Went out with some friends last night. Had a shockingly expensive Yakitori dinner. Yakitori is normally just bits of grilled chicken and vegetables on skewers, with sake. This was yakitori from another planet. A heavy-weight Japanese friend-of-a-friend got me the best seats at the counter and sorted out the waiters and sake for us. It was seriously nice sake, really strong, really smooth, and really nice taste. We had a couple different bottles of that. In between traditional yakitori items we had some really nice pieces of wagyu beef, some beautiful grilled fish, the nicest shishito I’ve ever eaten, tako (octopus) kimchi, and, Momma’s all-time favorite, a few platters of puffer fish.
We were all heavily hammered but the sake was so good that this morning I had almost no hangover. While I was picking over the bill in astonishment I realized they actually forgot to charge us for the puffer fish. That would have surely made the bill even more mad than it already was.
Oh well, was quite fun, and now it’s friday night.
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I await YOUR chickens coming home to roost!!
were you drinking the sake warm or cool? i’ve had it both ways & never particularly cared for it…perhaps quality has something to do with it? i find plum wine much more palatable.
Cold Sake. I prefer it to hot in almost all cases.
I don’t like harsh drinks, perhaps you drank cheaper sake out of some of those milk-carton-like containers?
Generally I try to get junmai sake. However, in this case the Japanese expert picked out several bottles.
Were you eating something when you drank sake? Sake by itself, not accompanying meal or snacks, would probably be a bit unctuous.
Plum wine with green tea poured over crushed ice as an pre-appetizer apertif is excellent.
not sure of the quality. i was out at japanese restaurants when i tried them. i assume the bottles were good, because they were certainly expensive, but who’s to say what they actually serve/pour behind doors. i always ate with it-typically sushi or other japanese entrees. i’m definately going to try the plum wine/green tea apertif-it sounds wonderful. i’ll tell you what i had recently that i can’t stop thinking about-vanilla bean gelatto in a champagne glass served with a shot of espresso, which you pour over it. seriously, one of the finest desserts i’ve ever had…and it didn’t even involve chocolate-ha. i also ate a brushetta w/ carmelized onions, mushrooms, and boursin cheese-fantastic.
My children, who turned down my inventive sweet potato patties, now eat most anything. Such is life.
I do notice that the Walmart shelves are lined with cans of sweet potato patties. I have been left behind again.