Valentine’s 2013 Pt 1
Yes, yes - I know I am way late in posting this, sorry. This year for V-Day we went to Sushi Taro for their special tasting menu. It's what we did for our first Valentine's together in DC 3 years ago and I wanted to go back. I loved the whole meal, but Jasper was a little disappointed. I think he wanted more sushi, but I liked the combination of hot dishes and raw fish. Anyway, here's what we had:
Taro's signature tofu with uni. I love this stuff, it has the best texture. I always look forward to this dish at Taro.
This was a mixture of different raw and pickled vegetables with some gelees and monkfish liver. I thought it was playful and interesting; I think this is one of the ones Jasper was disappointed with.
Kata Robata, Paris Crepe, and Rice’s Centennial – Houston, TX
I recently returned to Rice University, my alma mater, to celebrate their centennial - 100 years since the founding! There were all kinds of events - a football game (which we won!), parties, galas, picnics, speeches, lectures, you name it!
And our first President - Edgar Odell Lovett - finally got his own statue! About time! William Marsh Rice (Willy) may have provided the money for the institution, but Lovett provided the vision for what it should be.
For something really incredible, click HERE to see a video of the Spectacle - an amazing work of art combining architecture, history, and technology into something the likes of which I have never seen before. Seriously - watch it. For real.
Ok - moving on. Most of my food was provided for me at the events, but I did have the chance to eat out one night and was fortunate enough to go to Kata Robata - a sushi restaurant and Japanese grill. Headed up by Manabu Horiuchi (aka Chef Hori), my favorite sushi chef from college, the concept is Japanese tapas and the food is AWESOME. The service is pretty incredible, too. Our server, Thai, was very knowledgeable and comfortable making suggestions. The pacing was good and we always felt like we were being taken care of. I tried to order a good balance between sushi and tapas to get a really good idea of the place.
Japanese Braised Salmon
More salmon! I am always questing for tasty salmon recipes so that we will eat more of this super healthy fish (note that it is only super healthy when it is wild caught Pacific/Alaskan; farm raised Atlantic salmon is full of toxins). This recipe makes super tender, super moist salmon that is packed with sweet and salty flavors.