I am writing this on the afternoon of New Years Eve. This, of course, has me thinking of Champagne. Well, okay, it doesn’t take much to make me think of Champagne, but I digress.
Champagne can conjure up ideas of the foods that go so well with it. One of my
favorites is sushi!
Sushi is so much more than just some raw fish served on a roll of sweetened rice. The beautiful pieces of sushi, handmade by the Sushi Chef, are miniature works of art that are, well, edible.
Sushi got its start in Southeast Asia around 500 BC. The mountain people would take raw fish and layer it with rice. It was then left to ferment for months. When the fish was eaten, the rice was thrown away.
By the 1300’s the Mongolians had conquered mainland China and sushi faded from the scene. The Mongolians, you see, were not seafood lovers.
In the 1600’s the Japanese modified the method of making sushi. They loved this food, but did not like waiting months to enjoy it. They were able to get the process down to a few weeks. Then, the discovered that mixing vinegar, fish could be eaten without the wait.
A man named Yohei Hanaya should be celebrated! In the early 1800’s he set up
the first sushi stand in Tokyo. He would fill a chest with ice and fill it with
the fresh catch of the day. It did not take long for other vendors to open
stalls in Tokyo. They would wheel their carts to their stalls. The carts had
curtains. Patrons would eat the sushi with their hands, then dip their hands in
their teacups and use the curtains to wipe their hands with. The cart with the
driest curtain was thought to have the best sushi….reminds me of the old Kentucky
Fired Chicken saying “Finger liking good.”
Today, sushi is found everywhere. I have even had great sushi in a city known for its beef intake – Dallas, Texas. The Stoneleigh Hotel had a great sushi bar. I do not know if it still exists, but in 1999, it was great.
At that time, I worked for a musician, Chuck Negron who used to be a lead singer with Three Dog Night. We were in Dallas for the making of a concert video. Several of the band members and I found ourselves lined up at the sushi bar. It was great! A little sushi, a little Sake. A little more sushi…a little more Sake. Ah, this was the sushi life!
Portland has fabulous sushi!!!! Hey, we should, we live in the land of the salmon. We have a large Asian community and we are on the cutting edge when it comes to food in this city! Some of my favorite Portland sushi bars are:
Takahashi
10324 SE Holgate
Portland, OR
This place looks like something you want to avoid, from the outside. However, enter the doors and it is pure sushi. There is a large sushi bar in from and tables in the back.
If you order a combination dinner, it comes with Miso Soup, Potato Stew, Cucumber Salad Entrée of your choice (and you can choose more than one). My favorite combo is sushi and tempura.
I stop here on a semi-regular basis. My former neighbors (and great friends)
Robert and Curtis introduced me to Takahashi. They trek all the way over here
from Hillsboro for the food! The last time they invited me to join them, I was
unable to go. The ventured to East County anyway. In fact, we already have
plans to meet there in a couple of weeks.
Bush Garden
900 SW Morrison
Portland, OR
This is a Portland institution. You can dine at the sushi bar, a table or a private tatami room. I prefer the tatami rooms, where else can you sit on tatami mats on the floor surrounded by rice paper walls and enjoy gracious service from a lovely waitress in a kimono?
The sushi at Bush Garden is some of the freshest in the city. They have a long standing in Portland and the quality is the reason. The food is beautifully presented although some of the most expensive in the city.
Rose City Café
7000 NE Airport Way
Portland, OR
(Inside the Portland Airport)
I have not yet eaten at the sushi bar, but my company had a meeting in a private room. The selection of appetizers was a bit odd, but tasty. They had a nacho bar and sushi set up for us. See, I told you it was odd. But the food was great. The sushi is some of the freshest I have even had.
So far, I have not returned to sit at the sushi bar, but I need to. When I am at the airport these days, I am dropping off a wine order to Stanfords, so I am on a mission and just do not have time to “stop and smell the sushi”. My 2006 New Years Resolution is to sit at this sushi bar before February rolls around.
If you are new to sushi, you may be unfamiliar with the terms…so here goes:
Nigiri: Small pads of rice topped with fresh fish or shellfish
Maki: These are the rolls you see in many stores. They have a center of fish or vegetables. They are wrapped in nori (seaweed), wrapped in rice and sliced into rounds.
Sashimi: slices of specially handled fresh raw fish served with dipping sauces. Soy sauce is one of the most popular. In a way, it “cooks” the fish.
Hand Rolls: A cone made using a piece of nori. It is then filled with rice, sashimi and vegetables.
Sushi is accompanied by wasabi (a green Japanese horseradish) and pickled ginger, sliced paper thin (called gari.) The traditional way to eat these condiments is to put a bit of wasabi (it doesn’t take much) onto the sushi. Then dip the sushi into soy sauce. Many people mix the two, but purists do not. Of course, if you are like me, you forget the soy sauce and eat the wasabi on it’s own. The gari serves as a palate cleanser between pieces of sushi.
Now, what does any of this have to do with a wine column? Okay, I know, this looks more like a food column today. Well, sushi, in my opinion, BEGS for champagne (or a great Japanese beer.)
There are so many great sparkling matches.
Locally, I highly recommend Argyle Brut. Winemaker, Rollin Soles, makes one (okay he makes more than one) tasty sparkler!
From Spain, I recommend Codorniu Brut. Crisp, clean and affordable.
From California, I suggest J Brut, Roederer Estate or Gloria Ferrer Blanc de Noir.
New Mexico (yes, I said New Mexico) has a great sparkling producer…Gruet. They make a Brut and a Brut Rose’. These wines are affordable and great!
Now the big one….France. There are soooo many great choices. My favorites,
in no particular order are:
Charles LaFitte, Demoselle, Gosset, Heidseick & Co. Monopole, Paul Roget and, one of my favorites, Louis Roederer Brut.
So, there you have it, my sushi and Champagne review.
Until next time,
Cheers!