Today, I ate out at a sit-down restaurant for the first time in SLC. Best yet, I didn't have to pay for it, since a vendor took me to lunch. We went to a Japanese place just down the street from The Factory.
I sat down and my vendor colleague asked, "So, do you like Japanese food?" Clearly he wasn't prepared for the magnitude of that understatement. Sushi is my absolute favorite food on earth. He then said, "Well, you're in for a treat." I was immediately skeptical. I have had sushi in many of the great cities of the US - San Diego, LA, NY, San Francisco, Chicago, DC ... I've had bad sushi, good sushi and absolutely delectable sushi. I kept my mouth shut, but I wasn't certain I would find anything remarkable at a Japanese restaurant in a landlocked state in the western frontier owned by a local restaurant conglomerate.
Because I have been queasy a lot lately (darn hormones!) and because of Baby Girl, I not only forwent the raw sushi but also anything more exotic than a California Roll, much to my mouth's disappointment. I did, however, order a Bento box - teriyaki salmon, tempura, California Roll, miso and house salad. We also ordered appetizers - Tosh's prawns, a house specialty, and edamame - which is the world's hardest food to screw up and my second favorite salty snack next to popcorn.
The edamame, of course, was delicious. Tosh's prawns were INCREDIBLE. Melt-in-your-mouth shrimp with an Asian citrus aioli (a curious aside - not a big mayo fan, but I love aioli!). We ended up with two orders. They weren't cheap, which means if I introduce them to Himself, the wallet is going to suffer big time.
The teriyaki salmon was delicious, but it was disappointingly Americanized. The teriyaki sauce was the thick, caramely sauce, not the thinner, more balanced-tasting Asian variety that incorporates the salty, sweet and tangy. Still, it was tasty. The tempura was wonderful as well. The California Roll was disappointing. No cucumber, and instead of chunked fake crab it had ground fake crab. One of my favorite things about sushi is the contrasting and blending of flavors and textures, which, in my humble opinion, requires small chunks of ingredients, not ground ingredients.
The other disappointing realization was the lack of creativity in the sushi rolls offered on the menu. While all of them looked wonderful, there seemed to be an overwhelming assortment of common rolls - available anywhere - and a paltry offering of anything that showcased the chef's originality and flair. Still, I reserve total judgement until I can actually eat any of them.
One curious thing - sushi is more expensive here in the frontier than anywhere else I've ever had it - I'm attributing it to the cost of importing the fish and having it arrive as still sushi-grade, "fresh" and edible ...?
I give it two stars. It is good, and it will definitely satisfy my longing for Japanese food and sushi, but it won't inspire any displays of mouthwatering passion.
1 comment:
You are brave to eat any seafood in Utah. My rule-of-thumb is to only eat seafood if you can possibly see the sea. DC is about the furthest inland that I eat seafood. I guess I'm spoiled. I would eat seafood while I watched the boats bring in their catches (in Half Moon Bay, SF and Berkely).
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