However, as you know from my post above, those two avenues don't always work. From what I can tell, foreigners need to have a local Japanese person hand-deliver a 20,000 yen deposit before the reservation is confirmed.

Cancellation Policy: Cancellations can be made up to 1 day before your reservation. If you cancel the same-day, you will be charged 15,000 yen per person.

Cost: There is only one menu (Chef's Tasting), and it costs ~30,000 yen per person. Payment is CASH ONLY. Our meal came out to a total cost of 74,550 yen (71,000 + 3550 tax). We did order a beer, a bottle of sake, and three additional pieces.