Right before the new year, I was fortunate enough to procure 2 bottles of Kubota Tokugetsu sake. What's that? Well, the Kubota line of sake usually starts (at specialty wine shops at least) with the Kubota Senjyu bottle. The next step up is the basic Dai Ginjo sake, Kubota Manjyu. This bottle is usually only available at fine restaurants. Further up the line is the Kubota Dai Ginjo Tokugetsu which is only available once a year in the fall/winter. The rice grains are polished down to only 28% of their original size (seimaibuai) which means they are about the size of candy sprinkles you find on cupcakes:
The Tokugetsu was as ethereal as sake gets. The owner of HASR likened it to drinking rice paper. Perfectly balanced and it makes you want to continue siping throughout the evening. Of course man doesn't live by sake alone so we arranged an evening at Mitch's Sushi & Seafood with the rest of the wine gang. I also brought a bottle of Narutotai Daiginjo:
The Narutotai was fuller bodied with a glycerin like richness and perfect with the heavier courses of the evening. We started with Salmon Skin Rolls, Negihama Rolls, Shirauo (seasoned icefish), Ankimo (monkfish liver), Lobster Vanvan (lobster cooked with mayonaisse), Ume Kurage (jellyfish with plum paste) and Natto, Tamago and Umeshiso sushi.
B uncorked a bottle of 2002 Paul Bara Millisime Brut as well as a bottle of Oroya while K brought a sake (I didn't write down the name and can't read kanji) that had a body between the Tokugetsu and the Narutotai. The K's brought a Kariho Namahage Junmai as well as a Mizbasho sparkling sake (which paired nicely with the food).
Our second wind included Otoro and Mirugai Sashimi, Lobster Sashimi, Uni, Shima Aji and Natto Sushi as well as Red Snapper and Sake (salmon) Sushi and Hamachi Kama (broiled yellowtail collar). And of course the meal ended with Mitch's Lobster Miso Shiru, the BEST miso soup in the world. No make that the universe.
So once again, it was great evening with great food, great sake and wine and great company. We did head over to Vino for a nightcap but yours truly had trouble keeping his eyes open at that point...
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