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Uni from Japan, aji...
We visited our favorite sushi bar Sunday night and ordered a couple of the special sushi items. First was uni, which had some sort of notation scribbled beside it in Japanese. We've never ordered it at this particular sushi bar, having previously been disappointed at other local places. But we thought we'd give it a chance. The sushi chef explained that this was uni imported from Japan, so it wouldn't be like usual. And it wasn't. The sacs seemed smaller, firmer, creamier and sweeter than what I'd had previously at a sushi bar in San Francisco. Very good! But the price ($7.50 for two pieces of gunkan maki, ouch) will keep us from ordering it very often. Perhaps we'll try the regular uni another time, too. I'm ordinarily very wary of asking for it, but this place does get a lot of regular Japanese clientele. Aji was offered as a special too, and we'd never had it. Wow, I can see what the fuss is about now. We got to watch him filet and slice the small fish, tweezing out the bones. He served it with a dab of fresh grated ginger and minced scallion, and it was fantastic. I guess I sort of expected it to be like regular mackerel, but it wasn't marinated in vinegar (obviously) and had a nice creamy texture to it. I'd love to have it again. While we ate and watched, the itamae prepared another horse mackerel for a large party of Japanese businessmen. The fileting process left a translucent layer of flesh surrounding the spine and bones, so he stuck a skewer through the tail and eye, curving the fish up to look like a sailboat--or like it was still alive. He cut one of the flippers so it stuck out. The aji filet was chopped and mixed with more grated ginger and scallions, then chopped some more and formed into a neat little "cake" using just his hand and a pair of chopsticks. It was nestled in the curve of the fish, with a slice of lemon cut and shaped to look like an ocean wave. Nice! Oh, and our appetizer (while not sushi) was very good, too. We ordered santen-mori, a chef's choice of three appetizers. I have no idea where he gets the ideas for them, he just seems to make it up, and we haven't had the same thing twice yet. This time, the trio was: 1) Something he said was Japanese rhubarb? Think swiss chard. It was braised in dashi, then sprinkled with bonito flakes and served cold. Surprisingly good, and I'm not usually that big on swiss chard. 2) Two spears of asparagus, wrapped in a thin slice of fish and tempura fried. Simple, but perfectly executed. 3) A tiny quail, marinated in miso and grilled, then cut into quarters. Imagine balancing a tiny drumstick in your chopsticks...  Ariane |
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Ariane Jenkins wrote: > We visited our favorite sushi bar Sunday night and ordered a couple of the > special sushi items. First was uni, which had some sort of notation scribbled > beside it in Japanese. We've never ordered it at this particular sushi bar, > having previously been disappointed at other local places. But we thought > we'd give it a chance. The sushi chef explained that this was uni imported > from Japan, so it wouldn't be like usual. And it wasn't. The sacs seemed > smaller, firmer, creamier and sweeter than what I'd had previously at a sushi > bar in San Francisco. Very good! But the price ($7.50 for two pieces of > gunkan maki, ouch) will keep us from ordering it very often. Perhaps we'll > try the regular uni another time, too. I'm ordinarily very wary of asking > for it, but this place does get a lot of regular Japanese clientele. > > Aji was offered as a special too, and we'd never had it. Wow, I can see what > the fuss is about now. We got to watch him filet and slice the small fish, > tweezing out the bones. He served it with a dab of fresh grated ginger and > minced scallion, and it was fantastic. I guess I sort of expected it to be > like regular mackerel, but it wasn't marinated in vinegar (obviously) and had > a nice creamy texture to it. I'd love to have it again. > > While we ate and watched, the itamae prepared another horse mackerel for a > large party of Japanese businessmen. The fileting process left a translucent > layer of flesh surrounding the spine and bones, so he stuck a skewer through > the tail and eye, curving the fish up to look like a sailboat--or like it was > still alive. He cut one of the flippers so it stuck out. The aji filet was > chopped and mixed with more grated ginger and scallions, then chopped some > more and formed into a neat little "cake" using just his hand and a pair of > chopsticks. It was nestled in the curve of the fish, with a slice of lemon > cut and shaped to look like an ocean wave. Nice! > > Oh, and our appetizer (while not sushi) was very good, too. We ordered > santen-mori, a chef's choice of three appetizers. I have no idea where he > gets the ideas for them, he just seems to make it up, and we haven't had the > same thing twice yet. This time, the trio was: > > 1) Something he said was Japanese rhubarb? Think swiss chard. It was braised > in dashi, then sprinkled with bonito flakes and served cold. Surprisingly > good, and I'm not usually that big on swiss chard. > > 2) Two spears of asparagus, wrapped in a thin slice of fish and tempura > fried. Simple, but perfectly executed. > > 3) A tiny quail, marinated in miso and grilled, then cut into quarters. > Imagine balancing a tiny drumstick in your chopsticks... > > > Ariane One local sushi chef told me on Saturday during lunch that uni season (Santa Barbara especially) is coming to an end, and that this year uni was over-fished so the supply has been abruptly cut (he mentioned Mendocino county California). We may not see American uni from the West Coast for a while. A few restaurants in our area go the extra mile and get uni from Hokkaido, and is as you described, much smaller but very tasty and pricey. Has a dark orange hue instead of the yellow brown color variety we are used to having. Boston uni is very similar to this (smaller chunks of meat or shall I say "egg"). The aji preparation you saw is called Aji Tattaki and has been discussed in some prior threads. The skewer through the fish bone is part of the decoration, and purists usually ask for the bones to be salted and peppered, then deep fried. Mighty tasty (yes including the head!). Some chefs dice the meat into small cubes, and I have seen thin slivers too (not too long) in other preparations. Fresh ginger and scallion is key, and a good ponzu sauce for dipping. |
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T wrote: > wrote: > <snip> > > > > One local sushi chef told me on Saturday during lunch that uni season > > (Santa Barbara especially) is coming to an end, and that this year uni > > was over-fished so the supply has been abruptly cut (he mentioned > > Mendocino county California). We may not see American uni from the West > > Coast for a while. A few restaurants in our area go the extra mile and > > get uni from Hokkaido, and is as you described, much smaller but very > > tasty and pricey. Has a dark orange hue instead of the yellow brown > > color variety we are used to having. Boston uni is very similar to this > > (smaller chunks of meat or shall I say "egg"). > > Hmmm, > > Last weekend I had some in Mountain View, CA. It was as described; > smaller, firmer, different. > > Likely it was the imported vs the local, but I had no idea at the time. > > > TBerk Yep, that would be at one of the other local restaurants I mentioned (Sushi Tomi most likely? Can't be the aweful kaiten sushi Sono heh). That's one of the other very very few restaurants in the SF Bay Area that knows its customer base well enough to outsource uni from Japan. |
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Ariane Jenkins wrote:
> We visited our favorite sushi bar Sunday night and ordered a couple of the > special sushi items. First was uni, which had some sort of notation scribbled > beside it in Japanese. We've never ordered it at this particular sushi bar, > having previously been disappointed at other local places. But we thought > we'd give it a chance. The sushi chef explained that this was uni imported > from Japan, so it wouldn't be like usual. And it wasn't. The sacs seemed > smaller, firmer, creamier and sweeter than what I'd had previously at a sushi > bar in San Francisco. Very good! But the price ($7.50 for two pieces of > gunkan maki, ouch) will keep us from ordering it very often. Perhaps we'll > try the regular uni another time, too. I'm ordinarily very wary of asking > for it, but this place does get a lot of regular Japanese clientele. You're probably used to California Uni, which is bigger and more subtle in flavor. The uni you had in this case was probably from Maine, which is smaller and have more flavor. > Aji was offered as a special too, and we'd never had it. Wow, I can see what > the fuss is about now. We got to watch him filet and slice the small fish, > tweezing out the bones. He served it with a dab of fresh grated ginger and > minced scallion, and it was fantastic. I guess I sort of expected it to be > like regular mackerel, but it wasn't marinated in vinegar (obviously) and had > a nice creamy texture to it. I'd love to have it again. I love fresh aji, so meaty and flavorful. You should try sawara when you have a chance. I think I'll be having sushi for lunch today, unless they are closed for Patriot's Day. -- Dan |
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On Mon, 18 Apr 2005 11:13:15 -0400, Dan Logcher >
wrote: > > You're probably used to California Uni, which is bigger and more subtle > in flavor. The uni you had in this case was probably from Maine, which > is smaller and have more flavor. It could've been, but I don't think the itamae would lie and say it was from Japan if it was from Maine. We'd already ordered it at that point, so telling us the source would've been a point of interest and nothing more. > I love fresh aji, so meaty and flavorful. You should try sawara when > you have a chance. We'll have to keep an eye out for it, thanks! Ariane |
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On Mon, 18 Apr 2005 11:13:15 -0400, Dan Logcher >
wrote: > > You're probably used to California Uni, which is bigger and more subtle > in flavor. The uni you had in this case was probably from Maine, which > is smaller and have more flavor. It could've been, but I don't think the itamae would lie and say it was from Japan if it was from Maine. We'd already ordered it at that point, so telling us the source would've been a point of interest and nothing more. > I love fresh aji, so meaty and flavorful. You should try sawara when > you have a chance. We'll have to keep an eye out for it, thanks! Ariane |
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"Ariane Jenkins" > wrote in message ... > > > We visited our favorite sushi bar Sunday night and ordered a couple of the > special sushi items. First was uni, which had some sort of notation scribbled > beside it in Japanese. We've never ordered it at this particular sushi bar, > having previously been disappointed at other local places. But we thought > we'd give it a chance. The sushi chef explained that this was uni imported > from Japan, so it wouldn't be like usual. And it wasn't. The sacs seemed > smaller, firmer, creamier and sweeter than what I'd had previously at a sushi > bar in San Francisco. Very good! But the price ($7.50 for two pieces of > gunkan maki, ouch) will keep us from ordering it very often. Perhaps we'll > try the regular uni another time, too. I'm ordinarily very wary of asking > for it, but this place does get a lot of regular Japanese clientele. > > Aji was offered as a special too, and we'd never had it. Wow, I can see what > the fuss is about now. We got to watch him filet and slice the small fish, > tweezing out the bones. He served it with a dab of fresh grated ginger and > minced scallion, and it was fantastic. I guess I sort of expected it to be > like regular mackerel, but it wasn't marinated in vinegar (obviously) and had > a nice creamy texture to it. I'd love to have it again. > > While we ate and watched, the itamae prepared another horse mackerel for a > large party of Japanese businessmen. The fileting process left a translucent > layer of flesh surrounding the spine and bones, so he stuck a skewer through > the tail and eye, curving the fish up to look like a sailboat--or like it was > still alive. He cut one of the flippers so it stuck out. The aji filet was > chopped and mixed with more grated ginger and scallions, then chopped some > more and formed into a neat little "cake" using just his hand and a pair of > chopsticks. It was nestled in the curve of the fish, with a slice of lemon > cut and shaped to look like an ocean wave. Nice! > > Oh, and our appetizer (while not sushi) was very good, too. We ordered > santen-mori, a chef's choice of three appetizers. I have no idea where he > gets the ideas for them, he just seems to make it up, and we haven't had the > same thing twice yet. This time, the trio was: > > 1) Something he said was Japanese rhubarb? Think swiss chard. It was braised > in dashi, then sprinkled with bonito flakes and served cold. Surprisingly > good, and I'm not usually that big on swiss chard. > > 2) Two spears of asparagus, wrapped in a thin slice of fish and tempura > fried. Simple, but perfectly executed. > > 3) A tiny quail, marinated in miso and grilled, then cut into quarters. > Imagine balancing a tiny drumstick in your chopsticks... > > Ariane Terrific post Ariane. Just one thing..fish have fins, seals have flippers. Musashi |
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"Musashi" > wrote:
> "Ariane Jenkins" > wrote in message > > > > We visited our favorite sushi bar Sunday night and ordered a couple of > > the special sushi items. [ . . . ] > > Ariane > > Terrific post Ariane. > Just one thing..fish have fins, seals have flippers. > I thought Flipper was a Dolphin? ;-D -- Nick. To send your support to Any of Our Troops in Harm's Way, go to: http://anysoldier.com/ Thank a Veteran and Support Our Troops. You are not forgotten. Thanks ! ! ! |
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"Musashi" > wrote:
> "Ariane Jenkins" > wrote in message > > > > We visited our favorite sushi bar Sunday night and ordered a couple of > > the special sushi items. [ . . . ] > > Ariane > > Terrific post Ariane. > Just one thing..fish have fins, seals have flippers. > I thought Flipper was a Dolphin? ;-D -- Nick. To send your support to Any of Our Troops in Harm's Way, go to: http://anysoldier.com/ Thank a Veteran and Support Our Troops. You are not forgotten. Thanks ! ! ! |
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Ariane Jenkins wrote:
> On Mon, 18 Apr 2005 11:13:15 -0400, Dan Logcher > > wrote: > >>You're probably used to California Uni, which is bigger and more subtle >>in flavor. The uni you had in this case was probably from Maine, which >>is smaller and have more flavor. > > > It could've been, but I don't think the itamae would lie and say it was > from Japan if it was from Maine. We'd already ordered it at that point, so > telling us the source would've been a point of interest and nothing more. Maybe it was Maine uni that was shipped from Japan. A lot of Maine's uni goes there and comes back.. >>I love fresh aji, so meaty and flavorful. You should try sawara when >>you have a chance. > > > We'll have to keep an eye out for it, thanks! I had some today, very nice flavor and meaty texture. -- Dan |
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Ariane Jenkins wrote:
> On Mon, 18 Apr 2005 11:13:15 -0400, Dan Logcher > > wrote: > >>You're probably used to California Uni, which is bigger and more subtle >>in flavor. The uni you had in this case was probably from Maine, which >>is smaller and have more flavor. > > > It could've been, but I don't think the itamae would lie and say it was > from Japan if it was from Maine. We'd already ordered it at that point, so > telling us the source would've been a point of interest and nothing more. Maybe it was Maine uni that was shipped from Japan. A lot of Maine's uni goes there and comes back.. >>I love fresh aji, so meaty and flavorful. You should try sawara when >>you have a chance. > > > We'll have to keep an eye out for it, thanks! I had some today, very nice flavor and meaty texture. -- Dan |
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> wrote in message
ups.com... > One local sushi chef told me on Saturday during lunch that uni season > (Santa Barbara especially) is coming to an end, and that this year uni > was over-fished so the supply has been abruptly cut (he mentioned > Mendocino county California). We may not see American uni from the West > Coast for a while. West Coast uni has been difficult to get during the past several weeks because of rough seas. A few divers were out today off the N. California coast. We have been getting fresh uni almost every week for the past several months weather permitting. Fresh uni this week is touch and go. > A few restaurants in our area go the extra mile and > get uni from Hokkaido, and is as you described, much smaller but very > tasty and pricey. Has a dark orange hue instead of the yellow brown > color variety we are used to having. Boston uni is very similar to this > (smaller chunks of meat or shall I say "egg"). Of course you know "bafun uni." |
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"Dan Logcher" > wrote in message
... > You're probably used to California Uni, which is bigger and more subtle > in flavor. The uni you had in this case was probably from Maine, which > is smaller and have more flavor. That's what I thought because uni from Maine looks almost exactly like uni from Hokkaido but a quick call to a major importer confirmed that the uni is from Hokkaido. Illustrates how tight the uni market is on the West Coast. |
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D. Lutjen wrote:
> "Dan Logcher" > wrote in message > ... > > >>You're probably used to California Uni, which is bigger and more subtle >>in flavor. The uni you had in this case was probably from Maine, which >>is smaller and have more flavor. > > > That's what I thought because uni from Maine looks almost exactly like uni > from Hokkaido but a quick call to a major importer confirmed that the uni is > from Hokkaido. Illustrates how tight the uni market is on the West Coast. Thanks for clearing that up. How does it compare to the Maine variety in terms of flavor? -- Dan |
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D. Lutjen wrote:
> "Dan Logcher" > wrote in message > ... > > >>You're probably used to California Uni, which is bigger and more subtle >>in flavor. The uni you had in this case was probably from Maine, which >>is smaller and have more flavor. > > > That's what I thought because uni from Maine looks almost exactly like uni > from Hokkaido but a quick call to a major importer confirmed that the uni is > from Hokkaido. Illustrates how tight the uni market is on the West Coast. Thanks for clearing that up. How does it compare to the Maine variety in terms of flavor? -- Dan |
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On Mon, 18 Apr 2005 19:42:38 -0400, Dan Logcher >
wrote: >> >> It could've been, but I don't think the itamae would lie and say it was >> from Japan if it was from Maine. We'd already ordered it at that point, so >> telling us the source would've been a point of interest and nothing more. > > Maybe it was Maine uni that was shipped from Japan. A lot of Maine's uni goes > there and comes back.. I suppose that could be true, but it sounds like a rather complicated explanation. I really have no reason to think it wasn't simply from Japan, period--as stated by the chef. He's very conscientious about what he serves, and since his business is dependent upon a significant amount of Japanese customers, it would be foolish of him not to know the difference or to mislead his customers. Ariane |
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On Mon, 18 Apr 2005 22:07:45 GMT, Musashi > wrote:
> > Terrific post Ariane. > Just one thing..fish have fins, seals have flippers. > > Musashi LOL, I did know that, honest. ;D Ariane |
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Ariane Jenkins wrote:
>>Maybe it was Maine uni that was shipped from Japan. A lot of Maine's uni goes >>there and comes back.. > > > I suppose that could be true, but it sounds like a rather complicated > explanation. I really have no reason to think it wasn't simply from Japan, > period--as stated by the chef. He's very conscientious about what he serves, > and since his business is dependent upon a significant amount of Japanese > customers, it would be foolish of him not to know the difference or to mislead > his customers. I wasn't trying to imply that he was misleading customers. It just sounded like the uni from Maine. David confirmed it is from Japan. Did you like it more than the local uni? -- Dan |
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On Tue, 19 Apr 2005 10:44:04 -0400, Dan Logcher >
wrote: > > I wasn't trying to imply that he was misleading customers. It just sounded > like the uni from Maine. David confirmed it is from Japan. No problem. I'd never heard of uni from Japan myself, so we would've assumed it was from the east coast if the itamae hadn't said something. We'll have to try the "regular" uni from this place for comparison--something we hadn't done previously. This recent positive experience has boosted my confidence a bit. (We've had some not-so-great uni in this area at another sushi bar and have been rather gun-shy ever since.) > Did you like it more than the local uni? Mmmm, they were different, but I liked both. The kind we had in California was larger and the texture was different. I hesitate to describe it as watery, because it wasn't...exactly. It was just more custardy, or like jello which hadn't completely set up yet. In comparison, the Japan uni was a wee bit firmer and creamier. I also thought that the west coast uni was more of a balance between sweet/briny, but the Japan uni tasted a tiny bit more sweet than briny to me. It was very good, and I saw that we were the only people ordering it. (Ankimo was popular that night too, but that's not all that surprising...when we were eating, the other diners were almost all Japanese. Ankimo isn't listed on the regular menu, it's only on the list of special Japanese appetizers.) In other words, not huge differences, but an experienced sushi fan would definitely be able to tell. Ariane |
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Ariane Jenkins wrote:
> No problem. I'd never heard of uni from Japan myself, so we would've > assumed it was from the east coast if the itamae hadn't said something. We'll > have to try the "regular" uni from this place for comparison--something we > hadn't done previously. This recent positive experience has boosted my > confidence a bit. (We've had some not-so-great uni in this area at another > sushi bar and have been rather gun-shy ever since.) Bad uni can do that.. I've had a few skunky tasting pieces before. >>Did you like it more than the local uni? > > Mmmm, they were different, but I liked both. The kind we had in > California was larger and the texture was different. I hesitate to describe > it as watery, because it wasn't...exactly. It was just more custardy, or > like jello which hadn't completely set up yet. In comparison, the Japan uni > was a wee bit firmer and creamier. I think I know what you mean. I've had California uni a few times, once in NYC at Hatsuhana. The times I had it, it didn't seem any looser, but it was more juicy. The problem I have is that its much large so the gunkan looks like a big mushroom with uni overflowing the top. Its a two bite piece for me, and that can be messy. > I also thought that the west coast uni was more of a balance between > sweet/briny, but the Japan uni tasted a tiny bit more sweet than briny to me. > It was very good, and I saw that we were the only people ordering it. (Ankimo > was popular that night too, but that's not all that surprising...when we were > eating, the other diners were almost all Japanese. Ankimo isn't listed on > the regular menu, it's only on the list of special Japanese appetizers.) > In other words, not huge differences, but an experienced sushi fan would > definitely be able to tell. I had my sushi lunch yesterday, and they didn't have ankimo. I think that's the end for this season.. They don't usually have it again until Winter. -- Dan |
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"Dan Logcher" > wrote in message
... > Ariane Jenkins wrote: > > No problem. I'd never heard of uni from Japan myself, so we would've > > assumed it was from the east coast if the itamae hadn't said something. We'll > > have to try the "regular" uni from this place for comparison--something we > > hadn't done previously. This recent positive experience has boosted my > > confidence a bit. (We've had some not-so-great uni in this area at another > > sushi bar and have been rather gun-shy ever since.) > > Bad uni can do that.. I've had a few skunky tasting pieces before. Sadly, I just went through such an experience last weekend...not many places in the Cleveland area have it - that I have been to yet - so I was happy to see it on the menu at our favorite little hole-in-the-wall type Japanese restaurant. The food there is VERY good, and very reasonable. There was no room at the sushi bar itself, as a man and woman were camped out there and we didn't want to intrude on what appeared to be an intimate dinner for them. (!) Grabbing the closest table we could, I still couldn't really watch the two men prepare anything. I don't know these people personally, though my husband recognized one, and thought he might be the restaurant's owner. Long story short, my uni arrived (thankfully it was only 2 pieces) and immediately I could tell that I wasn't going to enjoy it. I ate it, trying my best not to make a face, but it really was not good. Even following it up with a large piece of gari didn't help take that taste out of my mouth. It tasted like what the sludge in the bottom of a fish tank might taste like, ew. I did like the texture, though...it was almost like the texture of Cool Whip, or mousse. I'd like to try it again, but perhaps I'll wait until I'm in a more sushi-friendly town. : ) (Speaking of which, are there any places in the Orlando area that someone could recommend?) Karen > > >>Did you like it more than the local uni? > > > > Mmmm, they were different, but I liked both. The kind we had in > > California was larger and the texture was different. I hesitate to describe > > it as watery, because it wasn't...exactly. It was just more custardy, or > > like jello which hadn't completely set up yet. In comparison, the Japan uni > > was a wee bit firmer and creamier. > > I think I know what you mean. I've had California uni a few times, once in > NYC at Hatsuhana. The times I had it, it didn't seem any looser, but it was > more juicy. The problem I have is that its much large so the gunkan looks > like a big mushroom with uni overflowing the top. Its a two bite piece for > me, and that can be messy. > > > I also thought that the west coast uni was more of a balance between > > sweet/briny, but the Japan uni tasted a tiny bit more sweet than briny to me. > > It was very good, and I saw that we were the only people ordering it. (Ankimo > > was popular that night too, but that's not all that surprising...when we were > > eating, the other diners were almost all Japanese. Ankimo isn't listed on > > the regular menu, it's only on the list of special Japanese appetizers.) > > In other words, not huge differences, but an experienced sushi fan would > > definitely be able to tell. > > I had my sushi lunch yesterday, and they didn't have ankimo. I think that's > the end for this season.. They don't usually have it again until Winter. > > -- > Dan |
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Where in the Cleveland area was this? I wanna be forwarned...
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Karen Burns wrote:
> Grabbing the closest table we could, I still couldn't really watch the two > men prepare anything. I don't know these people personally, though my > husband recognized one, and thought he might be the restaurant's owner. > Long story short, my uni arrived (thankfully it was only 2 pieces) and > immediately I could tell that I wasn't going to enjoy it. I ate it, trying > my best not to make a face, but it really was not good. Even following it > up with a large piece of gari didn't help take that taste out of my mouth. > It tasted like what the sludge in the bottom of a fish tank might taste > like, ew. I did like the texture, though...it was almost like the texture > of Cool Whip, or mousse. > I'd like to try it again, but perhaps I'll wait until I'm in a more > sushi-friendly town. : ) (Speaking of which, are there any places in the > Orlando area that someone could recommend?) I hope you sent the other piece back or got it taken off your bill. A good sushi chef should know better than serve off uni, especially if you're a regular. -- Dan |
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"Dan Logcher" > wrote in message
... > Karen Burns wrote: > > Grabbing the closest table we could, I still couldn't really watch the two > > men prepare anything. I don't know these people personally, though my > > husband recognized one, and thought he might be the restaurant's owner. > > Long story short, my uni arrived (thankfully it was only 2 pieces) and > > immediately I could tell that I wasn't going to enjoy it. I ate it, trying > > my best not to make a face, but it really was not good. Even following it > > up with a large piece of gari didn't help take that taste out of my mouth. > > It tasted like what the sludge in the bottom of a fish tank might taste > > like, ew. I did like the texture, though...it was almost like the texture > > of Cool Whip, or mousse. > > I'd like to try it again, but perhaps I'll wait until I'm in a more > > sushi-friendly town. : ) (Speaking of which, are there any places in the > > Orlando area that someone could recommend?) > > I hope you sent the other piece back or got it taken off your bill. > A good sushi chef should know better than serve off uni, especially > if you're a regular. > > -- > Dan Actually, I ate both pieces. This was my first uni experience, and I wasn't actually sure if it was *supposed* to taste like that or not...I'm guessing it was not. The next time we go back there, I will make a point of speaking directly to the sushi chef(s), and asking a few questions. We have never had any problems with anything else there, and I am hoping it was just the wrong day to order uni there. : ) I did order a second helping of unagi, which was exquisite, so all in all, the night was good. |
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Good uni can still be intimidating to a first timer. Though really good
fresh uni is a lot easier to stomach than skunky and skanky looking/smelling pieces. If it looks mushy or watery, don't order it to be safe. Exception: if the sushi bar is very reputable, and the chef recommends it even if it looks watery, it could be still safe and sweet. Check the color, it should be vibrant/solid and you should be able to see patterns (kind of like a tongue) on the surface. The chef should be able to carefully scoop up pieces with a spoon, but it should not fall apart. Uni should be served right away after preparing the sushi. Letting it sit on a counter on a plate, then waiting until the waiter/waitress delivers it to your table on a busy weekend night spells disaster. When is Boston (or Maine) uni in season? I'm curious when West Coast restaurants might start carrying them... I too am curious about the differences in taste between Hokkaido/baifun uni taste vs Boston uni. All I can say is that the Hokkaido uni I had on Saturday was fantastic, and the gunkan sushi was served with small shavings of freshly grated wasabi on top (yes the chef grated it in front of me). One thing I absolutely do not get, is why why why do people like uni with uzura (raw quail egg) served on top? I never see Japanese customers at my local sushi bar order uni that way (and I think it would be a waste to have Hokkaido uni with uzura too!) |
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On Tue, 19 Apr 2005 16:08:26 -0400, Dan Logcher >
wrote: > > Bad uni can do that.. I've had a few skunky tasting pieces before. Yeah, you said it. Our first experience was like that, it just tasted...off. Slightly bitter/harsh. We persisted mainly because the people in this group seemed to enjoy it so much, we figured we should give it another shot at another sushi bar. > I think I know what you mean. I've had California uni a few times, once in > NYC at Hatsuhana. The times I had it, it didn't seem any looser, but it was > more juicy. The problem I have is that its much large so the gunkan looks > like a big mushroom with uni overflowing the top. Its a two bite piece for > me, and that can be messy. That's been our experience as well. We've only had it at the now defunct Kantaro in SF. When the chef first handed us the uni, I fervently hoped it'd be good--otherwise that's an awfully big piece of yuck to choke down. Luckily for us, it was.  > I had my sushi lunch yesterday, and they didn't have ankimo. I think that's > the end for this season.. They don't usually have it again until Winter. I'm sorry I didn't order it, then. <g> We did have it a couple times over the winter though, so we're not too deprived. Ariane |
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On Tue, 19 Apr 2005 16:08:26 -0400, Dan Logcher >
wrote: > > Bad uni can do that.. I've had a few skunky tasting pieces before. Yeah, you said it. Our first experience was like that, it just tasted...off. Slightly bitter/harsh. We persisted mainly because the people in this group seemed to enjoy it so much, we figured we should give it another shot at another sushi bar. > I think I know what you mean. I've had California uni a few times, once in > NYC at Hatsuhana. The times I had it, it didn't seem any looser, but it was > more juicy. The problem I have is that its much large so the gunkan looks > like a big mushroom with uni overflowing the top. Its a two bite piece for > me, and that can be messy. That's been our experience as well. We've only had it at the now defunct Kantaro in SF. When the chef first handed us the uni, I fervently hoped it'd be good--otherwise that's an awfully big piece of yuck to choke down. Luckily for us, it was. > I had my sushi lunch yesterday, and they didn't have ankimo. I think that's > the end for this season.. They don't usually have it again until Winter. I'm sorry I didn't order it, then. <g> We did have it a couple times over the winter though, so we're not too deprived. Ariane |
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Karen Burns wrote:
> "Dan Logcher" > wrote in message > ... > >> >>I hope you sent the other piece back or got it taken off your bill. >>A good sushi chef should know better than serve off uni, especially >>if you're a regular. > > Actually, I ate both pieces. This was my first uni experience, and I wasn't > actually sure if it was *supposed* to taste like that or not...I'm guessing > it was not. The next time we go back there, I will make a point of speaking > directly to the sushi chef(s), and asking a few questions. > We have never had any problems with anything else there, and I am hoping it > was just the wrong day to order uni there. : ) Always ask the itamae if the uni is fresh today.. that way he knows his answer should be knowledgeable. I've had itamae look over the uni and say no, or look it over and then pull out a new container. I also had a chef offer a free test piece with my sushi dinner topped with real wasabi. It pays to ask. -- Dan |
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Karen Burns wrote:
> "Dan Logcher" > wrote in message > ... > >> >>I hope you sent the other piece back or got it taken off your bill. >>A good sushi chef should know better than serve off uni, especially >>if you're a regular. > > Actually, I ate both pieces. This was my first uni experience, and I wasn't > actually sure if it was *supposed* to taste like that or not...I'm guessing > it was not. The next time we go back there, I will make a point of speaking > directly to the sushi chef(s), and asking a few questions. > We have never had any problems with anything else there, and I am hoping it > was just the wrong day to order uni there. : ) Always ask the itamae if the uni is fresh today.. that way he knows his answer should be knowledgeable. I've had itamae look over the uni and say no, or look it over and then pull out a new container. I also had a chef offer a free test piece with my sushi dinner topped with real wasabi. It pays to ask. -- Dan |
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"Dan Logcher" > wrote in message
... > Karen Burns wrote: > > "Dan Logcher" > wrote in message > > ... > > > >> > >>I hope you sent the other piece back or got it taken off your bill. > >>A good sushi chef should know better than serve off uni, especially > >>if you're a regular. > > > > Actually, I ate both pieces. This was my first uni experience, and I wasn't > > actually sure if it was *supposed* to taste like that or not...I'm guessing > > it was not. The next time we go back there, I will make a point of speaking > > directly to the sushi chef(s), and asking a few questions. > > We have never had any problems with anything else there, and I am hoping it > > was just the wrong day to order uni there. : ) > > Always ask the itamae if the uni is fresh today.. that way he knows his answer > should be knowledgeable. I've had itamae look over the uni and say no, or look it > over and then pull out a new container. > > I also had a chef offer a free test piece with my sushi dinner topped with > real wasabi. It pays to ask. > Advice to remember for next time! : ) I think, too, next time we will make sure to sit at the sushi bar, no matter what. > -- > Dan |
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Karen Burns wrote:
> "Dan Logcher" > wrote in message > ... > >>Always ask the itamae if the uni is fresh today.. that way he knows his >>answer should be knowledgeable. I've had itamae look over the uni and >>say no, or look it over and then pull out a new container. >> >>I also had a chef offer a free test piece with my sushi dinner topped with >>real wasabi. It pays to ask. > > > Advice to remember for next time! : ) I think, too, next time we will make > sure to sit at the sushi bar, no matter what. Oh yeah, unless you have too many people to comfortably sit at the bar, I always try to. You have more interaction with the chef and the possibilities to try new (special) things he might have stashed behind the bar for those who show interest. -- Dan |
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Ariane Jenkins wrote:
> On Tue, 19 Apr 2005 16:08:26 -0400, Dan Logcher > > wrote: > > Yeah, you said it. Our first experience was like that, it just > tasted...off. Slightly bitter/harsh. We persisted mainly because the people > in this group seemed to enjoy it so much, we figured we should give it another > shot at another sushi bar. I used to get 1 piece of uni with a sushi deluxe at the sushi bar we frequented when I first started eating sushi. I ate it, but it didn't do much for me. After that placed closed, I didn't order uni and I can't even remember if they were serving good stuff or not. Years later the uni thread came up, as it does, and I decided to start trying again. A few tries later, I had some great uni and was hooked. > That's been our experience as well. We've only had it at the now > defunct Kantaro in SF. When the chef first handed us the uni, I fervently > hoped it'd be good--otherwise that's an awfully big piece of yuck to choke > down. Luckily for us, it was. Yeah, Kantaro. So sad about that place. We had a nice long talk with the co-owner one night we were there.. I asked to buy a T-shirt, it has a nice logo on it.. he gave us two for $10. One for me and one for my wife. >>I had my sushi lunch yesterday, and they didn't have ankimo. I think that's >>the end for this season.. They don't usually have it again until Winter. > > I'm sorry I didn't order it, then. <g> We did have it a couple times > over the winter though, so we're not too deprived. I've had frozen ankimo before, and it loose flavor and gets a little mushy. Best to have it while its still in season, which I think is over for us here. Now its time to look for katsuo, and then toro. -- Dan |
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Ariane Jenkins wrote:
> On Mon, 18 Apr 2005 11:13:15 -0400, Dan Logcher > > wrote: > >>You're probably used to California Uni, which is bigger and more subtle >>in flavor. The uni you had in this case was probably from Maine, which >>is smaller and have more flavor. > > > It could've been, but I don't think the itamae would lie and say it was > from Japan if it was from Maine. We'd already ordered it at that point, so > telling us the source would've been a point of interest and nothing more. Wouldn't surprise me in the least if it was uni that had been harvested in Maine shipped to Japan then to Cali. The vast majority of the uni harvested here in Maine does go to Japan. The itamae at BenKay in Portland Maine will only serve Uni that was harvested the same day. I've never had any there that was not perfection. Jessica > > >>I love fresh aji, so meaty and flavorful. You should try sawara when >>you have a chance. > > > We'll have to keep an eye out for it, thanks! > > Ariane |
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A bit off-topic, but has anyone read the excellent novel "Motherless
Brooklyn" by Jonathan Lethem? A crucial plot thread revolves around the Maine uni industry. |
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Joltin' Joe wrote:
> A bit off-topic, but has anyone read the excellent novel "Motherless > Brooklyn" by Jonathan Lethem? A crucial plot thread revolves around > the Maine uni industry. Heh.. was someone killed with a live uni blow to the head? -- Dan |
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"Dan Logcher" > wrote in message ... > Joltin' Joe wrote: > > A bit off-topic, but has anyone read the excellent novel "Motherless > > Brooklyn" by Jonathan Lethem? A crucial plot thread revolves around > > the Maine uni industry. > > Heh.. was someone killed with a live uni blow to the head? Doesn't sound like something that will make it to a 2nd printing. |
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The movie, directed by and starring Edward Norton (and a giant
animatronic killer uni) is coming out sometime this year. You can look it up--well the first part at least. D. Lutjen wrote: > "Dan Logcher" > wrote in message > ... > > Joltin' Joe wrote: > > > A bit off-topic, but has anyone read the excellent novel "Motherless > > > Brooklyn" by Jonathan Lethem? A crucial plot thread revolves around > > > the Maine uni industry. > > > > Heh.. was someone killed with a live uni blow to the head? > > Doesn't sound like something that will make it to a 2nd printing. |
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