A little over a year ago, while eating sushi with some friends, I had my first foray in drinking sake. I’ve never been much of a heavy drinker however, sake seems to match a nice balance between providing the fun aspect of drinking but not ruining my pallet with something that isn’t enjoyable to taste. Unfortunately, up until pretty much last night I did not have much of an understanding about sake beyond knowing a few bottles I enjoyed drinking. From what I have observed drinking sake is quite a bit like scotch or wine; there is an endless variety and each has it’s own merits and how the elements of it are grown and prepared have a profound influence on flavor showcasing a wide variety.
Last night, as an extension of JapanFest here in Atlanta this weekend, there was a special sake tasting and class at my favorite japanese restaurant ever, Taka Sushi and Passion. For a flat rate, there was a near endless supply of various sakes for tasting and food prepared both by Taka but also the visitors from the Fukushima Prefecture. Being a self-proclaimed “sake-noob” attending this was an easy decision, and I invited Claire to go with me to celebrate her 21st birthday, which I suppose is appropriate on some level. We were fortunate enough to try about half a dozen different sakes during the course of the meal, some ranging from extremely smooth and light up to one that was distilled as opposed to brewed and was closer to drinking straight vodka. My favorite of the evening was the “Way of Sake.” It was not super dry and left a very nice taste on the pallet. Unfortunately waking up this morning it was clear I had done quite a bit of drinking last night.
In addition to the wonderful sakes, there was a tasting of fresh foods also brought from the Fukushima Prefecture by the guests. In addition to Taka‘s wonderful tuna, which this time was prepared as a sashimi with mustard, there was also an incredible flounder with miso sashimi which was absolutely divine and may have been my favorite. Given how much she favored it, I assume my guest was a big fan of the bonito sashimi that they brought us what seemed like five servings of. Fried octopus was interesting, in addition to a thinly sliced octopus sashimi served with cucumber which was extremely refreshing. Having had octopus raw, fried, and grilled I would have to say fried was definitely my least favorite. There was also a fresh miso soup and a fresh ramen noodle bowl served. Like anybody who has ever been to a Japanese restaurant or gone to college I have had both of these things several times before, but as to be expected they have a much more enjoyable flavor.
Last night was definitely an evening I remembered why I love being a foodie. I had an excellent time at one of my favorite places in Atlanta, with one of my favorite people, eating some of the best food that there is. Thank you again to her, Taka, and the visitors from Fukushima for allowing me to expand my knowledge and appreciation for what else is out there. And thanks to this, I will definitely be checking out JapanFest again this weekend!
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