[Seattle, WA] - Shiro's (originally posted in my photography blog - luluphotography)
[Reposted from my photography blog for convenience. Originally posted Thursday, March 14, 2013. Hope you enjoy! Please note that Nakazawa-san and Shiro-san both do not work at this location anymore. Nakazawa has opened up his own very snazzy restaurant in NYC (http://www.sushinakazawa.com) and Shiro has his newer restaurant Sushi Kashiba.]
For those of you who know me, I am all about food. Good food. Food that takes me home. Sometimes it's expensive and sometimes it's not. Recently I went back to Seattle to visit my family. While there, I decided to go to Shiro's. I can't say I'm a huge fan of Belltown because I dislike driving around for blocks searching for parking, but this time, I made an exception.
You can check out more information about his background here: http://www.shiros.com/html/about.htm.
Shiro's is a pretty small intimate place. There are no reservations for the sushi bar (we didn't even think about reservations, we just decided to pop in on a Saturday night ha ha), but there are for regular dining. When we said that we wanted to eat at the sushi bar, we were told it would be about a 45 minute wait. Not too bad. The sushi bar seats about 10 people. While waiting, we could see the way the chefs worked (unfortunately, Shiro wasn't there that night). All of them were chatting with those seated at the bar while their hands deftly handled the fish--almost as if their hands were separate entities on a mission of their own. Sometimes at a sushi bar, I can see the chefs who obviously don't know their stuff yet and can't talk and work at the same time. All three of the chefs that night looked like the could work for Jiro (as in Jiro Dreams of Sushi) which meant that any open seat would've made me happy.
So yeah. Basically, this was the best sushi experience of my life. I don't say that easily either because I am pretty picky. I almost don't want to eat sushi again just because I don't want to be disappointed!
Anyway, enough words. Here are the pictures of everything I had when I ordered the omakase (chef's choice):
First course: albacore
Our chef described it as "melty." He wasn't kidding. It practically melted like butter in my mouth. First bite and I was in heaven. The slice was perfect. Not too thick, not too thin.
Second course: salmon
Every nigiri the chef had the perfect amount of soy brushed on, along with a small dab of wasabi (not the kind that is a lump in the middle and is a surprise). This salmon was so buttery and awesome, I'd say it's better than a lot of otoro I've had at other sushi restaurants.
Third: salmon with ponzu and two thin slices of daikon
I didn't think there was much to improve on from the first piece of salmon, but when I took a bite of this, it was heaven. The ponzu was enough to change the flavor enough that it managed to be different and even more delicious than the first salmon nigiri.
Fourth: Yellow tail
There was a sushi restaurant that will remain unnamed in the Eastside whose chef told us, "We have really good hamachi today." What he didn't know is that THIS here, is really. good. hamachi. Slightly firmer texture but the flavor was still amazing. I've never had hamachi taste like this before.
Fifth, sixth, and seventh: Tuna three ways
First off, he gave us big eye tuna. Then big eye tuna with a house marinade that was slightly seared. The second taste was incredibly different but still amazing. It was like the salmon combo all over again but different and still terrific. The steak taste with the sear really came out and the marinade completed the nigiri. Finally, what's the other way to make tuna come in a full circle while still being incredibly delicious? OTORO. This was just as good as the otoro I had in Japan. This is the only restaurant that has served otoro on this level. To be fair, when I ate at Nobu in L.A., I didn't order the otoro. I will have to give that a try the next time I'm in that area.
We were actually right in the middle of the sushi bar and could watch all three chefs work their magic. When looking to our left, we could see that there were some fried shrimp heads on the counter for other guests to consume.
Thirteenth: Fried Spotted Prawn Heads from Canada
The second part of the spotted prawn adventure. Our chef told us they're "Japanese Shrimp Chips." They were crispy and delicious with a little sprinkle of lemon on them. It was a nice textural change from everything else.
Fourteenth: House Cured Salmon Roe
I'm not the biggest fan of ikura, but I could still tell that these were really good. Just a personal preference. Since this was the final in the omakase and we didn't want our experience to end just yet, we rounded out our meal with another albacore nigiri.
The omakase starts out around $50 per person. Our meal along with a large bottle of Sapporo to share came out to $118. If you know your sushi and have been to a fair amount of sushi restaurants and regularly order the nigiri or sashimi, you'll know that this price is really good. Plus, they don't rush you to eat and get on your way like some places do. They want you to enjoy your food and your experience. Seriously, if you're ever in the Seattle area and want to try some really amazing sushi, definitely give Shiro's a go =)
For those of you who know me, I am all about food. Good food. Food that takes me home. Sometimes it's expensive and sometimes it's not. Recently I went back to Seattle to visit my family. While there, I decided to go to Shiro's. I can't say I'm a huge fan of Belltown because I dislike driving around for blocks searching for parking, but this time, I made an exception.
You can check out more information about his background here: http://www.shiros.com/html/about.htm.
Shiro's is a pretty small intimate place. There are no reservations for the sushi bar (we didn't even think about reservations, we just decided to pop in on a Saturday night ha ha), but there are for regular dining. When we said that we wanted to eat at the sushi bar, we were told it would be about a 45 minute wait. Not too bad. The sushi bar seats about 10 people. While waiting, we could see the way the chefs worked (unfortunately, Shiro wasn't there that night). All of them were chatting with those seated at the bar while their hands deftly handled the fish--almost as if their hands were separate entities on a mission of their own. Sometimes at a sushi bar, I can see the chefs who obviously don't know their stuff yet and can't talk and work at the same time. All three of the chefs that night looked like the could work for Jiro (as in Jiro Dreams of Sushi) which meant that any open seat would've made me happy.
So yeah. Basically, this was the best sushi experience of my life. I don't say that easily either because I am pretty picky. I almost don't want to eat sushi again just because I don't want to be disappointed!
Anyway, enough words. Here are the pictures of everything I had when I ordered the omakase (chef's choice):
First course: albacore
Our chef described it as "melty." He wasn't kidding. It practically melted like butter in my mouth. First bite and I was in heaven. The slice was perfect. Not too thick, not too thin.
Second course: salmon
Every nigiri the chef had the perfect amount of soy brushed on, along with a small dab of wasabi (not the kind that is a lump in the middle and is a surprise). This salmon was so buttery and awesome, I'd say it's better than a lot of otoro I've had at other sushi restaurants.
Third: salmon with ponzu and two thin slices of daikon
I didn't think there was much to improve on from the first piece of salmon, but when I took a bite of this, it was heaven. The ponzu was enough to change the flavor enough that it managed to be different and even more delicious than the first salmon nigiri.
Fourth: Yellow tail
There was a sushi restaurant that will remain unnamed in the Eastside whose chef told us, "We have really good hamachi today." What he didn't know is that THIS here, is really. good. hamachi. Slightly firmer texture but the flavor was still amazing. I've never had hamachi taste like this before.
Fifth, sixth, and seventh: Tuna three ways
First off, he gave us big eye tuna. Then big eye tuna with a house marinade that was slightly seared. The second taste was incredibly different but still amazing. It was like the salmon combo all over again but different and still terrific. The steak taste with the sear really came out and the marinade completed the nigiri. Finally, what's the other way to make tuna come in a full circle while still being incredibly delicious? OTORO. This was just as good as the otoro I had in Japan. This is the only restaurant that has served otoro on this level. To be fair, when I ate at Nobu in L.A., I didn't order the otoro. I will have to give that a try the next time I'm in that area.
Eigth: king mackerel-smoked and seared
The only place I've enjoyed mackerel at was Kru in Sacramento. Every other place I've tried mackerel at was pretty bad. This mackerel though, was on another level. It tasted like a really, really good steak. The sear, again, and the raw inside was a perfect juxtaposition of flavor and texture.
Ninth: geoduck with lemon and sea salt
I love geoduck. Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, seeing geoduck is the norm. It's the poor man's abalone even. Except nowadays it's not as affordable as it was in the past when it was mostly Asians eating it. I've always had it cooked until I saw Anthony Bourdain eating slices of it raw on No Reservations. I had my first taste of it raw at Taylor Shellfish Farms. They slice theirs thin and give you a hunk of wasabi and a small container of soy sauce. While I still enjoy it served that way, I'm not going to lie--the lemon and sea salt nigiri is probably the best way to enjoy this little bad boy. If you're in Seattle, definitely give it a try.
Tenth: seared Hokkaido scallops
These were sooo good. And to be honest, I'm running out of adjectives haha. Buuuut, I would like you to know that these scallops tasted like no other scallop I've ever had. For some reason, these Hokkaido Scallops are more flavorful, which is further brought out by the light sear. It was, like everything else to this point, perfect.
Eleventh: Dungeness Crab
Like the Geoduck, these dudes are pretty common. Having them served in new and delicious ways always make me happy. This was served with a lot of leg meat and some of the head meat. Sometimes that can make it a bit too salty, but this was everything I would have expected at this point, and wanted. Most of the time I don't eat dungeness crab because I see it as so ordinary, but when it's served this way, I will jump at the opportunity. Who can say no to crab meat out of the shell anyway?
Twelfth: Spotted Prawn from Canada
Ever since I had a sweet prawn at Yanagi Sushi in Hawaii, I've had a craving for the perfect shrimp. Shiro's didn't fail with this. It was delicious. Juicy and plump spotted prawn goodness. At first we wondered what they were doing with the head, but then we looked up and saw a preview.
We were actually right in the middle of the sushi bar and could watch all three chefs work their magic. When looking to our left, we could see that there were some fried shrimp heads on the counter for other guests to consume.
(That's Nakazawa-san in the middle!)
Thirteenth: Fried Spotted Prawn Heads from Canada
The second part of the spotted prawn adventure. Our chef told us they're "Japanese Shrimp Chips." They were crispy and delicious with a little sprinkle of lemon on them. It was a nice textural change from everything else.
Fourteenth: House Cured Salmon Roe
I'm not the biggest fan of ikura, but I could still tell that these were really good. Just a personal preference. Since this was the final in the omakase and we didn't want our experience to end just yet, we rounded out our meal with another albacore nigiri.
The omakase starts out around $50 per person. Our meal along with a large bottle of Sapporo to share came out to $118. If you know your sushi and have been to a fair amount of sushi restaurants and regularly order the nigiri or sashimi, you'll know that this price is really good. Plus, they don't rush you to eat and get on your way like some places do. They want you to enjoy your food and your experience. Seriously, if you're ever in the Seattle area and want to try some really amazing sushi, definitely give Shiro's a go =)
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