I have since been back half a dozen times, each time a completely different menu and experience. Each meal has been progressively better. The ever evolving cuisine reveals a chef with tremendous versatility, precision, and passion. For these reasons, I believe Chef Kinch is currently the best chef in America.

In person, chef Kinch is soft-spoken and humble, rarely talking about himself or his current inspirations. The best way to understand chef Kinch is to understand his food. This is what makes each visit to Manresa special: each meal is a speechless conversation with chef Kinch, and he has a lot to say. During my first few visits, his food spoke of recent trips to France, revealing inspiration from Alain Passard and Michel Bras. He returned obsessed with vegetables, forging a partnership with Cynthia Sandberg of Love Apple Farms. More recently, his food spoke of visits to Tokyo and Kyoto: walks through tsukiji market and kaiseki meals at Koju. While chef Kinch’s cooking is enjoyed by everyone, it speaks even louder to diners who have eaten in Paris and Tokyo. David Kinch is a foodie’s chef.

One of the things I most admire about chef Kinch is his disregard for culinary politicking. Like Quique Dacosta of Spain, his cooking style reflects his current passions, regardless of what’s en vogue. Noma‘s ascension to the top of Pellegrino’s best restaurants list has not affected Kinch’s food in the slightest. This is a breath of fresh air. He’s a no-nonsense culinary rebel.

Manresa, named after the small Spanish north west of Barcelona, is about an hour south of San Francisco. A winding path leads from a quiet street to the restaurant. After passing the reception desk, the newly added modern dining room hangs left while the original dining room remains off to the right.

Black olive madeleines and roasted bell pepper pâtes de fruits – Our meal started with a Manresa staple, a cake-like madeline of black olive and a sugar-coated jelly of roasted red bell pepper. These two vegetal snacks, disguised as sweets, hint at the restaurant’s deep connection to local produce. It’s hard to describe these as delicious, but there is an addictive quality to them.

Roquefort cheese sablé – A crispy, salty, cheesy snack that really complimented the crisp green apple from our champagne.

Paired with N.V. Diebolt-Vallois Champagne Blanc de Blanc Brut à Cramant

Garden beignets, crispy kale, vinegar powder - Warm beignets counterbalanced with the subtle acidity of the vinegar powder. The crispy kale added a vegetal bitterness. This was a small arrangement of textures all held together by the leafy green taste of the garden.

An elemental oyster - A local oyster lightly poached in its own shell, topped with an ocean water gelée, and a sprinkle of nori flakes. The oyster was impeccably fresh — sweet and briny — and the subtle poaching enhance the oyster’s natural sweetness. The ocean water gelée extended the texture of the oyster making it taste twice the size. The umami of the dried seaweed enhanced the shellfish’s natural flavors.

Paired with Hangar One Kaffir Lime Vodka

This pairing with the vodka was too intense for me. While the vodka did have a clean taste and a pleasant citrus component from the kaffir lime, the burn of the alcohol distracted from the delicate flavors of the oyster.

Fig leaf curd, coriander granita, marcona almond, strawberry gazpacho - Wow. This was summer in a bowl. A rich lather of chilled strawberry gazpacho was poured into an herbal, ice cold coriander granita. This was an exceptionally fragrant and balanced dish highlighting the fresh produce of late summer.

 Japanese sardines with beets, watermelon, radish, and a garden sorrel sauce - A small sardine carried by the fresh vegetal bitterness of the chilled sorrel sauce. The sweet chunks of compressed watermelon and beets added a hint of sugar to an otherwise savory dish. This was a minimalist dish exemplifying how the freshness of raw vegetables can enhance the freshness of the sea. A simple dish with little cooking, where chef Kinch took a step back and let the natural ingredients speak for themselves.

Raw milk panna cotta, Monterey bay abalone and an abalone-dashi gelée - This was an exceptional dish, one that demonstrated chef Kinch’s deep understanding of Japanese cuisine and simplicity, and how to apply those techniques with local ingredients. With a texture like chawanmushi, room temperature raw-milk panna cotta formed the base of this dish. The panna cotta was covered with a thin layer of transparent abalone gelée.  The gelée was delicately salted and dotted with chunks of warm, meaty abalone. This was one of the most memorable dishes I’ve tasted this year.

Albacore tuna, runner beans, crispy bean shell bouillon, lemon verbena, olive oil - This was chef Kinch’s sashimi course in a traditional kaiseki sequence. The tuna was lean but still buttery with an herbal note that grounded the dish to California.

Razor clams – A small bowl of razor clams with wild rice, chrysanthemum and roast chicken gelée, topped with fennel fronds. This was another incredible dish. Chewy, plump grains of wild rice topped with chunks of razor clam whose meaty flavor was enhanced by the roast chicken gelée. The chrysanthemum and fennel fronds added an anise-like herbal dimension that kept each bite interesting. This was a dish that took me back to the rice courses from some of my favorite kaiseki experiences in Japan.

Paired with a 2007 Izadi Viura from Rioja

A summer tidal pool - A David Kinch classic, a dish that has taken on various forms over the years. This was the best version yet. Chunks of Monterey bay abalone, sea urchin, foie gras, local spot prawn, and hinoki mushroom swimming in a beautifully salted dashi broth. It was as if chef Kinch took a list of my favorite Japanese ingredients and combined them into one dish. This was a simple dish with a very complex flavor; sweet sea urchin and prawns, buttery foie gras, meaty abalone and earthy hinoki combined into a broth of absolute perfection. This is a dish where chef Kinch exercised culinary restraint, letting a simple dashi broth serve as the clean canvas for the natural flavors of the sea.

Paired with a 2009 COS Rami 50% insolio and 50% grecanico from Sicily IGT

Into the vegetable garden - A handpicked showcase of the day’s herbs from Love Apple Farms combined into a beautiful, colorful potpourri. I loved this dish and Kinch’s local interpretation of the gargouillou. This dish was a collection of textures both smooth and crunchy and herbal flavors ranging from sweet to bitter. My only complaint is that it’s a bit awkward to eat these delicate, almost weightless leaves with a full-sized fork and knife; it would have been easier with a pair of fine chopsticks or culinary forceps. This is a dish that connects Manresa to its surroundings, a reminder that California has the finest produce in the country.

Paired with a 2010 Domaine du Salvard Sauvignon Blanc from Cheverny

The meal could have ended right here and it would have been one of my all time favorite dining experiences. The last seven dishes made one of the best sequences in a restaurant I’ve ever had. What came was still outstanding, but of a very different foundation from the first half of the meal. The meal took a turn from Japan and headed back to Europe.

Late season fava beans - A risotto made from late season fava beans with a farm egg, morel mushrooms, and sheep’s milk ricotta. This was a very original, creative dish where the chewy fava beans were cooked to mimic the texture of risotto. The butter and generous salting carried this dish, enhancing the earthiness of the mushrooms. The ricotta thickened the sauce making it really texturally close to a risotto.

Paired with a 2009 Bruno Clair Rosé of Pinot Noir from Marsanny

Monterey bay abalone - A firm medallion of abalone cooked in brown butter topped table-side with a pesto of pickled cucumber and walnut. A few leaves of Malabar spinach added a vegetal, tannic component to the dish. The butter really helped bring out the flavor of the abalone, and the pickled cucumber pesto brightened the meatiness of the shellfish.

Poached halibut - Thick cuts of poached halibut served with thinly sliced young celeriac and romanesco. This was one of my least favorite courses of the night. There was nothing particularly wrong with the dish, but after a heavenly sequence of abalone, razor clams, sea urchin, spot prawn, and foie gras, giant chunks of poached halibut seemed boring. This would have been a great dish as part of a smaller tasting menu, but at this point in the sequence, it didn’t make much sense.

Paired with a 2006 Domaine de la Tournelle Terre de Gryphees Chardonnay from Arbois, France

Suckling porcelet – A generous cut of young pig served with chanterelle mushrooms, apricot-anise purée, courgette velouté, and a pistachio pesto. This was a heavier course and although fatty, the crispy skin really helped diversify the texture; the crunch was the best part of this dish.

Paired with a 2007 Jacques Puffeney Trousseau from Arbois France

Potatoes and duck fat “paillasson” – A crispy hash of potatoes cooked in duck fat, garnished with fennel and turnip. There were also small drops of bitter orange and olive. This was a very balanced dish with almost no oily mouthfeel, despite having been fried in duck fat.

Paired with a 2008 Domaine Maume from Gevrey-Chambertin

Summer berries and cream - Summer berries, both roasted and raw with a lemon cream. Underneath the berries was a bed of açaí granite and yogurt sorbet. This was light and sweet with the cream sauce giving the dish some substance, but the lemon ensuring it tasted bright and refreshing.

Paired with a 2008 Pride Mountain Cabernet Franc from Sonoma County

Chocolate-caramel cremeaux – Dollops of chocolate-caramel cream with fleur de sel ice cream and a popcorn custard. I really don’t like chocolate-flavored desserts (I love pure chocolate) but this was pretty good. Mainly because there wasn’t much bitterness in the chocolate, and the popcorn added a buttery, nutty component that made this really interesting.

Paired with a 2009 Earl Champalou Les Tries de Champalou Chenin Blanc from Vouvray

The cheese cart – Bent river, Blond d’Espèce, Pleasant Ridge reserve, Amarello de beta spacious, Garden Variety’s Moonflower, Gabriel Coulet Roquefort, Redwood Hill’s Bucheret, Chèvriere Cendre, and Cypress Grove Midnight Moon.

We chose a few pieces from the cart: Roquefort, Chevrière cendre (concord grape ash), Gouda-style Midnight moon, Cow’s milk Pleasant ridge reserve, and Bent River.

By this point in the meal, we were left with a gorgeous gradient of wines.

Petits fours - Strawberry pâtes de fruits and chocolate madeleines. We finished the meal much in the same way we started, only with fruit instead of vegetables.

I loved my recent meal at Manresa. The cooking was consistently flawless, and the flavors balanced and delicious. While this was an incredible tasting, the meal really felt like two tastings in a single sitting, one of Japan and one of France and Spain. I’m tempted to return to try the shorter menu next time in hopes that it could be even more focused.

The overall experience was refined and comfortable: this restaurant has really transitioned from a local, neighborhood place to one that deserves a lot more international attention than it’s currently receiving. The restaurant currently has two Michelin stars, but if this isn’t a three star restaurant at this point, I’m not sure what is. In the meantime now is the perfect time to go; I have a funny suspicion the restaurant is about to get a lot busier.

Related Posts:

• Saison
• RyuGin
• Les Ambassadeurs
• Favorite Meals of 2011
• Favorite Dishes of 2011

Chef Skenes is obsessed with flavor and how best to enhance it. In contrast to restaurants that over-embellish dishes and add complexity at the expense of flavor, Skenes takes away. Flavor is paramount for chef Skenes; everything else comes secondary. There is a firm Japanese influence in his cooking rooted in its simplicity, from his cuts of sashimi and live prawns to his use of sea vegetables. Skenes builds on this base of Japanese ingredients and applies fire, culminating in a magical and unique cooking style.

At the center of Saison is its hearth, an open wood-burning oven which nearly every dish utilizes in one form or another. Roasting over the hearth deeply intensifies the flavor of the ingredients. Sometimes Chef Skenes uses the hearth to roast an entire fish or meat, other times he’ll roast the bones as a component for a stock used to make a sauce to accompany a meat. Whether intense or subtle, the subtle smokiness and depth from the wood-burning hearth seems to make its way into every dish. The result is an addictive, rustic, wholesome flavor that makes every bite interesting.

The restaurant itself is set back in a barn-like industrial space off a quiet street in San Francisco’s Mission district. It was only after hearing the clanking of pots and pans that I realized I was in the right place. While the restaurant is soon to change locations, the current warehouse-like space is beautiful. The warm glow from the embers of the hearth permeates through one of the two dining rooms. The space is pastoral and romantic, its unassuming decor exemplifies the simplicity of the food Saison serves.

Reserve caviar – Wild reserve caviar from white sturgeon lightly smoked over the embers of the hearth. The smoking is just for a few seconds to firm the texture and add a smokey depth to the flavor.

Alongside the caviar was a Sardinian “music paper,” a thin cracker cooked in the hearth topped with a layer of smoked crème fraîche, artichoke citronne, artichoke purée, shad roe, egg yolks and whites, ficoide glaciale (ice plant), salt wort from Saison’s farm, and wild foraged herbs. This herbal garden was dusted with gold leaf.

Trio of canapés - Three plates of bite sized snacks.

The first was a Marin miyagi oyster filled with diced cucumber, borage, and drizzled with olive oil and a dash of fermented lime. Its flavor was bright, briny, and clean.

Second was a glass of tubers: giant carrot purée with parsnip milk and a purée made from crisp and roasted parsnip. Underneath was a creamy layer of salted egg yolk, oxalis tuber and leaves. The dish was garnished with mallow flower and crispy ice plant.

Third, a sandwich of sliced radish topped with radish gelée. Inside was bitter melon glazed with roasted pig butter and nasturtium honey. The delicate balance of sweet and bitter is what made this dish, and prevented the sweetness of the honey from becoming cloying.

Flight of fish - A selection of seven colorful fish, some aged and some straight from the sea.  From left to right: Red sea bream (aged 3 days), lobster tail wrapped in white radish, pen shell clam, horse mackerel, Kindai bluefin tuna belly, striped jack (aged 5 days), and amber jack (aged 7 days). With the exception of the Kindai bluefin tuna, all of the fish were wild and caught with a rod, line, and reel. This was a seemingly simple dish; it was only after speaking with Chef Skenes that I understood the great amount of detail that went into each piece of sashimi to deepen the flavor.

Each fish was brushed with a white soy sauce infused with the bones from that fish, lightly roasted over the embers of the hearth.  Chef Skenes calls this “bone sauce.”  While the subtle addition of “bone sauce” is imperceptible by looking, I couldn’t help but notice a meaty depth to the fish; an umami quality that enhanced each fish’s flavor.

The flight of fish was served with a rice crackling dusted with river vegetable, shrimp floss, and perilla salt. To the side was a small bowl splashed with a “bone vinaigrette,” a vinaigrette of wild seaweed, dried fish, and citrus infused with the roasted bones of the above fish.

This was an absolutely brilliant course, both conceptually and in terms of flavor. It was essentially a tour of the textures and flavors of the sea, each fish enhanced with aging and the smokey embers of the hearth.

Brassicas - Various wild strands of the mustard family (ruby streaks mustard, malabar spinach, arrowhead and oxheart cabbage) each either poached or gently roasted over the embers of the hearth until crispy. Toasted grains add texture to the dish, including barley, emmer wheat, wild rice, and sonora wheatberry. The broth, poured tableside, was made from wild seaweed and an assortiment of dried fish including flying fish, sardine, and bonito. Drizzled throughout the dish were puffed grains to add textural contrast.  Crowning the dish was a small quail egg.

Vegetable aspic – A transparent bowl of fava beans, peas, zucchini and squash roasted over the fire of the hearth. Burried within was a crispy chip of eggplant skin and a generous wedge of buttery avocado. All of the vegetables were bound with a gelée of tomato consommé. The vegetables and their consommé sat atop a corn pudding glazed in olive oil with pimenton de la vera and basil seeds soaked in basil water.

This dish was a balance of textures and temperatures all held together by the subtle smoke and meaty quality of the tomato consommé.

The vegetable aspec was served with a salt made from prawn roe. The salt had the concentrated taste of shellfish, which also tasted really, really good on bread with butter.

Crustaceans - A dungeness crab ragôut gently warmed in crustacean butter, served with santa barbara sea urchin and wild nasturtium leaf which had been gently roasted over the fire of the hearth until a crisp.  Our waiter added a cool meyer lemon whipped cream, and later poured in a crustacean bouillon table side, made from lobster, crabs, and spot prawns. This was unbelievable.

To the right was a live spot prawn just pulled from the tank and gently poached in its own sea water. The prawn was sweet and exceptionally fresh. I could have easily eaten a hundred of them.

Pasternack’s rabbit - Rabbit meat ground with foie gras and rolled into collard greens. This was gently poached in rabbit bouillon. Also in the bowl were kidney and liver roasted over the embers with herbs.  Most of the herbs, leaves, flowers, and tips were wild and foraged, everything else came from White Crane Springs community ranch.  Our waiter poured in a reduction made from rabbit bones slowly roasted over the embers of the hearth. This was a gamey, buttery chunk of meat that was enhanced by the vegetables and the subtle depth from the hearth.

Heartbreads – Medallions of heart breads from Four Story Hill farm. These are slowly roasted over the embers with berbere spices, brown butter, and fir honey. This was a magical combination of oozy, buttery, and rich veal hypothalamus coated in sweet and crispy honey. Again, the subtle hint of smoke from the hearth really added an element of depth to this dish.

Nuvola di percora – Warm nuvola di pecora piped into a freshly baked brioche with honeycomb. This was one of the most memorable desserts I have ever tasted. Salty and velvety nuvola di pecora oozing out of a light and fluffy butter brioche coated in a layer of thin, crispy honey.

When sliced in half, the sticky honeycomb cracked in two and the warm cheese poured out of the center. This was a dynamic dish that tasted great when placed on the table piping hot, and as it cooled and the cheese began to firm.

Preserved lemon A mixture of meyer lemon cream, lemon sorbet, and candied lemon from meyer lemon preserved on Jan 27, 2011. This was a mix of temperatures and textures all held together by the brightness of the lemon. The preservation process tempered the acidity making the lemon taste sweet with a hint of bitterness, rather than overly sour.

Melon – Melon with sparkling vanilla sorbet, and shiso cake.

Popcorn ice cream - A cool and creamy sphere of buttery popcorn ice cream, nicely balanced with a dash of salt.

Candied raspberries - The natural flavor of raspberry enhanced with a thin layer of sugar. The sugar crystals also added a textural contrast to the soft raspberry. These were addictive.

Chef Joshua Skenes is onto something big. Of all the restaurants I visited in the bay area during my recent trip, this is the meal that keeps haunting me. Skenes use of the hearth as a tool for flavor intensification defines his very unique cooking style. Every course had at least one component that was touched by fire. It’s this traditional cooking that makes Skene’s food rustic, honest, and straight-forward.

I can’t wait to go back. If Chef Skenes continues on his current track, with time, his cooking can only get better.

Related Posts:

• Manresa
• Favorite Meals of 2011
• Favorite Dishes of 2011
• The French Laundry Revisited
• L2O

Our meal at L2O was a back-and-forth mix of traditional Japanese kaiseki with modern French cuisine. The restaurant really shined when it stuck to the simple and authentic Japanese dishes, as chef Gras has a remarkably precise cooking style that highlighted the very subtle flavors found in fish and vegetables. Had I not known about chef Gras, I might have thought he grew up in Japan.

L2O also served some dishes that were a fusion of the two cuisines. This was the restaurant’s most interesting aspect. The richness of butter can really intensify mild flavors, particularly the subdued flavors of mushroom and cooked fish. But at times it seemed like two different chefs were cooking the meal, taking turns between French and Japanese styles. Sometimes their was synergy in the sequence of courses, other times dissonance.

The atmosphere at L2O was an ethereal experience that transported us to a Tokyo ryokan. The hostess led us through the main dining room into the private tatami room behind sliding rice paper doors. We were asked to take our shoes off before entering. Despite the evening chatter in the dining room, behind these doors everything went silent. Our waitress, with grace and poise, kneeled to floor level to introduce our tasting menu and take our drink order.

Oyster, frozen sake, rice wine vinegar
Tuna, tomato, hibiscus, foie gras snow
Kinmedai, ohba
Escolar Jamón, espelette
Shimaaji, red miso, radish, soy salt

We started the meal with a collection of small plates, all served at once. The tuna and foie gras snow stood out, frozen flakes of buttery foie gras contrasting against a subtle acidity from slivers of tomato. The kinmedai, or golden eye bream, was also a favorite, a lean and clean tasting fish minimally seasoned with shiso leaves. This dish was remarkably authentic in its purity.

Fluke, shiso, caviar – A slate grey disc of raw fluke top heavy with ossetra caviar. A cold, salty, and briny layer caviar seasoned the crisp and clean tasting fluke. A thin layer of shiso added a subtle refreshing flavor, contrasting against the buttery mouthfeel of the sashimi. This dish was as delicious as it was beautiful.

Sashimi platter, fluke, kampachi, kinmedai, shimaaji – These four slices of sashimi formed a gradient of fattiness from lean to slightly less lean as well as from white to pink. The fish was served chilled and was outstandingly fresh. This course came straight from Japan, and I loved it.

English pea, nameko – Switching gears from traditional Japanese to modern French we were served a creamy warm pea broth with pearls of plump sweet green peas, dotted with small nameko mushrooms. The flavor was vegetal and buttery, and the generous salting really helped bring out the subtle earthy flavor of the mushrooms. This dish was rather unexpected, but an interesting contrast against the light and delicate sashimi courses we had prior.

Tofu, itogaki, white miso – A tofu custard covered in flakes of dried bonito with a white miso broth. This was a very interesting mix of east meets west. The dish looked innocently European, almost like a panna cotta, but was dominated with the strong flavor of a dashi broth. I very much enjoyed this course.

Octopus, coconut, olive oil, sea bean – Medallions of octopus covered in a coconut cream drizzled with olive oil and spears of sea bean. This dish seemed out of place at this meal, a little too much like Spanish octopus and olive oil dashed with paprika.

Scallop, champagne – A fat chunk of pan seared scallop in a buttery champagne broth. This dish was delicious. The golden sear on one side of the scallop added a toasted flavor which really brought the dish together. The scallop was basically raw and translucent on the inside maximizing its sweetness.

Lamb tartar, shiro ebi, tarragon, pickled mango – Pink lamb tartar laced with pickled mango covered with a layer of sweet raw white shrimp. On the top was a small pile of greens. It’s dishes like this that remind me how much I prefer my shellfish and meat served raw. This was a very simple dish that stole the show; with ingredients this fresh, heavy seasoning is not necessary.The pickling process removed the sweetness of the mango and replaced it with a mild acidity that cut through the fatty mouthfeel of the lamb. The white shrimp was the sweetest component of this dish, and when combined with the lamb, created a surf and turf of chewy, sweet meat scattered with crunchy bites of bright mango. The tarragon added an herbal component which helped bring out the flavor of the meat.

Kampachi, yuzu, tapioca, black lime – Seared kampachi with a bright, buttery yuzu sauce. Underneath the filet was a pile of translucent pearls of tapioca sprinkled with the rind of black lime. Unfortunately, the fish was overcooked which really dried it out, but it had tremendous potential. I love the way the tapioca picked up the tangy buttery sauce.

Lobster, foie gras, surume ika – A thick lobster tail and scored surume squid resting beneath a foie gras foam. This was incredible, particularly the texture of the squid. Surume ika is a variety of squid that’s simultaneously chewy and crispy. When scored, it develops an addicting texture that’s a lot like grilled sea cucumber. The rich foie gras foam made the buttery poached lobster tail taste even richer. I loved this dish.

Pickled honshimeji, grapefruit – A savory, though acidic, palate cleanser of pickled small mushrooms with skinless grapefruit.

Miyazaki wagyu, beef, sake, potato – A small cut of heavily marbleized wagyu beef thoroughly cooked so as to maximize the textural contrast between fat and meat. There was nothing particularly wrong with the dish — it tasted great — but it was relatively boring compared to some of the previous courses.

I rarely find a grilled meat course interesting as part of a tasting. It usually feels forced, as if somewhere in the chain of command someone said, “hey we really need to have a piece of meat in here somewhere.” There was nothing particularly interesting or special about this dish, aside from the fatty quality of the meat, which I don’t really like anyway. The meal would have been stronger without this.

Dashi – A small bowl of pure, clear dash broth.

Caramel, manjari, espresso snow – A plum-sized sphere of caramel mousse covered in manjari and espresso snow. The flavor was dominated by the taste of oxidized coffee, which I didn’t particularly enjoy.

Macaron – A small lemon macaron marked the end of the meal, a bright and citrusy finale.

What made L2O particularly interesting was how each course went back and forth between authentic Japanese fare and modern French cuisine. But overall it seemed like the most successful dishes were the Japanese ones. Also interesting were the courses that blended Japanese with French, such as the pickled honshimeji mushrooms and grapefruit. The purely French dishes were the least interesting.

I can’t wait for my upcoming reservation at L2O to see how the restaurant has evolved over the past two years. The concept of French influenced Japanese kaiseki is fascinating, and there aren’t enough places that do it successfully here in the US. I believe L2O has the potential to make waves by combining the best of each cuisine, creating something original and new. Only time will tell..

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• Chihana
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• The French Laundry Revisited
• The French Laundry
• Manresa

The restaurant is located on a small side street in Roppongi.  The area used to be a bit seedy but after the construction of Roppongi Hills (六本木ヒルズ) completed in 2003, the neighborhood perked up.  Now it is known for its sophisticated nightlife including a handful burgeoning restaurants eager to collect their stars.  Yet despite being in such a lively neighborhood, RyuGin remains humble and quiet having just under twenty seats.

The service at RyuGin, like the service at nearly every other fine dining establishment in the city, was flawless and graceful.  The staff spoke with tremendous knowledge about the menu yet remained impressively humble.  The stage was set for a fantastic meal. Everything was ready, that is, except the food.

I was the only one at the table who enjoyed the first course, Atelier RyuGin’s home made bottarga served with daikon radish in yuzu flavor.  A thin slice of cured tuna roe served atop two smoked logs.  The dried roe was salty and firm, with a texture not unlike leather.  The flavor was intensely salty and of intense dried fish.  I thought this was a nice accompaniment to a glass of champagne.

Special oyster from Akkeshi, Hokkaido served with smoked oyster purée and ponzu vinegar with céleri-rave.  This was the first disappointing course.  The oyster was very salty and its only flavor that of unpleasant fish.  The ponzu vinegar was too assertive distracting from any sweet components the oyster may have contributed.  The portioning was purportedly for one bite; but that was impossible unless your mouth looks like Shrek’s.

Ankimo, monkfish liver, served with ark shell clam, winter vegetable in apple vinegar, miso, and mustard.  Another disappointment.  The liver was completely covered with a cold, flavorless paste that prevented any flavor from the monkfish from surfacing.  This did not taste like miso pastes that I was used to; this had no character.  The miso paste was also unnecessarily jelly-like.  Unfortunate, as I love monkfish liver.

Hot soup of matsuba brand Tanner crab from Port Shibayama in season’s greetings style.  The title of this dish made me chuckle inside a little.  This was delicious and perfect for a freezing cold winter day.  The subtle clear and lightly salted broth extracted and enhanced the sweetness of the crab.  The quality of the shellfish was immediately apparent as despite sitting in a hot broth for several minutes the stringy texture remained in tact to the end.  The crab added a subtle shellfish flavor and scent to the pristine broth, just enough to make it interesting and different from most Japanese clear broth soups.

Assorted sashimi “RyuGin style,” feel free to serve this to me anytime of day or night.  There is nothing but praise that I have for this course.  The freshest fish in the world were prepared in a way that allowed 100% of their natural flavor to come through.  A lightly seared scallop topped with osetra caviar, red snapper from nearby Osaka, lean tuna, and homard bleu.  An assortment of flavors and textures from crunchy to smooth, lean snapper to rich scallop.

Deep fried shark fin in cone,  a surprisingly enjoyable mix of crunchy fried breading and stringy shark fin.  I’m used to eating shark fin in soup; this was the first time I tasted it dry.  I loved this cone … textures were all over the place.  The salty batter somehow made the shark fin taste sweeter.

Crispy chargrilled “Akamutsu” with vinegar flavor on egg pudding, smooth taro potatoes.  As good as an egg pudding can taste, I suppose.  I have Japanese friends who go crazy for egg puddings like chawanmushi, as this is a very traditional dish.  Being a New yorker, I don’t have the same nostalgic connection.  (I can, however, enjoy mustard on my hot dog.)  The smooth taro potatoes made this entire dish have a texture of smooth pudding.  The textural monotony required that the flavor and temperatures be perfect: this dish was served just under room temperature and the flavor uneventful.

Venison with wasabi mashed potatoes and matsuke mushrooms. A thick cut of lean venison exquisitely cooked.  There was no cooking gradation from surface to center, all uniform.  The beautiful pink color glistened in the light.  But the real highlight of the plate was the wasabi mashed potatoes crowned with shaved black truffle.  The truffle was some of the most fragrant black truffle I have ever seen, easily detectable from across the room.  The squeaky matsuke mushroom was grilled just enough to remove the water and intensify the flavor without overcooking.  This was the highlight course of the night.

Steamed rice with cherry blossom tea topped with aromatic sakura shrimp from Shizuoka.  Another incredible course.  These tiny shrimp were eaten whole and had a very subtle flavor of shrimp.  Since they were so small, most of the flavor and texture came from the crispy shells.  The heads were the most flavorful part, I really wanted more.  These were served on top of rice cooked so perfectly that each grain developed a springy texture.  The rice stuck together without sacrificing its shape, a clear sign of perfect cooking.

The rice was also served with a bowl of miso soup and pickled vegetables.  There’s something really satisfying about pickled vegetables and rice at the end of a meal.  I haven’t figured it out yet.  It has the same closing effect that a sweet dessert has; except without the sweetness.  It leaves me with a very clean mouthfeel.

Fresh pear compote in Gewürtztraminer aroma and three citrus in maple syrup.  I got a little worried when I saw a ball of grapefruit pulp.  After the first bite I waited for the bitter acidity to attack, much like waiting for the pain after stubbing your toe.  Except it never came.  The bitterness was completely neutralized; perhaps the pulp was soaked in some kind of sugar water before. The dish was very refreshingly bright and sweet.

Fifth year anniversary special, ice cream of chocolate truffles, accompanied with fresh orange jam.  I don’t like chocolate ice cream and this was no different.  The flavor was infinitely stronger than any of the previous courses, completely erasing them from my palate.  This entire course, I believe, should have been skipped.  But my friend seemed to enjoy it.

Ultimately light Warabimochi cake in coconuts, genmai tea, and kinako powder.  Light cakes to close off the meal.  These went nicely with hojicha.

My meal at RyuGin was lackluster; though, it did certainly have its highlights: the assorted sashimi, shark fin, and venison were my favorite courses.  It was immediately clear that this was a very talented chef.  But the rest of the meal was a blur; nothing really jumped out as memorable.  And frankly, of the three courses I did enjoy, once was enough.  When I returned home I saw the meals of my friends Chuck and Cathy, both of whom seem to have had very different experiences.  Their strongly positive opinions aside, just from looking at the photos, it’s clear that they had a different experience.  Could it be that RyuGin is not what it used to be ?  Or simply that I had a single forgettable meal ?  I’d like to return at some point; but, I’m in no rush.

Wine pairings for the night:
- Arbois, Grand Elevage Vieilles Vignes 2006
- Mersault Vieilles Vignes 2006
- Pinot Blanc Vin d’Alsace Domaine Weinbach 1999
- Maison Louis Jadot & Domaine Ladoix 1999
- Clos Windsbuhl Gewurtztraminer 2005

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The first course was a small plate of three fish: diced salmon with mayonaise, tamago (sweet egg), and sliced ika (squid) with scallions. The diced salmon was the most notable of the three, with a very fatty texture. The tamago was a bit dense but had a nice sweet flavor, even though there was some mild greying, which suggests that the egg was overcooked. The ika had been flown in from Spain, which was apparent from the lack of firmness — it was not at the peak of freshness.

While I was working on the appetizers, Kazuo-san got to work on my sashimi. I identified some of the fish he was cutting: saba (mackerel), tako (octopus), hamachi (yellowtail), and sake (salmon); but, there were two fish I’d never seen before. I asked him what they were, and he explained that they were local fish: pejerrey (silverside) and lenguado (dover sole). He also noted that all the fish he was serving tonight came from either Argentina or Chile, with the exception of the ika which came from Spain. Just as I finished my last bite of tamago, a waiter came from around the corner to remove my plate and to place the wooden board of sashimi from the sushi counter to in front of me. This was one of those places where the interaction between the sushi chef and people at the sushi bar still has to pass through a waiter, though I was able to order through the chef.

The platter was very colorful and served with powdered wasabi and white radish — no ginger. Going clockwise from the octopus in the front: tako, saba, sake, pejerry with lenguado in the middle. The highlight of the selection was the pejerrey which I’d never tried before: a very lean white fish with a texture similar to kurodai (snapper) only a bit more firm with a very clean taste. The sake was also spectacular which, Kazuosan explained, is what makes up 90% of his orders from Argentine customers. I was let down by the tako which was slightly runny and lacked the fresh crisp that I love when it’s very fresh. I snapped a picture of a platter he was preparing for the Argentine couple seated at the table across the room — note the abundance of salmon and shrimp, much tamer sushi for the Argentine palate. I glanced in the refrigerator in front of me and it seems as though he cut me a slice of all the fish that was available that night, except for one. As I got a close look, I realized it was fuke (baby shark)! I was very tempted to try some; but he warned me that it was for tourists and since the muscles of the fish are quite firm for agressive swimming, the fish lacks flavor. But, I got him to hold it up for a picture.

After my selection of sashimi, I was still hungry, so I requested one of my favorite dishes that I pretty much always order at any sushi bar: maguro yamakake which consists of lean tuna sashimi, yamaimo (japanese mountain potato) grated, strips of nori, and a raw quail egg. Kazuosan seemed disappointed that he did not have maguro due to its recent scarcity; but, he would be happy to make it with pejerrey since it was a firm fish that would not fall apart in the liquified potato, and since I liked it so much. He went into the back to bring forward yamaimo for peeling, soaked it in water for 5 minutes, and began grating. Delicious and fresh it was, even without the maguro. Shortly after, I ordered nato temake (fermented soybean hand roll) which I’d been craving — it did not disappoint. Realizing the time-sensitivity of the nori, instead of waiting for the waiter to come from around the corner to hand it to me, he rolled it up and placed it right into my hands. Crunch. Dessert consisted of sliced apple, the perfect clean and refreshing end to an authentic sushi dinner.

I enjoyed this meal very much, partly because I hadn’t had a variety of colorful raw fish, crispy hand rolls, quail egg, or yamaimo for the two months I’ve been down here. This is undoubtedly the most authentic sushi experience I’ve had here. However, at times, I felt like Kazuosan was limited by the availability of fresh ingredients: no ikura, uni, maguro, hotate, and many other fish that would be abundant in nearly all sushi restaurants in both New York and Japan.

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