nhconner

All I can do to describe my meal at Soto is the most perfect Japanese meal I have ever had. I say this both as a 31 year old and as a lover of sushi and sashimi. I also say this as a lover of fusion japanese cuisine. Morimoto in Philadelphia is a place where I have had some of my best meals. I came to Soto as a recommendation from this thread. I was not disappointed. Soto is in a strip mall off Peachtree in Buckhead. The front suggests traditional cuisine and the interior is calming with ten, four person tables and a sushi bar at the front with no seats. The decor is very simple and calming with some glass art on the walls and some soothing indirect lighting. I want to get out of the way what I noticed as far as theory, service and approach. Four of the tables this night were occupied, out of ten. Twenty people were turned away as as walk-ins. Not because there were no tables, but because Soto requires 24hrs notice to prepare his menu for the reservations that were made. Only those who made reservations were accommodated. This is remarkable and shows a commitment to concept I have never experienced, I don't think. The service was excellent. I had an waiter named Chresna Changra who accommodated my every need (I dined alone). That is all I need to say. He gave me everything I needed before I needed it. Perfect. The hostess, who had the duty of turning away the twenty persons who saw six empty tables, executed this task with grace and eloquence. On the the food. Some of these dishes were served together, some on the same plate, but each required individual preparation. The following is the menu and the comments I noted on my pad. Dobin mushi soup a round complex ballaced broth sipped from a dish. The pot revealed kelp, shrimp, flounder, ginko nuts and yuzo citrus that I ate from the pot after I sipped the broth. Live lobster sashimi Sweet fresh with creamy ginger flavors, lime and shizo accents yum Miso marinated fois gras sweet silky, o my Smoked sea urchin light smoke sweet and perfect texture Cured mullet roe Punget, essence of fish chewy, and then melts in you mouth Slow steamed abalone tender pungent long distinguished aftertaste Japanese cucumber crunchy tender pure Wakame seaweed fresh and tender Mackeral ginger roll pungent and fresh Snow crab with Kimizu sauce sweet and simple Hokki clam with miso mustard soft silky full of flavor Lobster in yellow pepper mousse lobster was only a texture in this fully flavored perfect mousse Steamed egg custard with mushrooms and mussel perfect combination of flavor, remarkable Miso and fois gras soup Rich like cashew butter bold Tempura flounder in Agedahi broth perfect broth tender fish and bracey accents Uni capuccino O lord this was right on Octopus with asian pear broth Most tender flavorful octopus ever Idaho Kobe with fois gras The chef poured the sauce in this spoon just as I ate I, this brought tears to my eyes. Sashimi horse mackerel with ginger and scallion Three strong flavors all in perfect balances,an eye opening remarkable dish, lorry Seared Japanese red snapper perfect fish what can I say Live maine scallop pure elegance Pear sorbet with plum wine refreshing, brisk Hamachi tar tare with tobiko and pine nuts with soy froth Im speechless this dish had it all i was crying Crispy fried Atlantic Sole wonderful with fried skin and bones and shizo to perfect it Miso and sake lees marinade Black Cod Soft perfect cod to die for Fresh sea urchin wrapped in squid This dish had a raw quail egg on top and was the perfect expression of three of my favorite food. O my god. Did I say o my god, yes Ill say it again o my god. Sushi- Sea eel, sweet shrimp, and Aoyagi clam all perfect expressions tender as butter. Green tea ice cream refreshing pure and soothing I thought I would write and long essay on my conclusions, but Ill just say this. This was the best Traditional Japanese meal I have ever had and could have ever imagined. Sotohiro Kosugi was friendly and gracious and is a remarkable talent. What he is doing is revolutionary on this continent and should be respected world wide. This unassuming spot is worth a trip as a destination. I plan to be a regular even though I live in North Carolina. I give this the highest praise I can give. Did I mention the meal was $75 and there are nine perfect sakes to accompany your meal. I honor you Sotohiro Kosugi. Thank You Nate Conner

Ooo pretty bad, thanks for pointing that out. It was a late night watching basketball. Also my reference to Taillevent was because of Philippe Legendre. Nate

I had a meal at Le Cinq last fall and really had a wonderful meal there. I was with my wife and the service e and wine was to our liking. The scene is international and the food is safe. The style is creative, but experienced. Taillevent was not founded on poor cooking. This is not the place to experience the best and brightest in Paris, but you will lick your plate if our experience is yours. The room is suave and the flowers are profoundly unique. We ate at Arpege then next night and the food was more inspired and executed, but the atmosphere was more intimate and less dripping with symmetry and grandure which Le Cinq showed. Hope this helps. Nate

In the Chaoel Hill area, you should go to A Southern Season, one of the great food stores in the world. You could spend $10.000 there. For lunch got to the Seina and get a few appetizers and a glass of wine. Nice place good food and good Italian wine. Go to Whole Foods if you need some natural foods, and eat a picnic on the grounds of the NC campus. Walk down Franklin St. (Go West) and choose. I have not done this exactly, but I would. Enjoy, Nate

I was there for the first time about a month ago lured by 13.99/lb whole USDA Prime Tenderloins. These were worth the price and were very nice pieces of meat for the money. The meat looked good to me with about a dozen or so selection. I also bought a wonderful duck breast and a piece of fois gras. The wine dept was decent The cheese dept had some cheeses I have not seen in NC so I was pleased, they even had one of my favorites Brin d amour (a sheeps from Corsica) All in all I was impressed and will be back for selected goods. Not a one stop shop, but a nice place to have around. I will have report though that I bought 16 gulf oysters to fry for an salad, and they were all way past gone. When I shucked them they were shrivled up and rancid. I have never experenced this with gulfs and get good ones from places like WinDIxie. A dissappointment. They did have a whole Turbot in the window at 23/lb. nate

This is a xpost from the SE restaurant board. I find the trick to a good rabbit is that it be juicy and taste like rabbit. This sounds simple, but often it is overcooked and has no real distinguisable taste, the whole tastes like chicken thing. The kidneys are also a true treat. The saddle and loin are the most tender and the hind quarters are a tad darker and more flavorful. Rabbits are lean and need to be cooked gently. Wild rabbit can be very gamey. I am told it often has to do with the way it is butchered (glans or someting like that) and hung to drain the blood. I dont really hunt, but welcome any game to cook, and look forward to learning the proper technique. I have had Fearringtons braised version and it is very good, but in a sence could be the same using duck, chicken or a game bird using the same spices and cooking technique. If you ever run across a hopper in the store fresh or frozen I reccomend the following fool proof techinque I got from Jean Georges "Simple to Spectacular" Butcher rabbit into 5-7 pieces Submerge in olive oil (not EVOO) with a few cloves of crushed garlic and some thyme Bake open in the over on 250 for a couple hours. serve with a bitter green dressed with EVOO salt and lemon juice

I have been to Fearington house a few times in the last 6-8 months and feel it is at its best. About two years ago Graham Fox, an Englishman working in the kitchen at the casual spot in Fearington village took over. The food changed from high quality, often high amounts of it, southern inspired dishes jazzed up, to refined ingredient focused fare. I heard some complained initially about the lack of southern inspiration, but not me, the quality is much higher and the food is more interesting and the quantities are perfect. Because you can choose the dish you want with each course, you can go heavy or light. I have eaten in a lot of great spots, and the rabbit dish I had about a year ago was the best rabbit dish I have ever had, and I like and eat a fare share of bunnys. Pricey, and o so much different than anything in NC and totally worth it in my mind. Service has been from good to almost perfect for us over the years,and much of the staff is the same as it was years ago, I really think this makes a difference. The wine list does not have the steals on it that it used to. The list was truly lopsided with CA ripoffs and French finds, but not so much anymore, although good deals can still be found. It used to be the kind of list where Silver Oak and Romier Musigny where the same price. I really like the place and would call it my favorite in NC. Nate

I have heard good things about Second Empire, but have never dined there. Nate

I will be staying in Dana Point for close to a week and have never been in that area before, always LA and San Diego. I would love some dinner sugestions and also an openion on a not to be missed spot for my wifes 30th bday, with money not an object, and a great wine list with great french/german/austrian choices. Aqua is in our hotel, so we will try that, but let me know of any other gems. We would go as far as Laguna Beach. Nate

Myself, my wife and a few others in Greensboro would be interested. Nate Conner

My favorite is Carolina Blue in Southen shores. Its a pretty little room in a strip mall with a food lion, but the food is inspired and real and the wine list is well chosen food friendly and well priced. We had a expensive meal of ok food at Elizabeths Cafe. The wine list is poorly prepared and way overpriced. Based on reviews I have read this place is past its prime and just not a good value of ok food. Nate