Thinking about what to pair with a seafood meal? Of course a plethora of wines come to mind. From Champagne to Riesling to Gruner Veltliner to Sancerre to Chablis to Vermentino to Albarino, the list of white wines that pair beautifully with seafood is endless. But think outside of the box. What about pairing seafood with sake?
Sake is a natural pairing for sushi and sashimi but thanks to JFoodo, a Japanese Government Organization committed to promoting Japanese goods, I had the opportunity to see how versatile sake is and how well it pairs with flavors outside of Japanese cuisine.
The last time I had dinner in Encino was in 2016 at Chef Phillip Frankland Lee's Scratch|Bar, a restaurant on the second floor of a strip mall that offers nightly tasting menus featuring seasonal ingredients. Two years ago, hidden behind Scratch|Bar, he opened up Sushi|Bar, an Omakase Speakeasy that serves a 17 course sushi meal for $125 per person. I love sushi and am always game to try a new place and added this to my list. And finally I made it for dinner.
Sushi|Bar is not your typical sushi bar and much more like a speakeasy. We made our reservation for 6pm and were told to arrive 30 minutes early for a welcome cocktail. We arrived at the mall, took the escalator to the second floor and found an unmarked door with a doorbell. We rang the bell, gave our names, and were invited in to a small room with a bar and some tables. We had arrived promptly at 5:30pm and we were the first people there.
We were welcomed with a drink of sake, lemon juice and ginger. And, as we enjoyed our drink, a few more guests arrived took seats and had their drinks.
Promptly at 6pm, we were invited to follow the hostess into Sushi|Bar. There were a total of six of us. Sushi|Bar can accommodate a total of eight people at a time. There are actually two sushi bars, one with reservations at 6pm and 8pm and one with reservations at 5pm, 7pm and 9pm.