Date Night

It's not often in the restaurant business that I get a night off. The stars all aligned on a very slow Thursday night and I decided to grab Annie and get some sushi at Awabi, across the street from my restaurant. We got to catch up with the owners, Marcus and Emma, for a little while. Even though we work within 100 yards of each other, we never see each other.

As always, I let Ann do the ordering. She knows that I prefer nigiri, being something of a traditionalist. She even ordered mackerel for me! It was really fantastic just to sit back, chat with Ann, and let someone else handle the food.

Nigiri

Maki

I've eaten a fair amount of really good sushi in my life and one thing that always strikes me is how little attention Americans (customers and restaurants alike) pay to the rice. In general, it's overcooked (too mushy) and not vinegary enough. One other thing I notice is that most Americans go for maki loaded with all kinds of ingredients. Traditional maki are very simple creations with perhaps one fish inside, one vegetable, or sometimes one of each in the same roll. One of my favorites is shinko maki, a simple roll of pickled daikon.

Tiger: I'm Not a Fan

At our server's recommendation, I tried a Tiger beer, something I've not tasted before. I find it way too malty to go with sushi. Sushi needs a dry, crisp beer. I'll stick with Kirin in the future.

I just don't get to sit down for that many meals in my life and this was a great opportunity to sit and have some adult time with my wife. Thank you, restaurant gods, for the night off!