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Tojo's Review, 10 courses, A for quality, service and presentation, B for originality. Howdy folks, I'm from Seattle but just spent the weekend in Vancouver, BC and had the chance to try some of their sushi. I posted this in the Pacfic NW forum but thought you would appreciate it as well. Oh yeah, this is pretty long but there was a lot going on there. Tojo's Vancouver is in the hospital district of bustling downtown Vancouver. At the bottom of the review, are the essentials. Tojo himself is a soft-spoken and cute little man who is identical to the pictures on his website (www.tojos.com). I picked Tojo's over (literally) hundreds of other sushi joints in Vancouver because it was the highest rated among the local rags and highly rated among other sources on the web. Half of the restaurant has open table seating and in the other half there are small private rooms. In between stands the sushi bar where we sat and ordered Omakase, or "chef's choice." Actually they knew before we even arrived what we were ordering as we requested Omakase when we made the reservations which ensured seats at the bar! Tojo's is a lively restaurant that screams chic without being intimidating. There may have been background music but it couldn't be heard above the background noise. As a matter of fact, we had a hard time hearing each other talk for most of the evening. The bar didn't fill up until about an hour after we arrived and most of the people were from Seattle or out of town. I thought there would be more than just a single local, but then again, there were a lot of people waiting to get to the bar that might have been locals. The service and presentation at Tojo's were first rate. Plates were immediately removed, and I was afraid that the two hostesses' faces would freeze in a permanent smile if somebody tapped them on the shoulder. I admire their courage for such stalwart cheek muscles. Before I start in with the course descriptions, I should mention that I am holding Tojo's to a higher standard than any other sushi restaurant that I've been to. This was the most expensive sushi meal I've ever had and thusly when I leave such an establishment, I need to feel justified in splurging for the amount and that I can't go anywhere else for this food and experience. In short, I expected a meal that transcended dining out. Unfortunately, Tojo's comes up short on both accounts. 1) Albacore chunks in Tojo's "secret, only Tojo's has this sauce" of wasabi (not fresh), soy and sesame seeds. After I tasted his sauce, I thought secret? Every sushi eater in America knows about wasabi and soy! My first instinct was to scream, but since this was the first dish I just kept quite. It is my opinion that it is a hangable offense to mix soy and wasabi with albacore. Only the smallest, barely perceptible amount of wasabi is ok (if at all) since albacore meat is so creamy and subtle. However, the wasabi wasn't too strong and since it *was* albacore, I did enjoy it. 2) Hot cod and mushroom soup, though there was more cod and mushrooms than soup. The presentation was ornate and charming and almost overshadowed the dish. The bowl was covered with a slightly waxed paper and tied on with papery twine. Pine needles and a flower placed on top were a simple and elegant decoration. The soup was rich and the mushrooms had a meaty texture. I believe they were enoki mushrooms. 3) Local octopus sashimi sliced ever so thinly on a bed of greens and seaweed with an excellent vinaigrette. This course was the first highlight of the meal and a definite surprise. The meat was tender and delicate and played very well with the greens. I wish I had a better knowledge of greens because they tasted different but added so well to the octopus. 4) The first roll, crab leg and wasabi interior, with the inverted seaweed rice (rice on the outside) exterior. Each cut piece of roll had its own scallop garnished with what I believe was cod roe. The roe was a champagne color and twice the size of a BB. I had mixed feelings about this roll. The scallop and roe were enjoyable but the wasabi overpowered the crab and basically everything else. Tojo might as well have filled the roll with imitation crabmeat served the scallop and roe separately. It would have saved us both a lot of money. 5) A second roll of crab body meat, smoked salmon and scallop, rolled in rice with an egg omelette wrap instead of seaweed. It was neat to the egg work as a container, I haven't seen that before. Each piece had own large garnish of flying fish roe. The salmon wasn't very smoky, the crabmeat was tasteless, as was the scallop (though most scallops intrinsically have a mild flavor) and as such, I tasted egg more than anything else. I actually dipped mine in soy for flavor, the only time in the evening, a little disappointing. 6) Big white tuna wrapped in seaweed, sans rice, and tempuraed whole until medium rare. There were 4 pieces per plate and they were presented on pickled plumb sauce. Accompanying the tuna was a pile of sautéed enoki mushrooms swimming in butter and garlic. Those mushrooms were fabulous! But I couldn't see what they had to do with the tuna and sauce. I kind of had the feeling that Tojo went to a tapas bar and was so in love with them he had to put them somewhere in one of his dishes. As you might surmise after reading so much about the mushrooms, they overshadowed the tuna. I wasn't a fan of the medium rare texture of the tuna, it was a little chewy where cooked but smooth and creamy inside. Why not let all of it be creamy? Or all of it tender and flaky from being fully cooked? 7) Smoked salmon nigiri. Tojo said that the salmon was smoked in-house. The smokiness depended on the piece and by no means was the smoke content even. The smoky pieces were a dream, very soft, bursting with flavor, the less smoky pieces were like any other salmon. My first grudge is that one of the nigiri had two pieces of salmon on it to equal the amount of salmon on the other pieces. With the premium customers have to pay to dine here, give them a whole piece, not leftover scraps (What am I? Chopped liver? I no longer have leprosy!). My second grudge, and it's a deusy, the rice was slipshod for the nigiri. There were loose bits here and there and it tended to fall apart ungracefully. Recently on a Bourdain's "A Cook's Tour" episode, his pre-eminent sushi chef spent the first three years of his career preparing nothing else besides rice. How long has Tojo's been making sushi? Granted the traditional style is very strict, but come on! It's like an Italian restaurant not knowing how to prepare pasta. Either they haven't figured out the right recipe for seasoning rice, or they don't have enough experience. I find this to be an egregious error and like to think that a budding sushi chef in Tokyo would have to chop off his pinky for atonement. But despite the rant, I absolutely LOVED the salmon and would gladly gorge on an entire fillet only pausing briefly to breathe or sip some sake. 8) A third roll with some seafood and some asparagus. It was so uninteresting, I can't even remember what it was, that and the length between these pieces and the next course. And no, you can't blame the sake. 9) Lobster hand roll. Cooked lobster with plenty of butter wrapped in rice and the standard seaweed wrap. It wasn’t bad, but it was a little bland and left me wanting more. I really have to question Tojo why he would serve lobster in his restaurant. I can get lobster that tastes just as good in Omaha, Milwaukee or Akron (sorry to pick on the Midwest). I go to a sushi restaurant in one of the premier ports on the West coast precisely because I'm going to get not only the freshest restaurant seafood, but more importantly, I will get EXOTIC seafood. No seafood restaurant in their right mind would serve the delicacies at a sushi place because the average palette wants mainstream fish, which can be good but it's not as exciting as sea urchin! And that's why I was discouraged at this point in the meal. The only thing different that Tojo’s did that I haven't seen at other sushi places was serve lobster and use a thin egg omelette to wrap a roll instead of the seaweed or soy wrap, both of which I have reservations about. 10) Luckily I asked for one more course and we received nigiri pieces of big white tuna. I did a 180-degree turn on big white tuna. These pieces were marinated in lemon and rice wine vinegar. It almost had the same creamy texture as good albacore and the marinade danced and sang on the tongue. It certainly perked up my mood after the hand roll. These pieces were the second highlight of the evening and had me lobbing praise and adulation to that little man on the other side of the counter. Finishing the evening was a scoop of coconut ice cream and apple pieces. I was surprised that the ice cream was so good considering it wasn't heavy at all. It was in direct conflict with ice creams like Godiva's lineup which are sinfully buttery yet heavenly delicious. I knew going into the bill that it would be expensive, but I thought with the favorable exchange rate, I could almost get a deal. I was floored when I saw the total and thusly held Tojo under the most powerful of microscopes. If it wasn't so damned expensive the grievances might have registered, but I wouldn't have made such a big deal. Mind you, I enjoy splurging every once in a while, but at this expense I expect the meal to transcend previous dining experiences. At Shiro's and Mashiko's I've had those types of experiences for less and would quickly go to either of those places instead of Tojo's regardless of price. After the day was done, I left having an excellent meal chock full of radiant sushi and was stuffed to the gills, how can I complain about that? Tojo's Vancouver 777 West Broadway Suite 202 (Second Floor) Vancouver BC V5Z4J7 Canada Telephone: 604.872.8050 Fax: 604.872.8060 www.tojos.com

By the way, I'm driving up to Vancouver this weekend and tonight I'll be dining at Tojo's. I did some scrounging on the web and they're generally considered to be one of if not the best sushi restaurant in the city. I'll post a review on Monday or Tuesday. Here's their website: www.tojos.com Apparently they're quite proud of their Omakase, so I'm excited. I don't thank heaven for 7-11, I thank heaven for sushi!

I'd thought I'd give a review of the last time I went to Mashiko's (last Friday). Here's their info: 4725 California Ave SW Seattle, WA 98116 (206) 935-4339 This is a cute little place nestled in West Seattle. We hoped to arrive after the rush, but as any decent sushi recent in Seattle, Mashiko's was packed to the hilt. Luckily we only had to wait a half-hour for a seat at the bar and they were so apologetic they gave us a coupon for a free roll next time we go. The bar seats seven and there's tables enough for probably 20 to 25. Mashiko's is one of the only sushi restaurants with a female chef behind the counter (the only one I know of). Music ranged from Soul Coughing, to Cake and Fatboy Slim. The atmosphere is bright and vibrant and doesn't have an air like some of the swanky Belltown eateries. I consider Mashiko's to be the most enjoyable and entertaining sushi restaurant in Seattle. As always when I'm at Mashiko's, omakase, or chef's choice is the way to go. If there is anything you don't like (e.g. natto, *shudder*) just mention it in passing as you ask for omakase. I should mention that I've never seen natto on Mashiko's menu and I've never heard anyone order it there. I feel the need to mention that they're serving real wasabi at the moment. The real thing is much more vibrant and complex than the stuff we all know and love. Turns out that most wasabi is mustard powder and food coloring. It will be tuff to go back to the old stuff. First we ordered a seaweed salad and it came with sprinkled with baby octopi, cooked and lightly marinated. I have to admit, the first time I saw one of those, I was kind of freaked out, especially when I first brought one up to my mouth. It's one thing to eat a small portion of a tentacle, but to see the whole animal with its tentacles intact looking like s/he was happy in the ocean is quite different. That is until AFTER you eat it, now if I don't get any, I'm almost depressed. Luckily sushi is one of my happy foods so I'm not down for long. Next on the list were broiled salmon ribs, DRIPPING with juicy salmon fat. Very messy, although I had to fight every urge to drop my face in them and I can only dream of having a swimming pool somewhere filled with rendered salmon fat. Pork fat look out! Since it was crowded, our chef didn't feel that he was giving us adequate attention and made us a special and innovative roll where he cut a cucumber lengthwise by sort of "peeling" it with his knife and then filled the center with salmon. It was presented with a delicate mustard and wasabi sauce that worked quite well. I highly appreciated the textural difference. Then we presented with flash fried maguro sashimi (fried for less than a second) on a bed of onions. The onions were marinated in vinegar for a week, taking the bite out and very tasty. But then again I'm freak for vinegar. After the sashimi was Mashiko's patented albacore nigiri which I've found to be the best in the city. They serve large portions simply on rice (no wasabi) with a little dab of spiced daikon and green onions, a definite must for any visit. Now becoming one of my favorites is uni, or sea urchin. I'm going to cry when they're no longer in season. When it's fresh, it has a spectacular briney, fresh from the ocean taste and it will disintegrate as soon as it hits your tongue. This uni was presented in a cup made of a rice base and with a soy wrap holding sliced squid upon which the uni was placed. It garnished with flying fish roe. This was the highlight piece of the evening. However not far behind the uni was a "hamburger" as our dedicated and vigilant chef called it. A small slice of monkfish liver pate (I believe it's called ankima) in the middle of a succulent scallop and garnished with flying fish roe. I LOVE scallops and the ankima added a creaminess to it. As evening wound to a close, we finished with an order sweet shrimp and a roll similar to a spider roll. I never order shrimp, because most places it's the same cooked shrimp you would get in a shrimp coctail. Sweet shrimp on the other hand is typically kept live behind the bar, or they picked it up at the fishmonger that morning and it should NEVER be frozen. They serve the tail raw, which is slightly sweet and has a plump yet submissive texture. The head is deep-fried and eaten as quickly as possible with a squeeze of lemon. Just be careful about the legs and antennae as they can be pointy if you chew too quickly. The roll had carrot and cucumber tempura in the center topped with broiled anago, or sea eel. It was a nice finish. All in all, this wasn't my most adventurous Mashiko meal, but boy-howdy, was it good and innovative. I've never left Mashiko's hungary or anything less than sated and elated.

Bux, what do you mean when you refer to some sausages being "uncored?"

I'm a huge fan of asparagus when they're in season and I enjoy them simply steamed to al dente. After a couple turns on the old (coarse) pepper grinder I add some basalmic vinegar and I'm singing with the angels. I've been known to make a whole meal out of it, also I like that preparation so much, that's how I serve broccoli as well. However now, I think I'm going to start experimenting with roasting my veggies after reading these posts.

I've probably taken brining to an extreme. I have been brining all of my poultry and my pork for the last three years and I will never turn back. It will take a cheap chicken and turn it into gold. I've smoked brined turkey, duck and goose as well as chickens and they're all fabulous. When I visity my folks in upper Michigan I use their weber and hickory chips. It's about half as smokey as my smoker but the skin is perfect, crispy, smokey and juicy. I wouldn't be surprised if a lab examined the skin and said it was laced with opium. The base of my brine is: 1 gallon water 1 cup kosher salt 1 cup vinegar 1 cup brown sugar/molasses But I'll also add a bottle of Crystal Extra Hot Sauce, a cup of lemon juice, cayenne or what ever I feel like. Oh yeah, I've brined chicken up to a week, but usually no more than a three or four days. Likewise with turkey. With pork though (unless it is a big roast) you don't want to brine for more than a day or two as pork meat tends to absorb the salt more quickly, especially ribs. As a matter of fact, ribs don't need to be brined for more than an hour. btw, although I haven't tried the beer can chicken, I've heard great things about it so I too would recommend trying it.

I'm a big fan of Cote du Rhone's myself. My favorite of all time is a Domaine Fond Croze. It's a nice, well-balanced zesty wine (that's about the best way I can describe it, I really should take some lessons). The only place in Seattle I can find it though is a little wine shop near my house. A bottle runs ผ and it's good with almost anything. I've enjoyed the style so much that I'll pretty much try any Cote du Rhone.

Ever since the Seattle Times (11/28) mentioned that Shiki serves fugu, I've been angling to go there despite everything I've read that fugu is actually quite boring, devoid of any noticable flavor or interesting tecture. That, and it's great expense. Luckily though the PI mentioned a couple of weeks later that you can get nigiri pieces of fugu for only บ, definitely worth the gamble of death. The article in the Times only mentioned the soup (๪) or a sashimi platter (๠). I can't wait to hear your review of Shiki's mamster. Something I forgot to mention in an earlier post about enjoying sushi if you're relatively new is stressing the importance of going on an off-night. Friday and Saturday nights are usually crowded and consequently, unless you know the chef, you won't get as good of service. Wednesday and Thursday nights are usually best, especially Mashiko's where there might be only one other party at the bar and you can have the complete attention of the chef. Be forwarned that almost all sushi restaurants are closed on Sunday and Monday, although Toyoda is open on Mondays but closed on Tuesdays.

It was only until this last year did I learn what you're asking. 1) One or two bites? Whatever you prefer, it isn't considered rude to take two bites as long you finish it. Having large portions is one of the reasons why I love Mashiko's so much. And with albacore (Mashiko's serves 'em up awlfully nice), I like to lengthen my enjoyment of it as much as possible so I'll even take three bites sometimes. 2) Fingers or chopsticks? Likewise with two bites, it isn't considered rude to use your fingers. Shiro (of Shiro's, can't remember his last name) told me that nearly everyone in Japan uses their fingers and since then I mainly use my hands. 3) Wasabi/soy/dipping. I used to make a sauce of wasabi and soy until Shiro gave me bad looks and said that was a faux-pas. And now I thank him for that because there are so many subtleties to sushi that you miss with the heavy wasabi/soy bath. So now with the average sushi I'll just dab some wasabi on top and only rarely do I dip in soy. But like anything, it's a matter of taste. The best thing you can do to enjoy sushi is sit at the bar and just start talking to chef. The chefs at Mashiko's are very friendly and can quickly ascertain your level of experience and ensure that you enjoy yourself. As long as you're polite, you can't go wrong. Mashiko's really delights in doing chef's choice (Omakase). That way you're almost guaranteed to get the freshest in the restaurant because the chef knows all, plus you'll get to try new things that otherwise you wouldn't. For instance, right now sea urchin is in season and when I went there on friday he served it on top of squid sliced in to "noodles" with flying fish roe. The texture difference and the freshness of the sea urchin was out of this world.

I know your birthday is well past, but the next time you get boar, try smoking it. For the last summer solstice my friends and I smoked in addition to a wild boar roast, a whole goat (cut up into pieces), venison and a rabbit. The boar was the best, smoked over about 6 hours for a 4 lb roast, the pork fat rendered and man was it delicious. We smoked the boar and most of the goat over maple and the rest over hickory. As with any pork or poultry, I highly recommed brining for a couple of days beforehand. btw, brined pork back ribs smoked for about 4 hours at a low temperature w/o any sauce (a dry rub if you must) is food of the gods and my personal favorite for bbq. Most sauces hide the smoke flavor.

I'm a huge sushi fan, if I could afford it, I'd eat it every day. Here are my favorites: 1) Mashiko's: I always have a fun time here, but sit at the bar. Of course I believe that's true at any sushi restaurant. Everything is fresh and you can strike up a good report with the chefs. They love to try to freak you out! Try and get the river crab when they're available. 2) Shiro's: Rather pricey, but always the freshest ingredients. They keep the sweet shrimp live behind the bar. If they were as inventive as Mashiko's, they be the tops. 3) Wasabi Bistro: Almost as pricey as Shiro's, good ingredients, swanky atmosphere. You must try the Seattle tempura roll, standard Seattle role of smoked salmon, cream cheese and I think cucumber then the whole role is deep-fried with tempura batter, very tasty and very different from the other sushi restaurants. 4) Toyoda's: Less expensive than Mashiko's, good ingredients. the sashimi plate was very elegant and rather tasty. Make sure to get there right when they open or you'll wait an hour. I haven't tried Nishino's, I Love Sushi or Shiki's (now serving fugu).