February 17, 2010
Let me start my saying I am decidedly not an expert on Japanese food. I own exactly one Japanese cookbook and have visited the Japanese supermarket in San Francisco's Japantown all of once in my 12+ years in the Bay Area.
Ame restaurant refers to itself as “New American” but the sashimi bar at the entrance, extensive sake list and numerous raw fish dishes make a clear statement of the Chef’s interest in Japanese flavors and traditions. On a recent visit, this non-expert was intrigued by a dish listed as a “special”; Fugu Hire-zake.
Doubly named ‘Fugu Hire-zake’ ~ Fugu, Japanese pufferfish and hire-zake, hot sake served with dried pufferfish fin ~ perhaps for the benefit of the multi-cultural diners, this drink-cum-appetizer finds its way onto Ame’s menu in the winter months as is the tradition in Japan.
I ordered one but was unsure where to place this dish in the meal’s sequence; should a hire-zake be the aperitif? A palate-altering mid-meal pause? The dilemma was solved by our server who forgot to serve the hire-zake until I asked post-appetizer, then brought it right away, moments before the entrée.
Traditionally warmed then served in a glazed cup with a fitted lid, I was instructed to place the cup close, lift the lid and “wave” the aroma into my nose. My clear first impression was “earthy”. How could fish offal be earthy? Sake, like wine made from grapes, is often described with the vocabulary of food -- ‘hay’, ‘apples’, ‘grassy’ – but the addition of heat to sake can lessen these charms. To my over-educated brain, “earthy” made more sense to describe the sake in which the fin floated.
My second aromatic impression consolidated the first: earthy. And a bit more: umami; herbaceous; enhanced by the warm sake.
On the palate, I relished the delicate fugu flavor at the front, but this delicacy quickly diminished at the middle and was finished by the back, the swallow. Additional sips added no insights. Once the fugu cooled, I tried again, but the drink had entirely lost its charm.
For some, fugu hire-zake will simply be fish jerky in hot sake. For me, it was an exploration of taste and a chance to expand my understanding of a global cuisine.Labels: ame restaurant, japanese cuisine, san francisco