Friday, April 1, 2011

National Cherry Blossom Festival 2011 - Grand Sushi Event, Washington, D.C.

After trudging around in the cold rain for 3 hours trying to participate in the 2011 National Cherry Blossom Festival, find photogenic views of the sakura, and express solidarity with troubled Japan in some small way, it was a relief at 6 p.m. to finally arrive at the National Geographic Grosvenor Auditorium for the NCBF / Nat Geo Live! Grand Sushi Event, consign my wet coat and hat to coat-check, and begin drying out.


Relief, that is, until I was informed that 7 p.m. was not the time to commence eating but the time to commence seating, and there was to be a 4th hour of standing in a line.  Not the conditions a $100 event would lead one to expect, and quite a damper of enthusiasm for future Nat Geo Live! events.

The theme of the dinner (I had to stop referring to it as the event) was sustainability, which much of contemporary fish consumption obviously is not, and it was hosted by chefs / authors / sustainability-advocates Casson Trenor and Barton Seaver and sponsored and supplied by Pennsylvania-based Whole Foods supplier Genji.

The menu, designed by Genji Executive Chef Miki Willis, consisted of 7 courses and a (non-paired) selection of 6 beverages.

Beverages
The grape wines I did not give much attention, although the selection appeared reasonable for the cuisine.

The sake was low-midrange, slightly sweet, very little fragrance with a single note of honey, and not much complexity.  A fair table sake.  But here's where the problems begin.
  1. For $100 there should have been a better, drier, more fragrant, more complex sake.  To keep costs down I would at least have had a selection of 2:  the existing one in a larger quantity, and a better one in a smaller quantity.  That way, any who wished could have experienced a better sake, even if it ran out sooner.
  2. All 5 wines reportedly "ran out" without warning before the 6th and most substantial sushi course.  That's an error, regardless of price.
  3. Chlorine was noticeable in the tap water (and/or ice).  I love tap water, but when it is treated with chlorine (as D.C.'s is), it should be filtered.  Especially for $100.  Additionally, I would have offered sparkling water.
  4. No tea!  That's an even bigger error than prematurely running out of all flavored beverages.
Fortunately, that's where the significant problems ended.  I hope Chef Miki was not responsible for beverages, because that was the only notably problematic aspect of the entire dinner.

Courses

1st Course:　冷菜　／　Appetizer

Piri-Kara Katsuo Namerou, Goma Ponzu　／　Skipjack Spicy Miso Tartar on Cucumber Slices surrounded by Rice Crackers, with Sesame Ponzu Dressing


Finally, nearly 8 p.m:  itadakimasu!  [I take your life!]  Anything would have tasted good at this point, but I think this really was oishii [tasty].  Spicy, umami [savory], good flavor, good combination of 3 different textures.  Note the homage to the cherry blossom in the 5-petal design.  Sustainability:  skipjack tuna is by far the most sustainable because it is significantly smaller, faster reproducing, and more prolific than other tuna.

2nd Course:　お造り　／　Sashimi

Wild Salmon Kombu　／　Kelp Salmon Pastrami over Mizuna Leaf and Julienned Daikon Radish Salad with Creamy Yuzu Dressing, Ikura [Salmon Roe], and Ito-Gatsuo [Shaved Bonito]


Salmon is not my favorite fish due to its noticeably fishier flavor relative to other fish, but the dish was good.  But if they wanted me to eat that whole pile of daikon, then they should have put dressing on it instead of just on the fish.  Note the homage to the cherry blossom in the 5-petal design.  Sustainability:  despite it spending the longest phase of its natural lifecycle (growth) in salt water, salmon is technically a fresh-water fish.  Thus, by virtue of the relative ease of fresh-water fish farming over salt, salmon is more sustainable.

3rd Course:　汁物　／　Soup

Kani Tonyu Jiru　／　Local (Maryland?) Blue Crab in Soy Milk Miso Broth


(Sorry about the blurry photo; this was my first attempt at food-blogging, and I didn't know that I couldn't see the LCD well enough to notice this kind of flaw.  Note to self:  shoot thrice, ask questions later.)  Being a Marylander, I naturally moderated my expectations...but was very happily surprised.  Miso broth is already a classic Japanese seafood soup base, and blue crab is no exception.  And while I generally avoid soy-nthetic replacements for "real" foods, soy "milk" turned out to be astoundingly good in soup.  It has a risotto-like fatless creaminess which works very well, and a natural sweetness which is a perfect accent for seafood.  A perfectly oishii combination.  And I finally had a use for some of the Western flatware:  the soup spoon (obviously), and the butter knife, which made a superb crab picking knife (thanks, Whitey!) with which to enjoy that half a crab.  Which I most certainly did.  But if you know Marylanders, then you know there was one omission holding this dish back from perfection.  That's right:  Old Bay.  Just a pinch, either cooked in or sprinkled on, would have made it ichiban [number 1].  Sustainability:  Seaver beat around the question but never actually answered it.  I suspect because blue crab is only middling in sustainability, and efforts to sustain it are already decades old and lumbering along.

4th Course:　旬野菜３品盛合わせ　／　Local Produce Sampler

*  Kale & Hotate Himo Kurumi Ae　／　Blanched Kale and Simmered Scallop Adductor with Creamy Walnut Sauce
*  Beet & Hotate Umezu Ae　／　Roasted Beet and Fresh Scallop with Japanese Plum Vinegar Dressing
*  Negi & Hotate Nuta　／　Sauteed Leek and Seared Scallop with Vinegared Japanese Mustard Miso


I must begin by saying that all three of these were very flavorful and I enjoyed them all, especially the excellent middle one.  (And also, that the menu listed them in the opposite order, but I did not read it carefully enough to notice that I had to eat right-to-left.  Suddenly my notes make much more sense....)  But were I an Iron Chef judge, I would be compelled to add the following, presuming the "secret ingredient" to be scallop.  On the first one, the walnut sauce was like a lovely nut-butter but overpowered the delecate flavor of the scallop, while the cooked kale had an interesting, chewy texture which overwhelmed the delecate texture of the scallop.  The middle one was perfect; the texture, flavor, and color of the beet excellently and intriguingly complementing the texture, flavor, and color of the scallop.  The third had one of the problems of the first:  the vinegared mustard miso had a wonderful, interesting flavor, but overwpowered the flavor of the scallop.  The leek had a tougher texture than I expected, but not overly so, and it complemented the delecate texture of the scallop.  Sustainability:  scallops are farmable and thus sustainable molluscs, like oysters and mussels, but possibly unlike clams (I wasn't paying enough attention at that point).

5th Course:　焼き物・揚げ物　／　Grilled and Fried

*  Sawara Syouga Miso Yaki, Nama Shichimi　／　Grilled Ginger Miso Marinated Spanish Mackerel, with Fresh-made Japanese Seven-Spice
*  Murasaki-Imo Tempura, Yakumi　／　Purple Sweet Potato Tempura with Tempura Sauce, with Grated Radish and Chive
*  Shishito Su-Age　／　Oil Blanched Shishito Green Chili Pepper


The fish, battered sweet potato fries and dip, and pepper were all excellent, though not particularly unusual.  The radish was fine, but I'm not a huge radish fan; I soaked it in the tempura dip.  The fresh seven-spice though I hadn't had before and was spectacular, and made the mackerel stand out.  Sustainability:  this was an example of hikarimono [sliced fish served with the silver skin on].  The species of fish with silver skin include mackerel, sardines, shad, and herring, which are smaller, faster-reproducing, and more prolific, and thus sustainable.

6th Course:　鮨　／　Sushi

Blooming Sushi:

*  Bincho Maguro Nigiri　／　Albacore Tuna topped with grated radish and chive
*  Fuki Nigiri　／　Giant Butterbur
*  Amaebi Nigiri, Amaebi Kashira Karaage　／　Sweet Shrimp Nigiri topped with Masago [Smelt Roe], Fried Sweet Shrimp Head Centerpiece
*  Katakuchi Iwashi Nigiri　／　Anchovy Marinated in Garlic Oil, topped with Sun Dried Tomato
*  Aji Fry Hoso-Maki　／　Panko Breaded Horse Mackerel, Shiso Leaf and Edamame Hummus, Beet Colored Pink Sushi Rice Thin Rolls


Everything was oishii.  Well, I don't know about the shrimp, since I'm too allergic to try it.  But it looked and smelled good.  Note the empty sake glass.  Reportedly and without warning they "ran out" of all 5 wines during the previous course.  I had made the error of expecting the continued enjoyment of a sake accompaniment, so I was somewhat miffed.  Trenor explained the dish, but I couldn't hear through my irritation.  The pieces were all very different yet equally excellent, but the most interesting to me was the one at the bottom.  I assume it is the butterbur, by process of elimination.  From what I can discern, it is probably a slice of a root, I assume prepared to have a savory flavor and meaty consistency.  Note the homage to the cherry blossom in the 5-petal design and the pink and white colors.  Sustainability:  ah...you get the point.

7th Course:　冷菓　／　Dessert

Sakura Goma Dofu, Shiso Gelee　／　Salted Cherry Blossom and Sesame Tofu Pudding, topped with Shiso [Beefsteak Plant] Jelly and a Pickled Cherry Blossom


I was at least half a dozen of those ridiculously tiny Japanese (cum Italian) spoonfuls into this when I noticed the cloud of hyposake-irritation finally start to dissipate.  Which is exactly what a good dessert should do, right?  But I didn't notice that I hadn't taken a photo until long after it was done, so there you go.  It really was a remarkable dessert.  I'm going to say it one last time:  oishii.  It had the salty-sweet interplay going on, the nuttiness from the sesame, the quasi-fruitiness of the shiso...almost a peanutbutter-and-jelly kind of thing, in rich pudding form.  A perfect National Cherry Blossom Festival day ending.  And soy astounded me again, making a more than decent pudding; I'm going to have to learn how to do that.  I love pudding, I make it all the time out of cornstarch.  Soy would be healthier.  And no tea!  It didn't occur to me at the time, but it's so obvious.  Would have made it even better, as well as more authentic.

Lastly, here are the only remotely decent shots I got of anything besides food.  The first was before first course, of Casson Trenor; the last two were after last course, of the kitchen staff and Chef Miki. Not sure why I didn't think to take any of Barton Seaver, the table, or the room. Oh well...next time.

So, taking the good and the less-good together, was it worth a whole Benjamin?  Yes...yes it was.  Gochisousama.  [It's been a feast.]  And happy National Cherry Blossom Festival 2011.
-   Maryland, USA  

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