Omakase at Nishino - A Post That is Way Overdue

Brian and I went to Nishino with some friends back in December. We had all wanted to try omakase* and had heard that Nishino was a great restaurant to do it at. Nishino gives their customers the option of regular omakase or exclusive omakase. We decided if we were going to try this, we were going to do it right - exclusive omakase for all!

Upon arrival we were greeted by their friendly staff and promptly seated at our table. We were a little disappointed to find out we wouldn't be sitting at the sushi bar like we had assumed. Instead we were seated at a four-top table within view of the sushi bar.

It was pretty liberating not to have to look at the menu and decide what nigiri, sashimi and rolls we wanted and how many we should order for all four of us. It was also exciting to try things that we normally wouldn't order. We told our waiter we were there for exclusive omakase and with that he was off to put in our order.

First Course

I feel like such a bad foodie that I can't remember everything on this plate but in my defense it was over two months ago. I do remember the 3 items to the right. King Crab, monkfish liver, and sweet shrimp. 

Second Course

Hamachi tartare w/ Salmon roe

Third Course

Seared foie gras

Fourth Course

Mixed baby greens with salmon sashimi. 


They poured hot sesame oil over the salmon which cooked it slightly. The sesame oil was a great addition to the dish.

 Fifth Course


From what I can remember it was clams in a miso broth soup. Very good course  to cleanse our palette. 

Sixth Course

Again, I feel bad that I can't completely remember what this is but i believe it was a shrimp roll that was tempura fried. 

Seventh Course

Pan seared black cod


This dish was the favorite of the group. The fish was cooked so perfectly that it just flaked so easily and wasn't dry. The bed of veggies also provided a great contrast of texture to the fish.

Eighth Course
Assorted nigiri and rolls


My favorite item in this course was the otoro, tuna belly. If you haven't had it, you must try it. It's a little pricey compared to other items on a sushi menu but it is definitely worth it. It is so buttery! You can order it as nigiri or sashimi. The sushi restaurant may also have toro as well as the otoro. These are different parts of the tuna belly. The otoro is the more premium cut. Both are delicious and you won't regret it.

 Ninth Course
Mochi and Fruit


At first I was a little disappointed that this was our final course and that it was mochi. It seemed like an anti-climactic ending to such a wonderful meal. But just like the rest of our meal, the chef knows best. It was such a light and refreshing way to end our meal. I think anything else would have been to heavy. Even though it looked like we had small portions, you have to remember that by this point we had 8 different courses of small portions so it was actually quite filling.

Our first experience with omakase was so delicious and everything we had expected. Our waiter provided the best service and timed the courses well. We didn't sit for too long waiting for the next course nor did he bring it right away without giving us enough time to savor the previous course. He also did a great job explaining the dishes and could pour champagne like a champ! He also told us that if we come back to Nishino we should probably wait until the next season since they plan their menu around seasonal ingredients. I definitely want to go back and see how their menu differs from season to season.

* The expression is used at sushi restaurants to leave the selection to the chef. It differs from ordering à la carte.^[1] The chef will generally present a series of plates, beginning with the lightest fare and proceeding to heaviest, richest dishes.^[2] The phrase is not exclusive to service of raw fish with rice, and can incorporate grilling and simmering as well.^[3] Customers ordering omakase style expect the chef to be innovative and surprising in the selection of dishes, and the meal can be likened to an artistic performance by the chef (Source: Wikipedia)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Today was a great day. Brian and I started the day with a traditional Filipino breakfast. With our bellies nice and full we hopped on the bus and headed to the downtown Seattle library. If you live in the Seattle area and haven't been, you must go. The architecture is beautiful with such bright and vibrant colors inside.

Outside the library

We grabbed some books on Thailand and settled in some chairs to read up on the country. It was a little hard to concentrate on what I was reading because I kept looking out the window and enjoying the view.

We then decided to explore the library and I made Brian pose for an impromptu photo shoot and to practice my non-existent photography skills. I knew I wanted to shoot in the red hallway that I have seen on so many Seattle photography blogs. 

A few shots from our photo shoot 

in the red hallway

As I stated before, Brian and I were planning to stay in for Valentine's Day dinner. Yesterday I got Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc at Home cookbook and picked out three recipes for our dinner. After our photo shoot we headed to Pike Place Market to get all of the ingredients we needed.  The market was packed with shoppers as usual. We stopped at a few booths and headed home to get started on dinner.

Little Gem Lettuce Salad

The recipe called for Little Gem lettuce but I couldn't find any so I used mixed baby greens instead.  The different citrus fruits in this recipe really worked well with the honey vinaigrette. Citrus is currently in season so the flavors really popped. The walnuts were toasted in the oven and sprinkled with kosher salt as it cooled. The walnuts added a well balanced nutty flavor with a slight sweetness as well.

Pan-Roasted Halibut

This was a very simple recipe with simple ingredients. It was just halibut, kosher salt, canola oil, extra virgin olive oil, and fleur de sel. This recipe highlights how food can still be delicious and delicate even with minimal and ordinary ingredients. I paired this with just plain calrose rice and served over a bed of hedgehog mushrooms w/ baby arugula.

Hedgehog Mushrooms with Baby Arugula

All three of these dishes are adaptations from Ad Hoc at Home. I didn't have all the ingredients for each dish so I had to improvise with what I could find at the market and what was in season. A good tip to remember is to talk to the vendors at the produce stands. Tell them what you are looking for and they can help find comparable substitutions. We enjoyed these recipes and their flavor profiles.

These are the only three recipes I have tried from his cookbook so far but I can definitely say I look forward to trying more.  The cookbook itself is beautiful and would make a great coffee table book or a gift for any home cooks that you know.

Hope everyone had a great Valentine's Day!

Blogging FAIL

Here I go again talking about how bad of a blogger I am. I think part of it is I'm still trying to find my voice when it comes to blogging. My initial theme for this blog was to document my culinary adventures. I think in order for me to blog more I need to expand the theme of the blog. I still want to write about the restaurants I try and the recipes I attempt but I think I also just want to write about my life in general. So an all purpose blog if you will. 

My life right now consists of work, running/training, wedding/honeymoon planning, and foodie adventures. So I guess for now that will be what this blog will be about.

Brian and I are currently in Week 11 of marathon training. Our long run for this week is 16 miles, just one mile longer than our longest run to date. So far we are doing well with training and just putting in the miles. One thing we have both noticed that has helped us recover from our long runs is the dreaded and beloved ice bath. What is it you ask? Exactly what it sounds like. You sit in a bathtub of ice cold water w/ ice cubes for about 15 minutes. It hurts so good. Sure, my legs turn shades of purple and red and are cold to the touch even as I'm taking a hot shower afterward but the pain experienced in that brief period of time isn't so bad compared to having sore and tight muscles for the next few days.

Speaking of the next few days, Valentine's Day is coming up. We are planning to stay in and just cook a delicious meal together, which is what we love to do anyway especially on big holidays like this where restaurants are overbooked and overpriced. Which reminds me I still need to find some recipes for our V-Day dinner. 

I still have some restaurant write-ups to post - promise!

Let's try this again, shall we?

I don't really do New Year's resolutions but I do set some goals at the beginning of the year. I know that we are nearing the end of January already but it isn't too late to list them here and put them out there is it? 

Goals for 2010

1. Run and finish the Tacoma Marathon

2. Learn how to use our Digital SLR better and take awesome pictures

3. Blog

1. Run and finish the Tacoma Marathon

I am doing well in regards to this goal so far. Brian and I are in Week 8 of Marathon Training. We just have to stick to our training plan and put in the miles and we should be able to finish the race. We won't be breaking any world records, but I think we will have a respectable time

2. Learn how to use our Digital SLR better and take awesome pictures

We took a beginners class offered by the camera store where we bought our SLR. It was a great class and made all those intimidating terms like "aperture", "ISO", and "shutter speed" make more sense. Now we just need to practice more.

3. Blog

I have a few drafts of posts in my head and pictures to go along with it but now I just need to sit at the computer and type it out. Now that football season is coming to a close, I should have more time to organize my thoughts and pictures. Also I really need to just write. It's not like my posts have to be award winning. They just need a point of view and some pretty pictures!

Just because I haven't been blogging doesn't mean we haven't eating or cooking. Friday Foodie Date Night is still going strong. We missed a few Fridays due to the holidays but other than that we have tried some "new to us" restaurants. I can't wait to blog about it.

Friday Foodie Date Night

First off, I have been a bad blogger. I definitely want to average more than one post a week but this past week Brian and I have been house/dog sitting for his parents so it has completely thrown me off my schedule. But enough excuses...

Brian and I can easily get into a food rut. If we find a restaurant/dish that we love we usually become repeat customers. This is all fine and good except you can't try many new restaurants when you keep going back to the same ones. So for the past few months we've been consciously trying to choose a new place to try instead of going to our tried and true places. Last week I decided we need to make it a weekly thing. I instituted Friday Foodie Date Night (FFDN). FFDN will be dedicated to trying a new restaurant. In doing so we still have the rest of the weekend to go to one of our favorites if we don't feel like cooking.

** This blog post will be lacking pictures until I get back home to upload from my camera **

Last week's restaurant of choice for FFDN was Cafe Campagne in Post Alley. Cafe Campagne had great reviews and I was excited to try the French cuisine. The restaurant had a cozy and intimate vibe despite having the tables so close together.

I was not disappointed at all by Cafe Campagne. The service was absolutely spectacular. Our waitress was able to answer our questions and make great recommendations.

For now I will just leave you with a brief description of what we ordered and will expand when I add photos.

Appetizers

We ordered half a dozen oysters (I can't recall what kind they were) that the waitress told us had arrived from the coast just hours prior to us sitting down. Brian and I love oysters so it was a given that we'd have to order it. These were perhaps the freshest oysters we have ever had. They were pretty plump and of a decent size. In past experiences I have noticed that the larger they are the less flavorful they can be. That was not the case with these oysters.

The other appetizer we had was escargot roasted with parsley, garlic and shallot butter. I had never had escargot before but was excited to taste them. The escargot was delicate and just slightly briny. For some reason I thought they'd be a little chewier but they were actually delicate. We made sure to sop up the parsley, garlic, and shallot butter with our baguettes.

Entrees

Brian and I decided to order two different entrees and split so we could sample more than one dish. We ordered the cassoulet and confit de cuisse de canard. 

The cassoulet (white bean stew with lamb, pork, duck confit, and garlic sausage) had a beautiful presentation. It was brought to our table in a small french oven. The dish had a great balance of flavors that all came together. It was a hearty dish and perfect for that chilly Seattle night.

The confit de cuisse de canard, crispy duck leg confit served with thyme skillet potatoes, was delicious! The duck leg was crispy on the outside and the meat was tender. The potatoes provided a good texture to the dish as well since it also had a crispy exterior.

We were beyond full at this time and didn't even look at the dessert menu. But from the looks of the other tables Cafe Campagne had some good sweets to offer. We will definitely be back. I'd like to try their brunch menu and see what egg goodness they serve.

Introducing Seattle Foodie

Anyone that knows me knows how much I love food. I enjoy the experience of a good meal and all the senses that it involves. I love to talk about food. I love to hear about other people's experiences with food. It is not uncommon for me to interrupt a friend's story of their weekend or date by asking what they ordered for *insert meal here*. I also share what I ordered or what I made regardless if anyone asks me.  Luckily for me, my friends and family are accustomed to this and it's just one of my quirks.

I'm so thankful to have found a partner that loves food as much as I do and is as adventurous. He hasn't always been this adventurous but is more than happy to expand his palette and trying different cuisines.  While we love a good meal out, we also enjoy staying in and experimenting with recipes. We are by no means gourmet chefs but we enjoy being "at home cooks". 

This is my second attempt at blogging. I tried my hand at wedding planning blogging to keep my friends and family updated but that didn't really take off as I had hoped. I'm not really a DIY kind of girl so there haven't really been any crafts or projects for me to blog about. And in all honesty, whenever there was anything to update them about I probably already told them via text, GChat or Facebook before I got around to blogging about it.  I think this attempt will be more successful because I'll have more to say on the topic and have more frequent blog posts. I've lived in Seattle for 1 year and 4.5 months and still have so many restaurants to try!

My vision for this blog is for it to be a place where I can share my thoughts on restaurants, cooking, recipes, and food in general. Hope you stay tuned!