Here is a story about our collaboration with Jose Garces!
http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/the-insider/Garces-and-Zama-.html
Posts Tagged ‘sushi’
Chef Zama and Iron Chef Jose Garces collaboration!
Just in time for Philly Beer Week!
We are introducing 3 new micro brews from Japan. It took months, but finally they are here/
We have:
Echigo Red Ale – rich ale with just a kiss of hops. We have carried their Lager and their Stout for some time. The red ale is the perfect middle to these wonderful beers.
Tama no Megumi – pale ale that has been bottled conditioned, a sour orange nose with a richly dense beer
Ozeno Yukidoke – an IPA with distinct citrus notes with a round finish and a hoppy bitter finish
Come and try these truly unique beers. Supplies are very limited.
Japanese Micro Beers
Michinoku “Otokoyama”
"Otokoyama" Means Man's Mountain
Michinoku brewery founded over 340 years ago, they found the best mountain range in Hokkaido to produce their sake. It was called Otoko Yama, or man’s mountain. They chose Mt. Taisetsu, with it’s jagged edges and it’s steep cliffs. The spring they are using is shikomimizue spring. Freshest water they could find, light refreshing and all naturally filtered by the Taisetsu mountain.
Winters are cold, springs and the sea freeze regularly. Perfect time to make a sake light and fragrant and a sharp finish just like the mountains themselves. At a +14 on the SMV (Sake Meter Value) the crispness is great for sashimi, oysters and cold water crustaceans. With a hint of melon, this sake is just right for Zama’s Omakase.
Saiya Yuri Masamine
This is an excellent sake, rich and viscus. It coats the palette and prepares your mouth for the wasabi or anything spicy. The rice they use is Hitomibore, well-known for rich flavor, moderate stickiness and second largest production in Japan. This rice is milled down to 68%, keeping that rich rice flavor in the palette. It shows fruit on the nose with a clean finish. On the SMV, sake meter value, it is +2.5. This sake is great with spicy tuna or any other spicy fish rolls and great with sushi roll with many different components.
To all the Restaurant Week Diners
We here at the Zama Family would like to say thank you to all the restaurant week diners for choosing us this past two weeks. Our menu was designed to introduce new guest to our food and we hope it did. See you in September!!
Uwishunu: Philly Chefs Expanding
As you may know, Chef Zama once worked in the sushi bar of Philadelphia’s Ritz-Carlton. Now, he’s fortunate enough to open his own sushi bar in a posh hotel — in Miami. That was the source for Uwishunu’s coverage of Zama, which detailed the expansion of Philly’s top chefs. With Jose Garces headed west to California, Marc Vetri headed east to New Jersey and La Colombe Torrefaction headed to Chicago, Philadelphia is sharing the wealth when it comes to our great chefs.
As for Zama Sushi Bar’s new Miami site, the Shelborne South Beach Hotel‘s renovations are nearing completion. Maybe an escape from the approaching winter is in order.
The Incomparable Uni
What makes something a delicacy? Perhaps it is the rare nature of the food, the unique taste, the fineness of preparation, or some other generally pleasing intrinsic quality. In the case of uni, each of these apply.
Uni is the Japanese name for the edible part of sea urchin. Within the pointy spines of the sea urchin lies a treat for any adventurous diver. While it is colloquially referred to as the roe (eggs), uni is actually the organs that produce the roe — the sea urchin’s gonads. It ranges in color, from rich gold to light yellow, and has a creamy consistency that almost melts in your mouth. Uni has a light, sweet, somewhat briny flavor with an aroma similar to a bouquet of flowers. While cherished by many throughout the world, be aware that uni can be an acquired taste for some.
Harvesting uni is a very delicate process. A sea urchin contains five lobes, and harvesters must be careful because the meat falls apart easily. Uni is harvested all around the world, predominantly along the coasts of California and Maine.
Uni can be enjoyed at Zama anytime as sashimi, and is featured from time to time in sushi rolls. Try it by itself, with some soy sauce and wasabi. It is a good source of vitamins A, C and E, protein, fiber, iodine and calcium. The Japanese consider uni to be an aphrodisiac, so perhaps enjoy this delicacy with someone you love.
Anago, the Other Eel
You’re probably familiar with unagi – freshwater eel is a common ingredient in sushi (and our previous blog feature). A much lesser known type of eel is emerging as a favorite among sushi lovers: Anago.
Often translated as “conger eel,” anago refers to any marine eel that does not migrate from freshwater to sea or vice versa. The anago is rarely farmed. Most anago comes from the wild, predominantly out of the seas of Japan.
It’s a rare item, but if you come across anago at Zama, enjoy it as nigiri or sashimi, rather than the typical barbeque-style of unagi. Leaner than unagi, this eel is light, soft and fragile. No soy sauce or wasabi is needed for this delicious dish.
Uncover Unagi
The Vetri Roll, which features unagi.
It’s said that “unagi,” or freshwater eel, has been a delicacy in Japan for thousands of years. Unagi is prized for more than just delicious flavor. With plenty of protein, vitamin A and E, it’s believed to give people stamina. For this reason, unagi is traditionally eaten in the summer months, but we think it’s good all year round.
As a popular ingredient of Japanese cuisine, you’ll find unagi in a variety of preparations at Zama. The Vetri Roll features a paper thin slice of daikon radish wrapped around barbeque unagi, crispy shallots, tempura flakes, scallion and shiso. The maki roll is then drizzled with a white-truffle eel glaze, and topped with a tuft of uni sauce-dressed cucumber (if you don’t know much about uni, look for a post next week). Or, for a truly unmasked unagi tasting, you can try it as nigiri.
Sustainability is an issue for the farming of many aquatic delicacies. Unagi is no exception. Wild eel populations around the world are declining severely. Habitat alteration, overexploitation, climate change, pollution and disease all factors in the decline. For this reason, Zama uses only high quality, Japanese farm-raised unagi.
Be on the lookout for upcoming posts about anago, uni, and other delicious seafood found at Zama.
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