You know you’re in for a treat at Tanuki when Chef Janis Martin asks, “Is it okay to go weird?” That’s the thing when ordering “omakase” style: it’s the equivalent of telling a chef to do whatever they want to your palate. You’re saying it’s up to them; you’re only taking enough agency to order your sake and eat whatever happens to land on the table.
What arrived on the table this last Saturday was marinated shark bones. Not shark fin, but shark bones.
Chef Martin explained the preparation to me—something about a kind of jam she soaks the bones in under weights until they’re soft enough to “not poke a hole in someone’s esophagus.” But between her explanation, the sake, and the fact that Meatball Machine was playing on the TV, I was having a bit of trouble concentrating. Mostly I remember Chef Martin’s assertion that cooking at Tanuki was about bringing ingredients to “a level of non-lethality.”
What I remember clearly is that the shark bones were fucking delicious: the texture was simultaneously springy and crunchy in that cartilage way, but the flavor had a delightful fruity sweetness that was balanced with salt savor and a vinegary twang. The whole package was wrapped up with a square of rice and a band of nori. Very nice.
So, have you eaten anything memorable lately?
a plate of french fries with mayo at sckavone’s paired gently with a gingerale/jim beam cocktail.
A hazelnut milkshake and chicken strips, in a deck chair in the sun at Doug Fir, while reading good science fiction and eavesdropping on two hot hipster chicks talk about hooking up.
I ate at Pita Pit yesteday.
Hazelnut protein shake.
It screams “effete gymnut fag” like no other drink can.
Those shark cartilage rolls were fucking mindblowing. On the other hand, they were also the first thing at tehNuki that my dining companion couldn’t stand, and our usual order is omakase w/ extra weird/spicy/endangered-species-y.
Compared to shark bone? No, I have not.
@A CAT: There has been a mild ripple of excitement around the office, seeing that you have posted a comment. I thought you would appreciate this.
I’ve been working in teh god-forsaken Canada for the majority of time since the beginning of the year (more accurately, I’ve been working in lovely Canada under the direction of some demanding motherfucking canucks), and thought I’d pop in while I had a couple weeks in town.
I’ll be back for good in August, although whether I resume regular posting really comes down to whether Alison manages to fix the cesspool that Steve moderated the comments section into.
Hi Patrick!
Hi Alison!
Hi Smirk!
Hi Matt!
Hi Olive!
Hi various interns I don’t know!
Way to support shark hunting, PAC. You going for a plate of panda eyes next?
I got a plate of river-dolphin hamachi last week. It was to die for.
Vij’s in Vancouver this weekend lived up to every ounce of the hype:
http://travel2.nytimes.com/2006/07/02/trav…
I went to taste of the nation and the most interesting thing I ate was… a crostini with marscapone and radish. Seriously, it was delicious but all of the food was very safe, not very locally concious/sustainably minded, and meat heavy. Most of the food was under-salted and intended for carnivores. My partner ate a pork belly minced apple slaw that was pretty good. The ice cream from fifty fifty was delicious and the wine was not very good (I tried all the Pinot Noir, mostly 2007 which apparently was a difficult vintage to master). The best wine I had was a sparkling rose from Argyle. Really a lot of fun though.