Mashikos Review

[MySiuMai]

But beware. For some odd reason they chose to have this event during the West Seattle Junction Street Fair. The two main blocks of California Ave. (one running in front of Mashiko's) is closed and parking is a bitch. I'm not sure where the Street Fair bandstand will be, but in times past it has been at the end of the Ave. near Mashiko's, so there could be some aural competition.

Anyhoo, just thought I'd warn you all that I doubt this will be an optimal time to visit.

MySiuMai

[Eat_eat_eat]

I checked out tighe and col klink's pictures and I decided I really like what tighe had. How can I request the exact courses when I eat there? Should I just tell the chef straight up? Do you think he'd mind?

[tighe]

I don't think Hajime would have a problem with you requesting certain items, however I would really recommend that you let him do the choosing. I've had two subsequent meals to the one I wrote up and both were excellent, but different. To start the last one, we did request the albacore sashimi salad, but left the rest up to him.

[Schielke]

Has anybody else been served the "Silverfish" at Mashikos? That freaked my shit out.

The Alien inside me

[col klink]

Nope, can't say that I have but I can say that I'm jealous.

Luckily for me though Batgrrrl and I had another truly amazing meal served up by Hajime. We also did a sake tasting and man alive we've been missing out.

I just leave this post with our first of 13 courses, raw octopus. It was a first for us and totally amazing!

There's actually a good chance that I'll be able to write this meal up. No kidding!

[BastilaShan]

I cant wait for Sunday night!!

[reesek]

i had a great experience at mashiko last night...leads me to a question (then i'll get to the food) are there any other places (like mashiko) that are vastly better when you suspend your disbelief? i don't mean to imply that everything there isn't good but i typically go out for sushi and eat - sushi. i have had better sushi (only) meals at other spots - and now i'm not really sure why. i think i was inclined to blame price or portion or atmosphere or ... something - but i think it was something altogether different...i was driving a porche through the city. sure - drives ok - it's a porche after all - but it's only when you open it up to see what it can really do that you find how exceptional it is.

i happened to have a nearly perfect (for me) meal at mashiko last night - my second straight. i think it's because both of the last 2 times i've challenged myself to stray from my normal path and let hajime do what he wants to do.

i went with a friend and it was totally empty - much to my surprise. we sat at the sushi bar, had some delicious unfiltered sake (i had a clean light one - last on the list) we started with nigiri - ono, salmon - i think chinook and ALERT - blue fin!!. dear god - the blue fin...then we had a spyder roll and black cod in miso.

we were talking with hajime at this point - asking why their spyder is so good there -(they add dungeness) and since he confessed he was bored - we asked him to make us some dishes. he asked for guidance - patti said "no uni. uni is nasty." i chimed in with a less convincing "right - no uni...well - i haven't ever actually had uni - so i'd be willing to try it. but i don't like eel."

hajime made us what he called - uni training wheels - scallop topped with uni topped with garlic butter and heated - i think he ended up wrapping it in proscuitto too. while he was heating this up he grabbed like a half pound of the gorgeous blue fin and made us a sashimi salad...with capers and onion and a raw quail egg and olive oil. <whimper>

then uni - we ate it and patti said - "that was great - but it really wasn't a fair introduction to uni - and i'm done with it...i'll have eel now" so she had eel (it was better than the last time i had it, but i just don't like it) and i had - more uni. this time it was very simple - plain, raw and on squid. i'm still not convinced i'd order it - but it was ok. the squid and shiso was delicious! i'd never had it so tender. and of course - i'm so glad i've tried it!

finally - as we could barely stay at the counter - we had one final treat - hamachi wrapped tempura asparagus...

it was wonderful. i think what made it so good was that he matched our mood. i got to feel a little adventuresome, but still got to enjoy a wonderful meal without feeling too challenged. he ended up only charging us for the minimum of omakase - very generous of him.

go immediately and eat bluefin!

reese

[Blue Heron]

If you visit Mashiko's website at www.sushiwhore.com, don't forget to sign up to be on their mailing list.

A few days ago I rec'd an email from them that included the following offer:

"For every 3 like items you buy, you will get 1 free. (i.e. 3 rolls & 1

roll free, 3 dinner entrees & 4 entree free, 3 beers and 1 beer free,

etc.)

Fine Print: Free item must be of equal or lesser value. Offer good

Sunday through Thursday during the month of February and March. Please

bring a print out of this email..."

Sounds like a good time to grab 3 of your buddies and head to Mashiko's!

[tighe]

I tried sawagani for the first time at Mashiko the other night. I didn't dislike them, but I can't say I'd go out of my way to have them again either. More of a food experience I guess. The crabs were actually larger than I thought they'd be and didn't seem particularly "soft shelled", very crunchy.

Also had a laurel and Joe sighting.....

[laurel]

Yeah, the sawagani was interesting.. kind of like fried shrimp heads that you sometimes get with sweet shrimp (Side note.. They don't give you the heads from sweet shrimp in NYC, and some peolpe from Japan have said that they don't do it there either. Is this a Seattle thing?)

I'm kind of annoyed that they gave us 4 pretty uninteresting rolls in our omakase after we said we only wanted at most one roll...

[eugie]

the fried shrimp heads with the amaebi is one of my favorites, too. I've had it in Vancouver and Seattle, but nowhere else.

[SeaGal]

We were served fried shrimp heads with the fresh shrimp in the Bay Area--or I should say the South Bay (Silicon Valley). We ate our first sushi in Seattle at Toyoda out on Lake City and were surprised that we weren't served the heads. They're my favorite part. Enjoyed some good ones the other night at Kisaku.

[MsRamsey]

We were served fried shrimp heads with the fresh shrimp in the Bay Area--or I should say the South Bay (Silicon Valley). We ate our first sushi in Seattle at Toyoda out on Lake City and were surprised that we weren't served the heads. They're my favorite part. Enjoyed some good ones the other night at Kisaku.

Chef Yamamoto at Shiki (lower Queen Anne) also does amaebi w/ the fried shrimp heads. Delicious.

[Schielke]

So does Shiro's. I got a great show when we ordered it.

He whipped out a live shrimp, promptly named it and had us shake hands/claws and become aquainted with "Mary". Once we were got to know "Mary", he grabbed her off the bar, ripped her tail off with a twist, cleaned out the nasty stuff and slapped the still twiching peeled tail on some rice for us to eat quickly.

After swallowing her sweet twitching tail, Mary's deep fried head arrived for us to pick off the crunchy antenne before chomping on the crispy on the outside, yet creamy on the inside head.

So good.

Ben

[col klink]

Although Shiro's is the first place I've tried ama ebi (and it was really good and I order it every chance I get ), Shiki is the place where I've had the best ama ebi. Ken Yamamoto knows that the only thing better than having live sweet shrimp under the bar is having live shrimp on the bar, with a full *freakin'* tank available for everyone to see.

Go to Shiki for ama ebi and fugu.

[col klink]

Mashiko is now open for lunch on Sundays:

Memorial Weekend DJ Night

Saturday May 29, come get your groove on at Mashiko with special guest DJ T-Bear! We will be debuting our brand new Happy Hour Menu featuring drinks and appetizers under $3.

*Music from 7pm to midnight

*Sushi bar open till midnight

*Happy Hour 5:00pm~6:30pm and 10pm~midnight.

Happy Menu for Happy Hour

Starting Saturday May 29, we will have our brand new happy hour menu featuring drinks and appetizers under $3. Come check it out during the following hours:

*Sunday ~ Thursday: 5:00pm~6:30pm and 8:30pm~Close

*Friday & Saturday: 5:00pm~6:30pm and 10:00pm~midnight

Summer Market Lunch Hours

We are now open for lunch on Sundays from 11:30am to 2:30pm! What a perfect spot to grab lunch after strolling through the farmer’s market…

For all the good things to come this summer,

Staff @ Mashiko

Wow, I just checked the website and they're now open every day of the week!

[col klink]

Time to go back to school kids:

October 10: Sushi 101 (basic sushi rolling) Learn the basics of sushi making. Hands on! Starts at 4:00. Price $65.00 November 7: Sake and Food Pairing Did you know there is more than large and small hot sake? Come learn the origins history, difference in flavors, and beyond in the sake world while matching foods. Starts at 5:00. Price $70.00 November 28: Sushi 201 (sushi 101 required) Advanced sushi class with emphasis on continuing education of rolling along with more fish cutting. Starts at 4:00. Price $70.00 December 5: Holiday party class A class to teach the secrets of making simple, yet fun Asian dishes and cocktails sure to impress your guests. Starts at 5:00 Price $60.00 Class sizes are limited so preregistering and payment are required. Please call the restaurant between four and five seven days a week to reserve your spot.

[laurel]

Time to go back to school kids:

←

I'm probably going to do Sushi 101... anyone else? I'd do 201 but it's on Thanksgiving weekend, and I'll probably have guests over..

Edited September 17, 2004 by laurel (log)

[Kiz]

this hasn't been active in a while, so I just wanted to note that Mashiko's remains awesome as ever. I've been in Seattle twice this year for work, and have made a pilgrimage each time. $50 or so for the omakase; at least nine courses and three hours; totally spectacular. I've dragged sushi novices with me each time and sold them on a few new things.

On the last visit, I discovered that the sake sampler flights has fallen off the menu. It went off, our waiter explained, because it's a total pain for them to do. but if you ask nicely they'll do it anyway

Edited August 22, 2006 by Kiz (log)

[MikeyMike]

Going to be in Seattle the week of Labor Day and I was wondering if anyone has been recently.

[tighe]

Still my favorite place for sushi. Starting in September, Mashiko will begin serving only sustainably harvested/raised seafood. A bold move, the first place in Seattle to do so and another good reason to support them. Make sure you try the black cod liver, blows away monkfish, IMO.

[tsquare]

I was there last week and a couple of times this spring. The kick off for the sustainable seafood party here.

It will be interesting to see how it goes.

[d+d]

we went to mashiko for the first time last weekend and had a bunch of nigiri. it's my new favorite sushi place in seattle. the fish was excellent. i'm sure it's a challenge for haijime to limit himself to sustainably harvested fish, but the meal didn't suffer for it. there was plenty of variety and it was very fresh.