PierreGinza

The location certainly wasn't ideal. (thought it is close to where I live. And just two blocks or so from Del Frisco's) I never went, but after reading some reviews, it seems it wasn't exactly the typical steak joint like Del Frisco's, Bob's, III Forks, Nick and Sam's, etc. were. I think you are right that Dallas diners may be fickle and less adventuresome. I guess that's even more true for the steakhouses. ← Jsmeeker, your statement typifies the challenges BLT faced. You're a Dallas "foodie". You live near BLT's former location. Yet you never went. I'm wondering why? Did your perception that it wasn't the "usual" steakhouse deter you? Did you/do you patronize the other steakhouses? Perhaps you're just not a big steak eater? BLT had one of the most ill-conceived locations I'd encountered in recent years. I told them that at the opening party. Initially, they served terrific food, even if the service never seemed to find its stride. I liked the restaurant's open feeling and that it served some harder to find, some might say "connoisseur" cuts of beef, such as properly-prepared hanger steaks or genuine, imported-from-Japan wagyu (aka Kobe beef, the real stuff). I liked its service of European-style butter and foie gras spread. I liked its part-NYC, part-Paris vibe. I liked that I was equally comfortable there in Dockers or a Burberry suit. But a new restaurant needs building, growing momentum to reach its operating sweet spot. When the post-opening bump never came despite decent foodie buzz (more evidence of just HOW utterly crappy that location is), the best staff members left and costs were cut, resulting in serious declines in quality. The seafood platter could no longer be called "impeccably fresh" and, at times, was not available at all. Side dishes became less carefully prepared. Service became more haphazard, sometimes delivered by rookies. The foodies who gave it initial positive response turned on it. BLT lasted even longer than I expected. It's not just "foreign" steakhouses which are struggling. With few exceptions, none are doing that great. Few of the high-end places are doing great. Dallas diners are no more fickle than diners in any of the major cities, but they are, by an order of magnitude, less adventurous than diners on the west coast or NYC or Boston. I still see people make faces at and refuse to eat fish served whole (i.e. head on). I still see steaks ordered well-done (what's the point? Eat a TV dinner; it's cheaper). Why did Dallas' very unique soufflé salon feel compelled to include a filet mignon on its menu? I still encounter people be shocked upon finding out that real cheese is often made with, oh my gosh, mold. I still overhear people trying to order a burger while sitting at a sushi bar. Clueless is apt assessment for a good portion of the dining public in Dallas, even more so in FW. The whole foodie "ecosystem" from producer to distributor to restaurant and consumer is in its infancy here. That cannot be overlooked as contributing factors to the illiteracy of palates. Meanwhile, PF Chang's continues to rake in the dough with its sugary slop and we continue to drown in torrents of Velveeta "queso". All that said, the dining scene is a hundred times better than the wasteland that I found upon moving my base here a decade ago. I travel constantly, all over the world, for business (not food-related) and can opine that there is no doubt DFW has closed the gap between itself and other major metropolitan areas. But DFW will not join the "big leagues" any time soon; there is no dining public will to support such a move. But hey, it ain't just us idiots. Have you checked your McDonald's stock lately?

Was the "chicken is not as lean in Guatemala" Alison Cook's assertion or yours? I've eaten chicken on five continents and have yet to have chicken that is as fatty (yet manages to be less flavorful) as American supermarket birds.

Fresh wasabi has a sweet, vegetal, wholly superior flavor which comes out after sitting for 10-15 minutes. I grate my rhizomes 10-20 minutes before I know I will serve it. Only a little bit is needed, and after being allowed to "open" this way fresh wasabi is equal parts hot and sweet--not sugary sweet, vegetable sweet. As far as freezing it, wrap individual rhizomes in paper, then roll up inside a zipper plastic bag, squeezing out as much air as possible before you close the zip. Wasabi can last at least a year in this manner. Grate it while still frozen--a sharkskin will not work for this application. A ceramic grater such as the ones made by Kyocera is the better option. Put the grated frozen wasabi on napkin or paper towel to blot away condensation which gathers as it thaws. It's ready to use as soon as your fingertips can no longer feel anything icy. On eating, you will discover that freezing wasabi does destroy some of the aroma, but the taste is largely intact. I do use real wasabi in nigiri, but not as the "glue" to help adhere topping to the ball of shari (the rice clump). Fresh wasabi is not very useful for that purpose. The tiny amounts in my nigiri is to be a flavor component only. I don't like powdered wasabi at all. In the end, there is very little similarity between fresh and powdered wasabi, in aroma and taste. No one who has tasted real, freshly grated wasabi--especially hydroponically or semi-hydroponically grown wasabi--would ever say that it tasted anything like European horseradish.

The use of sugi (cypress) is more prevalent than cedar. Sugi is NOT related to cedar. Sake is typically "aged" 6 months or so before release. "Koshu" is intentionally aged sake, sometimes for several years. They may be aged in barrels or stainless steel tanks. Koshu represents a tiny tiny portion of sake consumed.

Aritsugu is a great knife shop (Nishiki market in Kyoto), but it's always busy, so the neatly-uniformed staff won't necessarily have time to explain all the variations of knives, steel used, etc. to you. It's important that you do your research and know what you want to buy ahead of time. As mentioned in another post, you can get your name engraved on the blade. Once you've selected and paid for the knives, expect a 15-30 minute wait while they get a final sharpening/polish at one of the two sharpening-stone pools in the back of showroom, behind the pay counter. Putting up with the cramped area to watch master sharpeners hone the knives is one of the most exciting aspects, to me. One note: Aritsugu knives have a sterling reputation, and their prices reflect that status. I think they are superb quality cutlery. In Tokyo, look up and go to the Masamoto shop in Tsukiji Market. It has a dizzying array of cutlery, as well, and you will see many Tokyo culinary professionals in the shop, at virtually any time of day. It's not as attractive a room as Aritsugu's, and the staff looks like they have just rolled out of bed, still wearing the same clothes as yesterday. English ability is sketchy. Masamoto knives are also of superb quality, are a tad less expensive. The sharpening pools are prominently featured out on the sidewalk in front of the shop. My advice is, buy as many as you can afford or as customs regulations will allow. There's nothing else like quality Japanese cutlery in performance.

Brut. It's a nice, relaxing place. ← Is Brut IN the hotel, or the small "strip mall" adjacent to the hotel? ← in the mall, between the entrance to the hotel and the entrance to Trader Vic's

LOL I am impressed, Qwerty, by your knowledge of cuts of beef and that a prime filet has a high chance of being no more marbled than a USDA Choice filet. Given that the filet is the best seller in steakhouses, however, it's also clear that most people don't share your level of connoisseur-ship. I can't remember the last time I ordered a filet... That said, occasionally (!) I will run across a loin from an especially fat carcass, in which the marbling is superior even in the filet. That's rare, however. There is a marked difference in filet marbling once you get into "prime plus", such as top-notch American wagyu (significant differences among producers) and definitely in Japanese gyu. Here is a pix of a tenderloin in the beef case at a Kyoto market (sorry I don't have a better one--I snipped this fragment from another pix). This wasn't even the top available and would probably garner a BMS score of 4 (equiv of a prime US ribeye marbling). http://forums.egullet.org/uploads/12036240...5737_164258.jpg For comparison, here's a strip which might get a BMS score of 10. http://forums.egullet.org/uploads/12036240...5737_139883.jpg It's my first time trying to post pics...hope that worked enjoy

That's actually a sake press pictured--probably Yabuta brand--which squeezes liquid (to be filtered, usually through activated charcoal), from the fermented mash or "moromi". Moromi is left to ferment typically from 20-40 days, not always "two months" as noted, although this particular brew might indeed have spent 60 days as moromi. The entire process from rice milling to washing/soaking to koji-making to shobu-making (shobu is also called "moto") to moromi and pressing does typically take about two months. thanks ← Thanks for your reply. I didn't know that this thread of mine, which I started in the Wine Forum, have been moved to this thread in the Japan Forum. "In two months" is what Mr. Abe told me. I'm no expert on sake making, but I guess that the long brewing process is due to the facts 1) At this brewery, they make sake in the winter time only, when the temperature is low and 2) In Niigata, the water is soft, which means that brewing takes more time than with hard water. ← Oh I did not mean to dispute your "two month" report, as Mr. Abe has said. How long the moromi ferments is up to the toji, of course. The typical brewing season for all kuras is October through April. That's when the rice growing season is over and the crop has been harvested to prepare for brewing. Also, in the old days, sake was brewed by tens of thousands of small kuras, and the task of making sake gave farm workers something to do in the off-season. Farmers during the growing season, kurabitas in the winter! Brewing in winter also cuts down on the bacteria and other undesired microbes--Sake has been around for centuries, but pasteurization has not. Niigata has some of the best local rice and water for sake, indeed. Hiroshima and Kobe areas also have some superb water for sake. Traditionally, kuras were built around the water sources, so important is the water to the quality of the end product. thanks

That's actually a sake press pictured--probably Yabuta brand--which squeezes liquid (to be filtered, usually through activated charcoal), from the fermented mash or "moromi". Moromi is left to ferment typically from 20-40 days, not always "two months" as noted, although this particular brew might indeed have spent 60 days as moromi. The entire process from rice milling to washing/soaking to koji-making to shobu-making (shobu is also called "moto") to moromi and pressing does typically take about two months. thanks