LuckyRice

At first, Mexican style tacos and sake may seem an unlikely pairing, but when you engage the two, over a weekend soiree with friends and laughs, it’s definitely, “a good thing”.

To put it simply, the way Japanese Sake is brewed, the pairing possibilities are endless. Not only does it compliment delicate fresh flavors, but also with robust flavorful dishes like tacos. Mexican style tacos in my book encompass a full spectrum of flavors and textural profiles. Sweet, savory, spicy, herbaceous, zesty, crunchy, and creamy immediately come to mind. Take these bold flavors and elevate them with sake’s undeniable umami, and you get a magical combination that just makes you crave for more.

This month, I roped in 2 of my local Sake buddies to take the road less traveled. Chizuko Niikawa (President of Sake Discoveries), and Tim Sullivan (Founder of UrbanSake.com) prepared a wonderful spread and took Sake to whole new stratosphere with a night to remember.

Hakkaisan Tokubetsu Junmai was carefully selected for this pairing. Here is why and how it was broken down in our minds.

Junmai – Junmai sakes have a distinct richer aftertaste than their counterpart, so the extra body in the sake harmonizes well with the grilled meats, shrimp and rich creamy guacamole.

Tokubetsu – Having floral aromatic Ginjo qualities, the slight fruitiness is enhanced with the raw toppings such as cilantro, onions, tomatoes.

Served Chilled – At roughly 45 to 60 degrees, this kept the sake tight and balanced. It was a nice juxtaposition with the grilled to-order tacos.

Read what New York City’s best had to say about the experience.

Hakkaisan Tokubetsu Junmai is a wonderful sake to support various types of food. It’s clean and light body plays a wonderful supporting role during the meal. This innate characteristic of sake, did not overpower, nor interfere with the meal. Rather, it gently accompanied as a delicious libation the way it should be with any meal. It’s clear this sake was specifically brewed to stand behind food, not to conflict with it.

I find Hakkaisan Tokubetsu Junmai has a slightly creamy finish. This paired well with the velvety guacamole served in the tacos. The guacamole was prepared using a milder recipe containing only avocados, red onion, tomato, cilantro, fresh lime juice and salt. This lends the tacos a delicious creaminess without overpowering with too much heat. Jalapeno chilies were served on the side for anyone wanting a little spice in their taco.

We found the flour tortillas paired better with Hakkaisan Tokubetsu Junmai than the corn tortillas, which were drier and bit gritty. The wheat flour tortillas were softer in body and less pronounced in flavor. This mildness allowed the Hakkaisan Tokubetsu Junmai to really support the flavor.

The overall clean body of Hakkaisan Tokubetsu Junmai really cleansed the palate after each bite of taco.

Fresh crispy lettuce added a wonderful bright crunch to the tacos and paired well with the lightly dry and clean Hakkaisan Tokubetsu Junmai.

Compared to milder but yet delicious shrimp, the beef tacos were richer and came across fattier on the palate. The unique body of Hakkaisan Tokubetsu Junmai helped cleanse the palate after each bite of beef. In addition, the tomato salsa added a nice touch of acidity to the taco.

Written by George Kao, Tim Sullivan and Chizuko Niikawa
Photos by Timothy Sullivan

After seven stops on the 7 train, Gavin Kaysen, Executive Chef of Café Boulud and members of his kitchen crew, 7 strong, landed in Flushing where they embarked on a reconnaissance eating tour of the area’s pho shops — with a stop off at the Grand Restaurant in the New World Mall for dim sum. Fueled by Tsingtao, they explored in and around the dining rooms and stalls off Main Street, slurping and sweating their way to discovering the essence of pho — that great Vietnamese noodle soup.

Even with foggy heads, the mission was clear: take what they learned back to their kitchen at 76th and Madison and recreate it with a pronounced French technique.

“The quality of the broth knocked me out,” admits Kaysen, a Southern California native who grew up eating the stuff. “No matter where we were—or what type of establishment we visited —the broth was always pristine, delicate, yet extremely complex.” In conclusion, it would take the James Beard Award winning chef every bit of that golden medal to interpret the dish.

Over time his vermicelli-splattered tasting notes led to several broth iterations, with a final version debuting a month ago on the restaurant’s winter Le Voyage menu. He begins with a clarified beef stock, made from neck and oxtail bones.  It is cooked down with a 12-spice mixture including cinnamon, clove and star anise and then seasoned with a light soy and house-made hoisin sauce. As for the glass noodles, they’re bought in Chinatown.“You cannot possibly improve them,” he says. They are topped first with beef tenderloin and braised beef tendons and then with a salad of mung beans, mint, Thai basil and cilantro.

The dish has been a big hit with the restaurant’s Upper East Side clientele.  It is poured tableside style français and available for the remainder of the season. It will also be the first of four courses at a Burgundy and Beyond wine dinner on February 8th where umami and Burgundy will wed for an evening. (There are still a few seats left at the communal table in the private dining room.)

When asked about how he found a wine to go with the rich, fatty noodle soup, the restaurant’s sommelier Blue Pilkington said, “I don’t think it is really difficult at all so long as you have a wine with well-developed and integrated soft tannins.”



Though Burgundy can be a little more forgiving than most reds and holds up to pho’s robust broth, it’s still immensely challenging to match. Pilkington demystifies the concept: “The earthy quality of the wines made from the pinot noir grape head towards the umami spectrum, showing more intensity and purity than any other red wines do. Thus, the umami in the pho will draw out even more of the same from the wine.”

During the dinner Pilkington will pair three wines with the course, most notably the Etude Pinot Noir 1996 from Napa Valley (not technically a Burgundy, but the same grape). “These wines will compliment rather than be in any dominance over the pho and the final experience.”

As for Kaysen’s pairing suggestion? “Usually I’ll do it with a beer, which is probably the best way.”

–Matt Rodbard

Sometimes a spicy dish can just about bring tears to the eyes. And not because of Scovilles. “I got to taste some 100-year-old gochujang and it was absolutely mind-blowing,” said Top Chef runner-up Angelo Sosa, about the fermented red pepper paste, with a near crack of the voice. When chefs get a chance to sample the good stuff, things can get a little emotional.

Sosa had just returned from a 10-day eating tour of South Korea and wanted to share the details. As chef-owner of New York City Asian comfort food restaurant Social Eatz, Sosa—raised by an Italian mother and Dominican father—has mastered the art of banh mi but this was his first trip to the land of banchan and bulgogi, supported by the Korean Food Foundation and serving as a reward for winning Eater’s Greatest Burger In America competition with his Bibimbap Burger. If it isn’t obvious, Korean cuisine is blowing up these days. Are you taking notes?

Sosa’s first stop was to observe the art of kimchi production, the spicy, funky, national dish of Korea. “It was like the Bordeaux region for cabbage,” he said of the mineral-packed produce he pulled from the clay soil at a patch in Hanam, located on Seoul’s eastern edge. Each cabbage weighed over five pounds and had the texture of a crisp apple.

In the yard of a 300-year-old house, an old lady showed him how it’s done. The cabbage had been brined for 10 hours in salt and water, rinsed and patted dry. She then peeled back and brushed each layer with a sauce of baby shrimp, fish sauce, fish stock, daikon radish, scallions and red peppers. The fermentation process, which follows, lasts around a week.

“Some Americans just don’t take to the stuff,” he said, implying that they are really missing out.

Sosa next visited Seoil Farm, a scenic farm and factory located in Anseong—two hours south of the capital. It is here he experienced the century-aged gochujang—a fermented pepper paste stored in earthenware called onggi. “I was the first foreigner to be let in,” he says of the secure area where he was allowed to sample the secret sauce. There, a worker lifted the heavy clay lid and burrowed through three inches of a tar-like substance to ladle out a pinkie-sized sample of the Ferrari-red mixture reserved exclusively for medicinal purposes.

“They say it has cured cancers,” said Sosa of the prized elixir, without a hint of suspicion.

Back in the States, Sosa is coming down from the experience. But only barely. “I want to book my next trip today,” he said even while weighed down by jetlag. And so should you. The year 2012 is going to be a big one for Korean cuisine. And now that we’ve got you thinking all about kimchi, do yourself a favor and don’t be one of those Americans.

Say…uh…kimchi me!

–Matt Rodbard

Standing in line for the delicious Kambi House Ramen, which was by far the most popular food item of the evening, I overheard a very ecstatic woman say to her just as elated male companion, “This is THE most unique birthday gift anyone has ever given me.” Hearing her happiness offset the boredom of waiting in line for 15 minutes to taste Kambi’s ramen. Shigeto Kamada who was manning the station took his time to do it properly and paid little attention to the horde lined up in front of his table. He wanted to make sure what he offered was up to his high standard. I’m happy to report that it was well worth the wait and I was persuaded as I’m sure many of my cohorts were to put Kambi on my must-visit list.

Kambi was one of several restaurants and over 30 premium sake, shochu and craft beer brewers who were pouring on October 7th at SIP + BITE + SLURP. About four hundred sake enthusiasts, and a few dabblers, joined LUCKYRICE and the Japanese Culinary Center at the Metropolitan Pavilion to taste some of the best sake available in the U.S. While most Americans are used to drinking cheap sake that is served warm in most run-of-the-mill Japanese restaurants, our guests had a chance to learn about and try junmaishu (“pure rice sake”) that is made from just four ingredients, water, rice, koji and yeast. The inexpensive sake you find in most restaurants is what’s called futsushu or “regular” sake which usually means that the rice used to make it is not milled and in order to increase the production yield, manufacturers add distilled alcohol and extra water. Warming it masks the poor flavor.

At SIP + BITE + SLURP, we tippled sake from a number of premium artisanal producers from the rural areas of Japan. Many of them have been owned and operated by multi-generations of the same family. When you taste how good sake can be, it’s difficult to go back to drinking the warm, mass-produced futsushu that most of us are used to drinking. We followed the experts who picked Dassai and Tatenokawa as their favorites in a blind taste test and we’re happy to say we agreed with them wholeheartedly. The excellent Tatenokawa 18 Junmai Daiginjo was something new and delicious. Unfortunately, they make so little of it that they’re only able to bring about 300 bottles of it into the U.S.

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If you’ve lived long enough, you’ll remember that thirty years ago, eating raw fish in a Japanese restaurant sounded bizarre and even a bit disgusting to most Americans. Nowadays, famous actors consume so much sushi that they give themselves mercury poisoning.

In the early part of this millennium, thanks in large part to a certain renegade East Village-based Korean American genius, ramen has supplanted sushi as the Japanese food of the moment. But it doesn’t stop there. New York’s Japanese food scene has become so sophisticated that it’s possible to consume various regional specialties just in the area south of 14th Street. As American diners’ knowledge of Japanese cuisine increases, we have also begun to understand the brewing methods and the flavors of fine artisanal sake (more often called nihonshu or literally “Japanese wine” by the Japanese themselves.)

LUCKYRICE, in conjunction with the Japanese Culinary Center, presents SIP + BITE + SLURP, an exploration of sake as interpreted by artisanal brewers from various regions of Japan. The brewers themselves will be in town and will be getting together for one night only to pour their sake and talk about the various areas of Japan from which they hail.

We’ve also lined up eight restaurants representing four major regions of Japan. As you walk the floor, you will be able to taste both the sakes and dishes from Hokkaido in the north to Kyushu in the south and the major urban centers of Kanto (Tokyo area) and Kinki (Osaka area) in between.

Brooklyn’s Hibino will present that most elegant of Japanese foods kaiseki-ryori which originated in Kyoto, the ancient seat of imperial power. Hakata Tonton, which has transported the pork specialties from the southern Japanese island of Kyushu to the West Village will be providing bites. Kasadela – based in Alphabet City – will show you what a sticky, sweet and spicy Nagoya-style tebasaki (chicken wing) tastes like. Otafuku located on 9th Street, will be cooking their take on okonomiyaki which translates to “as you like it” meaning that you can have that Japanese pancake your way. Michelin star decorated Kyo Ya, usually tucked away in the East Village, will come out to play and represent Hokkaido as will 47th Street’s sleek sushi bar Tsushima.

We’ll also have the Kambi Ramen House located in the East Village- that’s where the SLURP comes in. In Japan, noisily slurping your ramen not only cools the noodles as they enter your mouth but also shows how much you’re enjoying them.

Join us and get ready to say as the Japanese do before one eats a meal itadakimasu which means “I shall now humbly receive.”

Please see below for the artisanal sake, shochu, craft beer brands and restaurants that will be present and which regions of Japan they will be representing.

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On May 18th, we attended one of the finest walk-around tastings that we’ve been to. Chef Masaharu Morimoto hosted a benefit for The Japan Society’s Japan Earthquake Relief Fund and he called on a few of his chef buddies to help create a special evening at the Harvard Club called Chefs Cook for Japan.

The food, prepared by an all-star line-up, was delicious. The New York chefs in attendance included Marcus Samuellson, Anita Lo, Daniel Boulud, Kerry Heffernan and Francois Payard. Paul Bartolotta was in from Las Vegas and Jose Garces of Amada in Philadelphia offered wonderful dishes as well.

But, the showstopper was a live demonstration by Chef Morimoto of how to break down what appeared to be about a 200 pound maguro, from a whole fish to pieces of sushi. Here’s a look at how it’s done:

It’s been a year in the planning so you can imagine how excited we were when we kicked off the 2011 LUCKYRICE Festival last night at annisa.

Here’s a picture of the two stars of last night’s LUCKYRICE Kick-Off Dinner Presented by HSBC Bank: Chef Anita Lo and Danielle Chang, the founder of LUCKYRICE.

What a delicious meal it was! Anita prepared a five course tasting menu inspired by the themes of the festival events and each course was paired with an outstanding Austrian wine provided by the Austrian wine expert Monika Caha.

As we waited for the guests to arrive, we nibbled on a selection of five hors d’oevre which gave the guests an idea of the types of tastes they will be getting at the Grand Feast: Duck Rillettes with 5-Spice and Hoisin on Toast, Chilled Avocado Soup Shooters, Unagi and Scallion Fritters with Soy Glaze, Annisa Canapé Cups and LUCKYRICE Balls.

If you were not aware of the delicious food that Anita Lo is cooking at annisa, take a glance at this menu. Of course, this is not what you would order on a normal night at annisa but as you read through the combinations of flavors, you will get a sense of how versatile a chef she is.

First Course – Talk and Taste Korea
Tartare of White Tuna with Korean Chili Paste
Fritsch Grûner Veltliner Steinberg 2009 (Wagram, Austria)

Photo Credit: Briana McDonell

Second Course – Morimoto
Foi Gras Chawan Mushi with Sunchokes and Meyer Lemon
Stadlmann Zierfandler Mandelhöh 2008 (Thermenregion, Austria)

Photo Credit: Briana McDonell

Third Course – Night Market
Seafood Medley with Curry Laksa Sauce
Neumeister Sauvignon Blanc Klausen 2009 (Steiermakr, Austria)

Photo Credit: Briana McDonell

Fourth Course – Macau
Pork Tenderloin with Manila Clams, Black Beans and Green Garlic
Anita & Hans Nittnaus Pannobile 2006 (Burgenland, Austria)

Photo Credit: Briana McDonell

Fifth Course – La Fête Chinoise
Blancmange with Toasted Almonds and Kumquats
Anita & Hans Nittnaus Trockenbeerenauslese 2005 (Burgenland, Austria)

Photo Credit: Briana McDonell

While last night’s dinner was an intimate affair for about 40 guests, tonight’s cocktail party at The Bowery Hotel will be an exciting celebration of cocktail culture with hundreds of guests in attendance. Seventeen bartenders will be serving cocktails made with Asian ingredients. Let’s hope for a warm evening so we can enjoy those cocktails on the hotel’s beautiful terrace.