Seo

5-21-08

After spending a good 2-3 hours flipping through my newly purchased Michelin Guide, I finally decided on what my first "Michelin Recommended" meal would be. (Technically Momofuku Ssam was, but that was before I got the book.)

So I made the five minute walk to Seo, a small Japanese place where the entire staff greets you with a Japanese welcome when you walk in the door. I don't want to attempt to spell the greeting out of respect for not butchering the Japanese language.

The first thing I ordered was a glass of sake which came in a square cedar cup. This is the traditional way to enjoy sake, but I've never had it before. Believe me when I tell you to always drink your sake this way! It was the best glass of sake I've ever had and the aroma from the cedar cup played a significant role in my enjoyment.

A small dish of salt with a tiny 'matchstick' spoon came out with my sake (you can see it in both pictures). I have no clue what I was supposed to do with it and out of fear of sounding like an idiot, didn't inquire about it. So if anyone knows what that salt was for, please let me know.

I started with some tuna and hamachi sashimi (I usually ALWAYS order these two cuts of fish when I go out for sushi, I know it's boring, but they're so good). It was the thickest sashimi I've had, which allowed me to better feel the texture of the meat. Both were very good, but not quite the freshest fish I've eaten. The dark portion of the hamachi right under the skin was left on, which has been significantly trimmed all the other times I've eaten the fish. It was pleasant, as it provided two different textures in the hamachi.


For my main course I ordered a miso-marinated grilled cod. The sweet miso complimented the creamy texture of the cod very well. The fish was cooked nicely, although the cut of the fish resulted in the bottom (about inch and a half) being a bit overcooked. I don't know if they normally cut all of their cod this way, but it doesn't really make sense to me. It makes it close to impossible to evenly cook the fish.


My only other gripe is the abundance of bones, which I know are a pain in the ass to remove before cooking, but it's also a pain in the ass to remove while eating.

All of the food I ate had great flavor though so overall I was generally pleased with my visit to Seo. The sake was definitely my favorite part of the meal though, and I would go back just to order that sake and sit at the sushi bar.