French Laundry: California Classic

The French Laundry
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Eating at The French Laundry was a dream come true. My inital exposure to the restaurant occurred a few years ago when I read Grant Achatz’s book, Life, on The Line where he mentions his experience at The French Laundry and the philosophy and ideals espoused by the chef behind it all, Thomas Keller. As one of the first pioneers of the farm-to-table movement that is now commonplace, Keller left his indelible mark in culinary history. My opportunity to dine there was a random occurrence - when I met Anna back in the fall of 2012, she was in the midst of organizing a group to go for private dining and extended an invitation to me.

Fast forward to Sunday, June 2, 2013. The sun was shining, the skies were clear and blue, and a group of us were dressed up like it was prom all over again.

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Rob's Chirashi Bday Dinner

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Last weekend, Rob and Jessica hosted Chirashi Night at their apartment for 16 guests to celebrate Rob’s birthday. After having many food adventures together in 2013, it was no surprise that they were flying in fresh fish from Catalina Offshore and preparing 16 bowls of heaven. I was skeptical about eating fish delivered from a website but after some research about the reputation and reviews of the website, I was sold. And, if anybody could pull off a successful chirashi night, it would be Rob and Jess.

The menu: ahi, maguro, chutoro, scottish salmon, escolar, hamachi, unagi, uni, avocado, masago, ikura, poached egg, and tamagoyaki over sushi rice.

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Sushi Nakazawa: The Apprentice Becomes a Master

Sushi Nakazawa
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My first meal of 2014 was at Sushi Nakazawa, a restaurant that I couldn't get a reservation for last year.

The early buzz was due in part to the fact that its head chef was Daisuke Nakazawa, the hard-working apprentice seeking perfection in the documentary, Jiro Dreams of Sushi.  In the film, he made over 200 tamagoyaki before getting a nod of approval by Jiro. That tireless commitment to exacting standards would translate well when Nakazawa made his American debut in 2011 at Shiro’s, a restaurant owned by a fellow Jiro apprentice. My friend Kevin recounted a positive experience and said that a flight to Seattle was warranted just to try the omakase.

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