More Fukuda!

The holidays are over.  I'm back to work.  It's cold out.  

This time of year just sucks.

BUT, my good friend Food Collage wanted to meet James and me for dinner with her DH before their post-holiday schedules got even crazier (or suckier).  She had been wanting to try Fukuda, as James and I have RAVED about it, so we made the arrangements.  I even agreed to a LATE dinner - 8:00pm - even though I swore I'd never go out late on a school night.

That's how much I love eating with these people.  And eating at Fukuda.

Fukuda

I had only tried the late-night menu previously, so the regular menu overwhelmed me a bit.  I knew how fantastic Sushi Chef Matt Kemp's creations were, having tried them during his time at Emilia Romagna, and I had no idea what would NOT be good.  James knew that he didn't want the Salted Fish Head (although that's something I would definitely try, but I didn't want anyone else at the table to be put-off), but that he did want the Edamame again:

Grilled Edamame

This is so simple, yet so delicious.  I could eat this all day.

The Robotayaki was another favorite of mine, so I ordered the chicken and the duck:

Chicken, Salmon, and Duck Robotayaki (the salmon was for Food Collage's DH)

Mmmm...you can never go wrong with grilled meat, but I don't think that any man could replicate this on their backyard grill.  

I also ordered the Ponzu Duck Breast, since Salt of the Earth has made me such a duck aficionada:

Ponzu Duck Breast

Paired with the grilled green onions, this was awesome.  On its own, it may have been a bit bland, but this is the perfect combination of meat and vegetable.  The duck is marinated in ponzu, which is made in-house, and topped with shiitake mushroom.  

Because neither of us could decide on sushi otherwise, we ordered the Chef's Choice Sampler:

Large Chef's Choice Sampler

I could not name everything formally on here, but there is clam, salmon, tuna, and mackerel, which had a nice shine to it:

Mackerel Nigiri

Matt never disappoints when it comes to sushi.  Like, everything he has ever made for me has been awesome.  Every time.  I dare him to make me something I don't like!

Finally, we had to try the Wagyu.  Now, you know that I absolutely love the Wagyu Brisket Taco at Smoke BBQ Taqueria, so I know that the meat quality is there - I mean, just LOOK at this!

Wagyu

Full Slate of Wagyu

It was SO TENDER!  Made with yuzu, cilantro oil, and bull's blood microgreens, this was the best "dessert" we could have had!  Wagyu is expensive, but definitely worth EVERY PENNY.

I'm so glad that I got to spend some time with Food Collage and her DH (and James, of course!) at such a fabulous restaurant.  I will definitely become a regular - maybe not as much of a regular as I am at Smoke BBQ Taqueria, but hey, tacos are my thing...

If you're looking for somewhere to eat on Monday, January 7, 2013, and you're bummed that Fukuda is closed on Mondays - YOU'RE IN LUCK!  They will be doing "No Menu Mondays" at Bar Marco on that date, just as Smoke BBQ Taqueria, PGH Taco Truck, and Justin Severino (Cure) have done previously.  

AND Fukuda is participating in Pittsburgh Restaurant Week from January 14-20, 2013.  If you're looking for an excuse to check them out in their own space, this is the time to do it, with a $35 Chef's Choice Tasting Menu that I can guarantee will knock your socks off!

No excuses.  Go.  Eat.  You'll love it.  It's better than "swell".  And it definitely made at least that early January day much less "sucky".

On the wall by the door inside Fukuda

Fukuda
4770 Liberty Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15224 (Bloomfield)

Website: http://fukudapgh.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Fukuda-Pgh/273246636113222?fref=ts
Twitter: http://twitter.com/fukudapgh

Sunday Brunch, Part 2: Penn Avenue Fish Company

I'll eat anything that comes out of the sea.

Fact.  I have always been a seafood aficionado (in Spanish, "aficionada", as I am a female).  I used to always request that my birthday dinner be held at Red Lobster, so that I could get the Ultimate Feast -- and once, I got a whole lobster (and creeped out my best friend at the time because the lobster was "looking at" her).

I had read about the Penn Avenue Fish Company two years ago in Pittsburgh Magazine and told myself, "I need to go there!"  However, being that they are only open for lunch, it hasn't been easy for me to do so, nor have I made it much of a priority, despite my love of seafood.

Penn Avenue Fish Company

So after our Bar Marco/Lucy's Banh Mi meals, we were on our way back to the car, and James suggested stopping in to check out what their deal was.  I had no problem with it, having wanted to check it out myself, so we walked in and immediately walked to the back to the wholesale fish counter.

Fish for sale!

 We checked out the selection, and James asked some questions to the super-friendly fishmonger who was eager to answer his questions.  He spotted a treasure that we had yet to see in Pittsburgh: Smoked Salmon, cut right off of the fish itself:

The origin of our smoked salmon

 The gentleman cut us a sample, and it was amazing.  James purchased a 1/4 pound (as it sells for $36.99/lb!), and the fishmonger was kind enough to set up a plate for us to enjoy it:

Smoked Salmon with accompaniments

It was just as good as what we had enjoyed at Russ & Daughters (so it was fantastic!).  The fishmonger mentioned that they get sable in around the holidays -- so I will definitely be stalking them until it comes in!

 James was so impressed by the quality of the fish that he could not help ordering the sushi special for the day: Salmon, Avocado, and Yellowtail Roll; Spicy Tuna Tartare; Eel & Avocado Nigiri.

Sushi Special: Salmon, Avocado, Yellowtail Roll; Spicy Tuna Tartare; Eel & Avocado Nigiri

Wow.  Such fresh sushi.  Probably the best I've had -- no exaggeration.  Far better than the quality of sushi at Giant Eagle (although in a pinch, it's satisfactory), and better than that of Nakama, Yokoso, Benichopsticks, Sushi Kim...everywhere I've had sushi.  I normally cannot stand eel - it's the one seafood that I pass on - but to be honest, those pieces were the best on the plate!

Being that it was a Sunday, there were no soups offered, only "brunch".  Everything was pay-at-the-end - order what you want, tell them what you had before you leave, they'll ring it up, you pay -- an honor system that works.  Hopefully, people don't try to ruin that.  

We had to come back.  So we did -- 2 days later.

On our first visit, we noticed that on Tuesdays, they had all-you-can-eat fish tacos for $8.99.  Yes.  That needed to happen.  AND I just happened to have that Tuesday off, so we went to partake in the fish tacos:

Fish Tacos!

They were definitely good, but they needed to use the "double-up" method with their corn tortillas, as they fell apart as you ate them.  No harm in that, but it was pretty messy.

The soups sounded interesting, so James and I first tried the Spicy Seafood Gumbo.  The setup is "serve-yourself", and James was careful not to strain the soup, as the menu warned that if you do -- you get a spanking.  Ouch:

Spicy Seafood Gumbo

Note the soup straining warning

 Spicy seafood is always a good, standard choice, but I really wanted to try the Watermelon Gazpacho, since a woman at the table next to us on our first visit was raving about it to her family (she had had it earlier in the week, apparently):

Watermelon Gazpacho

 What a perfect summer soup.  Although on this particular day it was not sweltering hot, the soup was refreshing, nonetheless.  Spicy, sweet, and savory, all in one bowl.  Ahhhhhh.

We couldn't resist getting more sushi, so James ordered a few things a la carte directly from Pana, the Sushi Chef:

Pana, Sushi Chef at Penn Avenue Fish Company (in focus, not the blurry guy)

Hamachi (yellowtail), Nigiri, and Maguro (Tuna) Nigiri

Maki Roll (Hamachi & Tuna)

Again - best sushi in Pittsburgh!  Confirmed!  Both James and I were largely impressed.

We all know by now that I love the Strip District, but this is probably one of my new favorite spots (on a long list, of course, but this is a gem!).  Fresh fish, awesome sushi, and all-you-can-eat tacos on Tuesdays?  

I'll be back.  Often.

Penn Avenue Fish Company

2208 Penn Avenue

Pittsburgh, PA 15222

Website: http://www.pennavefishcompany.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Penn-Avenue-Fish-Company/167826429917297

...Sushi Kim [Off-topic]

*Sigh*.  I know.  Another off-topic post.

The holidays are killer.  There are so many things going on that eating out is so much easier than cooking (on the non-holiday days), but staying within topic (and going someplace new as opposed to somewhere I've already been) is difficult on a whim.

When James and I got off the Amtrak train after our trip to New York City, we wanted a real, non-train meal.  What was close (and open)?  Sushi Kim in the Strip District.

I am a sushi fan.  Can you believe that the first time that I ever tried sushi...was at Kennywood?!  It was for our annual Team Member Gala, and on the caterer's menu was sushi.  I tried it - it was warm (ick) but I still liked it, having never experienced sushi before.  I then tried it at Nakama, Yokoso, Benichopsticks, and I have found that surprisingly, the sushi at Giant Eagle is pretty good as well.  Through many tastings, I have discovered that the only thing that I will not eat in sushi form is eel. 

Eels are like water snakes that shock you.  SHOCK YOU.  Who wants to eat that?!

[Note: Not all eels are electric eels - that's just what I think of first when I think of "eel"]

Regardless, I was all for sushi after getting pretty stiff sitting on the train for 9 hours, mostly of the time watching Amish people learn new card games (I swear, that was over the half the trip - thank god for headphones and iTunes).

James knows the entire staff, having gone there often (do you think he eats out a lot?)  We were seated at his "regular" table, and there were only a few other patrons there at the time.  James told me about the upstairs, which is an all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ on Friday and Saturday nights.  It was Friday night, so there were people upstairs for it, but sushi was more appealing and uh...reasonable...to both of us at the time, since we had just eaten our way through New York City.

Where the sushi magic happens at Sushi Kim

We were served little side dishes at first - kim chi (James's favorite), bean sprouts, and onion soup, then edamame (one of which I shot into the air, and it landed behind me - whoops - classy move like my chickpea debacle at Babbo), since the sushi chef was a bit busy and it took awhile to get the sushi boat that we had ordered.  James, lover of all things kim chi, also asked for more of that - twice.

Bean Sprouts, Onion Soup, Kim Chi

Edamame

James ordered quite the variety of sushi and sashimi in our boat - yellowtail, tuna, shrimp, crab, salmon...but no eel :-)  There was so much variety that I could not tell you what is what:

Sushi and Sashimi Combination

I wasn't blown away by the sushi, but it was definitely good sushi - I'm also no connoisseur of sushi, so I cannot really give a professional opinion.  I would definitely get sushi here again, but I would not go out of my way to do so.

I would, however, go out of my way to try Korean BBQ there on the weekend...

Sushi Kim

1241 Penn Ave.

Pittsburgh, PA 15203

Website: http://www.sushikim.com

...Tamari

Fusion.

From dictionary.com: 

adjective 8.(of food or cooking) combining usually widely differing ethnic or regional ingredients, styles, or techniques: a restaurant serving French-Thai fusion cuisine; a fusion menu.

Fusion is a fancier way of saying "combining", but fusion is much more than "combining" - it's more like "melting".  I could take a taco and put it on the same plate as sushi, but in no way would I call that fusion.  The dishes are separate, unique in their own ways.  I could put them on separate plates, and you would feel as if you were eating two totally separate dishes from two totally different cultures - putting them on the same plate masks the cultural differences.

Tamari fuses.  It does not combine.

Thanks to James, who never fails to suggest a restaurant that I will absolutely adore, I was able to have one of the most fantastic meals ever at Tamari.  Their concept is Latin American and Asian fusion - my two favorite ethnic cuisines, fused in culinary heaven.

They did not disappoint.

We decided to go the tapas route, trying to taste many different dishes, as they all sounded so appealing, and James had received so many suggestions via Twitter earlier in the week.  We started with the Ceviche, Chipotle Tuna Tartare, and two selections from their Robata Grill: Hanger Steak and Bacon & Quail Egg.

Ceviche

I was automatically enamored by this restaurant with my first bite of ceviche.

I have had many different types of ceviche from several different restaurants.  Their ceviche is served on a tostone and has a layer of yuzu crème that gives it a taste unlike that of any other ceviche I have ever consumed.  

Chipotle Tuna Tartare

The combination of tuna tartare and chipotle, in addition to yuzu crème fraiche and wasabi tobiko, dressed the tostones with which it is served well.  

Bacon and Quail Egg Robata & Hanger Steak Robata

 The Robata was mouthwateringly incredible, especially the Bacon and Quail Egg (I know, some of you are probably turned off by "quail egg", but believe me, it MELTS in your mouth).  The beef robata was tender and juicy.  At $2 each, they are well worth the price (and if you're old enough - ONLY if you're old enough - they are 1/2 price during happy hour!)

We decided to try more - the lobster macaroni and cheese, and we definitely wanted more of those robata.

Lobster Macaroni & Cheese

 Lobster macaroni and cheese definitely exceeded my expectations.  I love lobster.  I love macaroni and cheese.  Smoked gouda is a huge selling point to me when choosing a dish.  I was entranced by the - wait for it - fusion of flavors.

Sushi & Sashimi Plate

 We also ordered the sushi and sashimi plate, just because James and I are huge aficionados of both.  If you've had sushi at Nakama, or Yokoso, or - I know, convenience is of the essence - Giant Eagle, NONE of those compare to the sushi and sashimi at Tamari.  In no way did I ever question the quality of the seafood used, and the rice was perfectly cooked. 

After all of this savory food, you would think that we couldn't eat another bite - falso!  We had to at least take a peek at the dessert menu - and the thought of a churro with peanut mousse was too tempting to resist.  Of course, James and I shared the dessert instead of each getting our own (just as we did with every other dish, by the way!  That's a lot of calories!).  

Churro with Peanut Mousse & Pineapple Shooter (no alcohol in it! All fruit juices)

 Te amo, postre.  Te amo, Tamari.

As meals go, this definitely is in the top 3 - I love Latin American food, I love Asian food - and the fusion of both is a foodie favorite.  Fusion is genius.  Taking the best parts of ethnic cuisines and fusing them into culinary creations doubles the deliciousness of the cuisine.

When things are fused, they cannot be divided.  When things are combined, they can.  I will still enjoy each cuisine separately, but I will never forget how perfect they are when fused.

I also got a surprise - remember my post on Mexico Lindo, and the picture of the purse that I liked?  I now possess it, thanks to James.  Sorry to anyone who was going to buy it for me for La Navidad.  Muchas gracias, mi amigo bueno :-)

Purse made of gum wrappers from Mexico Lindo!

Tamari Restaurant

3519 Butler St.

Pittsburgh, PA 15201 (Lawrenceville)

Website: http://www.tamaripgh.com