On Friday I met up with fellow foodie and high school buddy M, her boyfriend A, high school buddy S and his girlfriend C at
Zenkichi in Williamsburg. And let me just tell you that it was amazing, spectacular, special, fun, filling and tasty. We sat in a large, solid wood looking booth with a little bamboo shade giving us a 'fourth wall'. There was a button on the table we could push if we needed anything...but the service was so great we never did. M and I arrived a bit early and each had a sake. Zenkichi has quite the sake menu...and I think I've never had it so good. Once all of our party arrived we started a 17 course tasting menu of epic proportions, helped along by sake flights. Now I will tell you about some of the dishes. Or simply write, mmmmm a lot.
First up was a miso soup. Pretty standard except that the broth was richer somehow...as if instead of using a water base they used a meat stock.
Next up were Monkfish Foie Gras served in ponzu citrus soy sauce and Tako Wasabi (wasabi cured octopus). Each dish was interesting in its own right. S pointed out that the foie gras had a similar consistency to avocado. The octopus was not photographed and I think it's just as well. I actually enjoyed the taste and the texture of the dish (spicy wasabi, slimy chewy but tender octopus) but I don't think it would have held up to the flash (that was a problem, low lighting etc).
After that came the Maguro Carpaccio (medium tuna sashimi with sesame oil, white soy sauce, green yuzu pepper and grated onions): fresh and lovely.
Next up was the Grilled Miso Oysters (meaty oysters grilled on the shell with red-miso sauce). The red miso sauce was rich in a way I haven't ever experience miso pleasantly...but did this time around. Each oyster shell had three oysters which made good eating for us all. The portions were such that most everything could be divided evenly and when it didn't we were, for the most part, very democratic (dare I say Quaker-like) in our splittings.
Arriving at the same time as the oysters was the Sweet Duck Salad (roasted duck, poached egg, mixed greens and sweet duck dressing). My favorite part of this dish was the fact that you were to break the poached egg over the salad as an imperative part of its dressing. I am always amazed by the difference between duck served in restaurants and the duck I had in Georgia (mainly that the duck in Georgia I found disgusting while the duck I've had elsewhere I've found tasty...difference, mainly, between truly wild shot-out-of-the-sky and raised-on-a-farm duck).
One of all of our favorites (I think) was the Mishima Beef and Yomogi Namafu (Mishima beef tataki, rare, with sesame miso sauce accompanied by Yomogi, Japanese green herb, gluten cake). I think we all said something along the lines of 'this is the best beef I've ever had'. And S took a particular liking to the little green nubbins.
Coming at a similar time was the Shirako & Shungiku Tempura, Creamy cod milt and green chrsanthemum leaf tempura. Served with the traditional tempura sauce and green tea salt...I became smitten with the green tea salt. This was delicate tempura and surprising in its flavors.
Then there was the amazingly rich, tender and tasty Saikyo Miso Black Cod (grilled black cod flavored with Kyoto miso marinade). I'm not sure I've had such a rich dense fish ever. And if I have it's been a while. And I want to have it all the time.
Then there were the Tsukune Chicken, Japanese chicken meatballs on bamboo served with poached egg dipping sauce. I was a fan of this at first but then the chicken got a little too sweet or something.
This is M. being all happy about taking away the food before I felt I had taken a good photograph and A, a willing accomplice.
We had the choice of either Pork Kakuni or Buri Daikon for another big dish. We went with the Pork Kakuni, sweet and complex flavor of pork belly achieved by 3 days of slow-cooking. Frankly I have cooked more tender pork. Perhaps not as delicatedly flavored but, well, I couldn't help feeling like I've made a tenderer meat.
Then there was the Kanburi Tartar Sushi (winter yellowtail sushi topped with water sea urchin). S suggested it had a texture similar to risotto. There was some dissent on that one I think...but at that point I've had four glasses of sake so I might be wrong.
The one in the middle turned out to be mine.
Dessert was a helping of Frozen Black Sesame Mousse (chocolate based silky frozen sesame mousse....MY FAVORITE), Kinako Soft Cheesecake (soft cream cheese poured over soy sponge cake covered with kinako, ie soy powder), Organic Milk Pudding sans gelatin, jMarron and Banana Bavarois (I don't like bananas so I don't know about it) and Grapefruti Agar Gelee...resfreshingly tart agar jelly made with Japanese seaweed served in scooped out grapefruit.
It was incredible. Amazing. Good people, excellent atmosphere and astounding food...and service. Seriously you should go here. The tasting menu is $40 per person and is worth every cent...thanks to M for buying me dinner and S and C and A for coming out!
First up was a miso soup. Pretty standard except that the broth was richer somehow...as if instead of using a water base they used a meat stock.
Next up were Monkfish Foie Gras served in ponzu citrus soy sauce and Tako Wasabi (wasabi cured octopus). Each dish was interesting in its own right. S pointed out that the foie gras had a similar consistency to avocado. The octopus was not photographed and I think it's just as well. I actually enjoyed the taste and the texture of the dish (spicy wasabi, slimy chewy but tender octopus) but I don't think it would have held up to the flash (that was a problem, low lighting etc).
After that came the Maguro Carpaccio (medium tuna sashimi with sesame oil, white soy sauce, green yuzu pepper and grated onions): fresh and lovely.
Next up was the Grilled Miso Oysters (meaty oysters grilled on the shell with red-miso sauce). The red miso sauce was rich in a way I haven't ever experience miso pleasantly...but did this time around. Each oyster shell had three oysters which made good eating for us all. The portions were such that most everything could be divided evenly and when it didn't we were, for the most part, very democratic (dare I say Quaker-like) in our splittings.
Arriving at the same time as the oysters was the Sweet Duck Salad (roasted duck, poached egg, mixed greens and sweet duck dressing). My favorite part of this dish was the fact that you were to break the poached egg over the salad as an imperative part of its dressing. I am always amazed by the difference between duck served in restaurants and the duck I had in Georgia (mainly that the duck in Georgia I found disgusting while the duck I've had elsewhere I've found tasty...difference, mainly, between truly wild shot-out-of-the-sky and raised-on-a-farm duck).
One of all of our favorites (I think) was the Mishima Beef and Yomogi Namafu (Mishima beef tataki, rare, with sesame miso sauce accompanied by Yomogi, Japanese green herb, gluten cake). I think we all said something along the lines of 'this is the best beef I've ever had'. And S took a particular liking to the little green nubbins.
Coming at a similar time was the Shirako & Shungiku Tempura, Creamy cod milt and green chrsanthemum leaf tempura. Served with the traditional tempura sauce and green tea salt...I became smitten with the green tea salt. This was delicate tempura and surprising in its flavors.
Then there was the amazingly rich, tender and tasty Saikyo Miso Black Cod (grilled black cod flavored with Kyoto miso marinade). I'm not sure I've had such a rich dense fish ever. And if I have it's been a while. And I want to have it all the time.
Then there were the Tsukune Chicken, Japanese chicken meatballs on bamboo served with poached egg dipping sauce. I was a fan of this at first but then the chicken got a little too sweet or something.
This is M. being all happy about taking away the food before I felt I had taken a good photograph and A, a willing accomplice.
We had the choice of either Pork Kakuni or Buri Daikon for another big dish. We went with the Pork Kakuni, sweet and complex flavor of pork belly achieved by 3 days of slow-cooking. Frankly I have cooked more tender pork. Perhaps not as delicatedly flavored but, well, I couldn't help feeling like I've made a tenderer meat.
Then there was the Kanburi Tartar Sushi (winter yellowtail sushi topped with water sea urchin). S suggested it had a texture similar to risotto. There was some dissent on that one I think...but at that point I've had four glasses of sake so I might be wrong.
The one in the middle turned out to be mine.
Dessert was a helping of Frozen Black Sesame Mousse (chocolate based silky frozen sesame mousse....MY FAVORITE), Kinako Soft Cheesecake (soft cream cheese poured over soy sponge cake covered with kinako, ie soy powder), Organic Milk Pudding sans gelatin, jMarron and Banana Bavarois (I don't like bananas so I don't know about it) and Grapefruti Agar Gelee...resfreshingly tart agar jelly made with Japanese seaweed served in scooped out grapefruit.
It was incredible. Amazing. Good people, excellent atmosphere and astounding food...and service. Seriously you should go here. The tasting menu is $40 per person and is worth every cent...thanks to M for buying me dinner and S and C and A for coming out!
3 comments:
OH MY GOD.
That is all I can say. Except maybe for
WOW.
zenkichi looks absolutely amazing. i'm planning on going in the next couple of weeks. i've started to be very curious though - it seems that the tasting is plated "family style" and i am looking for info from those who have dined there as to whether it is actually filling enough to be a complete dinner. i have heard comments that you should eat a big lunch...
Hey Courtney, I felt that I was pretty satisfied with the amount of food...I mean it was a zillion courses. I guess you would certainly want to eat something but just because you get a smaller portion of each course doesn't mean it doesn't end up being a lot of food in your belly. I'd say have an early lunch that satisfies you but is, fundamentally, light...then do the zenkichi dinner. Also you get more courses with more people. So that would be a factor as well.
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