Category Archives: Wine

Lunch in the Sky

. celebration, Food, Friendship, Japan, Tokyo, Wine . , , , , , ,

ph6Today my little lunch bunch ate at Kozue, the Japanese restaurant at the top of the Park Hyatt hotel in Shinjuku.  It was a magnificent experience! The entire wall is windows looking out onto the city.  It wasn’t clear enough to see Fuji-san, but from our perch on the 40th floor, we could see straight through to Yokohama to the north.ph1

If the view wasn’t enough, the food was exquisite.  Served by beautiful young women in stunning kimono, the black lacquer bento box practically told a story in its intricate design and contents. The first course was a bit of egg tofu in a soy milk sauce, and a clear miso soup with a dumpling made of flounder, along with a taste of burdock and ginger in it. And then came the big, two-story box.  On the top there was katzuo (bonito) sashimi, and other small delicacies including a tiny squid, a shrimp head, a bit of egg rolled with cheese and a miniscule mound of sauteed spinach.  The bottom layer held some grilled mackerel, simmered vegetables and two small dumplings of shrimp and corn.  We paired it with a decadent glass of

The contents of the bento - both levels.

The contents of the bento – both levels.

Sancerre from the Loire Valley of France.

Mango tart and the sugary-est whipped cream I've ever tasted!

Mango tart and the sugary-est whipped cream I’ve ever tasted!

After we lingered over lunch itself, we repaired to the lounge on the forty-first floor where we had coffee and

dessert.  I chose a mango tart, but one friend had chiffon cake and the other had strawberry ice cream and

Close-up view of the intricate design of delicacies.

Close-up view of the intricate design of delicacies.

raspberry sherbet served in a large martini glass.  In the lounge, which had floor-to-ceiling windows, we were able to see more around the building to various other sites of the city, including all the way toward the Imperial Palace.

It was truly an unbelievable afternoon and I am privileged to have shared it with good friends. This was a celebratory lunch for our last meeting since one member is

Shrimp and corn dumpling

Shrimp and corn dumpling

repatriating shortly.  But if I know us, it’s just for now. As expats know, it’s never goodbye for good – it’s just for now – more of a see you later.  And it’s said with all the love we can muster.

Sake Served Beautifully

. Food, Japan, service, Tokyo, Wine . , , ,

sakeThis is not tea; this is how they serve sake at a wonderful restaurant called Mon Cher Ton Ton in Roppongi.  It’s a teppanyaki restaurant, so the entire meal is prepared on the grill in front of the diners.  We normally order a set that includes a salad, a succulent steak and prawns that the chef puts on the grill live. It’s wild to watch the seconds of squirming before they finally succumb but I have learned to hide my eyes.  After the prawns are cooked, we get to eat the body and tail while the chef re-grills the heads, seasons them and serves them separately. Delicious! A month ago my cousins were visiting from New York and they loved the meal from the salad start to the garlic-rice finish. But Susan did look at me and say, “Oh my goodness, I just ate a shrimp head!”  The rest of us had a good giggle over it.

Mon Cher Ton Ton is one of those special places in Tokyo where every detail is taken into account, right down to keeping the sake cold.  If you look carefully, you can see the middle of the “pot” is full of ice.  Japanese people take the alcohol seriously and great service is a hallmark of the culture.  Put together, the service of alcohol is always carefully considered and beautiful. At the restaurant, every few minutes a server added a tiny bit of sake to our tiny, little cups so we lost track of precisely how much we were drinking, a common problem in the Tokyo restaurant scene.  But if we have to get a little tipsy over dinner, certainly it’s fun to do it with such a lovely vessel for the alcohol.

Restaurant Review: Le Pot Aux Roses, Azabu Juban

. Food, Japan, Tokyo, Wine . , , , , ,

The wine was so great that it even went well with the dessert!

When walking from Roppongi Hills, past Tsutaya and toward Azabu Juban Shotengai, there’s a  corner building that has huge windows on the fifth floor.  It’s more noticeable at night when the darkness highlights the window, but it can easily be seen during the day as well.  After talking about it and seeing people sitting in the window for months, my husband and I decided to see what was up there.  What we found was a delectable feast of the senses called Le Pot Aux Roses. (They don’t have a website, but you can see a few things here)

My husband and I took the elevator up on a random Saturday night on the early side, before 7pm.  We were greeted in Japanese by a lovely young woman who was the server, and then in English, by a man who was clearly the head chef, based on his outfit and demeanor.  What struck us as funny – and then delightful – was that the chef spoke English with a thick French accent, not a Japanese one.  He later told us that he spent many years in France, but many years ago.

The menu was a nice size, with many items on it, but we have found that in most places when the chef offers a course menu, it is generally the best he has to offer and we should just take that.  He even came over to us with a basket of raw mushrooms, showing us what he had and what was special for the season, and promising us a warm, sauteed mushroom salad that we wouldn’t forget.  He was right.

As in most restaurants, we were given the drinks menu first and we decided to skip the cocktail and go right for the wine.  The wine list was extensive but not overwhelming, and we chose a light, but dry white from Sancerre.  The chef approved of our pairing, and I really do think that he was the type to correct us if we didn’t chose well.

But the salad wasn’t the first course – we had mussels first.  The mussels were in a slightly thickened sauce of garlic, butter and wine.  It was a healthy serving, large by Japanese standards, but we couldn’t help mopping up a little of the broth with the fresh crusty bread served on the side for that purpose.  The salad was second, and as promised, it was wonderful.  There were three or four varieties of mushroom lightly sauteed and served over mixed greens.

Mussels!

Following the salad, we had a fish course of cod broiled in a lemon-butter sauce, which melted in the mouth.  Served in a bowl, this was the only course of the evening that was a small size; everything else was fairly large.  Our main course was a duck leg stewed in a red wine sauce.  It fell off the bone in a red mass of sweet and savory combination that I have never tasted before.

Dessert was a lovely slice of French apple pie with a side of vanilla ice cream, but the flavors were complicated by the caramel sauce on the plate underneath the pie, and chocolate sauce on the plate under the dollop of whipped cream.  It was quite the combination.
While our idea of a reasonably priced dinner is arguably skewed since living in Tokyo, for the city, this dinner was indeed a good deal.  The set menu was Y6300 per person, with the wine at another Y7000, which means we had a very full dinner including drinks at under Y20,000.  Just trust me – it’s reasonable for Tokyo.  Don’t covert to another currency.

It was a wonderful evening out with my husband and a delicious meal to boot.  Special occasion or regular Saturday night, Le Pot Aux Roses is bound to be a hit.

Making Umeshu – Take Two!

. Food, Japan, Tokyo, Wine . ,

This is our second year in a row of making umeshu (plum wine) from scratch for my good friend Saori and me.  This year we got serious.  We bought the “right” type of containers, the perfect amount of plums and alcohol, and found good directions.  We were determined to follow the directions to the letter, thus making the very best wine possible.  We carefully washed, dried, and de-stemmed each tiny plum by hand.  We carefully layered the plums and the special rock sugar as described.  And then – only then – did we QUIETLY pour in the alcohol.  I am still unclear on how exactly one pours “quietly” but we did the best we could.

Both of us put our containers under our respective kitchen sinks, a cool, dry place, and they will remain there throughout the summer.  The plums need about 3 months to ferment properly, so we will see what happens in late September!  Stay tuned.

The Umeshu!

. Food, Wine, women . ,

This past Sunday was the long-awaited unveiling of the umeshu (plum wine) that my good friend, Saori, and I put together back in June.  We had been storing it in a cool, dry place (as cool as we could get in sweltering Tokyo) for at least two months.  When we took it out, it was a beautiful golden color with the plums swirling and beckoning within.  When we poured it out of the mundane container, it sloshed lightly in the glass, catching the glint of the light.  Both Saori and I like it over ice, so the cubes clinked against each other to welcome the liquid.

The taste was just the right amount of sweet: tangy, but not insipid.  It was strong – we could taste a quick hint of the alcohol as it warmed our throats.  It was, in short, perfect.

The amount we made should, perhaps, last us through the winter – or at least until we can make another batch again in the spring.  I sense this become a yearly event.  Kampai!

Restaurant Week!

. Food, Washington DC, Wine . , , ,

Every summer I think I’m going to miss the food in Tokyo, and every summer I am pleasantly surprised by something in the U.S.  This week is restaurant week in the Bethesda/Chevy Chase area of Maryland, which is essentially suburban Washington D.C.  For this special week, a group of restaurants in one area create menus for crazy prices.  Two course lunches are $15 and three course dinners are $30.  (The restaurants agree on the pricing and set their menus accordingly.)

Today, Marc took me out to a great French restaurant called La Ferme. (Here’s the review from Washingtonian)  Located in the gorgeous village of Chevy Chase, it is set in a copse of trees and resembles what I think of as a French farmhouse.  There’s even a romantic, outdoor verandah which looks quite romantic for a cooler, non-heat-wave day. We sat at a lovely table for two which sported high-backed wooden chairs with arms, making us feel settled and comfortable.

For the set menus, we could choose two courses, either appetizer and main course or main course and dessert.  We both chose the former.  Marc had scallops in a puff pastry to start, and I had beefsteak tomatoes with arugula, pine nuts, and goat cheese.  The tomatoes were crisp, yet ripe and sweet and only lightly drizzled with a balsamic reduction.  The varying flavors of the cheese, nuts and tangy leaves made for a delightful layering of tastes.

For our main courses, Marc chose a cajun-spiced tilapia that was light and flavorful without being overly spicy.  I had chicken breast in a apple brandy and mushrooms, which was juicy, cooked to perfection.

In case you don’t know, in Maryland, if you don’t finish your bottle of wine, the restaurant has to cork it for you and let you take it out.  We ordered a delightful bottle of white wine from a vineyard called Sancerre, which has never disappointed us.  It was slightly nutty, and a perfect pairing for our meals.  I only had a little bit, and Marc had one glass, so we took the remainder home so we can have more of it later.

The atmosphere of the restaurant is simply charming.  They have two tiny balconies above the main floor that each host a table for two and the waiter told us that many a marriage proposal has happened up there.  There are huge urns of fresh flowers strategically placed around the huge room, and every inch of it is beautifully green or white.

Restaurant week is a brilliant idea because now, when I am asked where I’d like to go to eat in the DC metro area, I will respond with this restaurant, and I will pay full price after this low-price introduction.  The atmosphere, service, and of course, the food, are all tremendous and worth much more than the small amount we paid.

Umeshu!

. Japan, Wine . ,

A pile of the washed ume - plums - ready to be fermented

My friend Saori and I are big fans of umeshu, Japanese plum wine.  It is a popular drink among women, and it’s served in most restaurants in Tokyo.  We both like it on the rocks, but some people drink it with a splash of soda in it.  It’s made by basically fermenting young plums in sugar and alcohol.  It can be sweet or not, and like other wines,  the longer it’s aged, the better the taste.

This weekend, Saori and I decided to try our hands at making our own umeshu.  I bought the tiny, round, green plums, a bag of rock-sugar and a huge container of plain alcohol.  We put it all together into two containers, and each took one to put under the kitchen sink for the foreseeable future.  Luckily it’s summer – and we won’t have a chance to be together until August anyway.  It needs to age at least 3 months, but the longer the better.  We’ve resolved not to drink it until we can do it together.

Saori adds the huge chunks of rock sugar

I can’t wait to see how our little experiment turns out!  Watch this space in a few months for a result of the taste-test.

The completed bottle - ready to go under the sink 'til autumn