Sea Saw (Scottsdale) - Izakaya- Japanese tapas

[markemorse]

I just made reservations for the non-omakase menu at Sea Saw...mostly because my mom saw some of the pictures on this thread and requested "no heads or eyes please", and I've finally reached a point where I can acknowledge that I'll have a better time if I'm not constantly worrying about everyone else at the table.

My question is: I just want to make sure that it's still a great, comfortable dining experience even though I'm not going to do the omakase...so, eh...is it?

thanks!

mark

[molto e]

I just made reservations for the non-omakase menu at Sea Saw...mostly because my mom saw some of the pictures on this thread and requested "no heads or eyes please", and I've finally reached a point where I can acknowledge that I'll have a better time if I'm not constantly worrying about everyone else at the table.

My question is: I just want to make sure that it's still a great, comfortable dining experience even though I'm not going to do the omakase...so, eh...is it? 

thanks!

mark

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Tell your Mom that heads and eyes are not on the Omakase, those were special occasions and that is considered a special thing to get to eat that. I would order the special omakase and let him do his thing (you will not get anything that you will not eat). If you decide not to, which is a mistake, then you will enjoy Sea Saw but you will not be getting the full experience. I ate many, many times at Sea Saw before I ordered the Omakase but I kept seeing cool things being served that are not on the menu (kobe, cool fish etc) and I decided to take the plunge and it was the single best dining decision that I have ever made. Besides the awesome food that I have been served, the knowledge that I have gained into an area that I had little knowledge of beforehand is priceless.

[markemorse]

I just made reservations for the non-omakase menu at Sea Saw...mostly because my mom saw some of the pictures on this thread and requested "no heads or eyes please", and I've finally reached a point where I can acknowledge that I'll have a better time if I'm not constantly worrying about everyone else at the table.

My question is: I just want to make sure that it's still a great, comfortable dining experience even though I'm not going to do the omakase...so, eh...is it? 

thanks!

mark

←

Tell your Mom that heads and eyes are not on the Omakase, those were special occasions and that is considered a special thing to get to eat that. I would order the special omakase and let him do his thing (you will not get anything that you will not eat). If you decide not to, which is a mistake, then you will enjoy Sea Saw but you will not be getting the full experience. I ate many, many times at Sea Saw before I ordered the Omakase but I kept seeing cool things being served that are not on the menu (kobe, cool fish etc) and I decided to take the plunge and it was the single best dining decision that I have ever made. Besides the awesome food that I have been served, the knowledge that I have gained into an area that I had little knowledge of beforehand is priceless.

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Thanks a lot molto e, I've still got a couple of days to decide (according to the reservationist at Sea Saw...our reservation is a couple weeks away)...we'll see what happens. I may do the non-omakase with my parentals and go back for the omakase myself...

mark

[molto e]

IMO, the fish that Sea Saw gets is far and above the best in town. The other night Chef Nobuo Fukuda was conducting an informal tuna (bluefin) and wild tai tastings. I was a part of the tuna tasting that featured Italian farmed bluefin and wild Canadian bluefin,

On top is the Italian farmed bluefin and on the bottom is the wild Canadian

wild Canadian bluefin

wild Canadian bluefin

Nobuo cut slices from the Akmai (back) and the Otoro (belly) of both bluefins so we could try the differences in taste and texture from the same area in two different bluefins. He also explained that the majority of customers liked to eat the Akmai region of the fish because it is leaner (good more Otoro for me). The most pronouned difference came while eating the Otoro of the farmed vs the wild bluefin. The Otoro from the wild bluefin literally exploded with flavor with each bite which was a sensation that I had not experience before (that was one juicy fish).

Another part of the Sea Saw experience that for me is just as important as the eating is the learning. During our tasting, we were told of some of the new techniques in fishing that are being utilized in Japan. The value of a bluefin could easily be over $100,000 for a prize fish so in order to preserve the quality of the fish there are some new techniques being adopted. One of the techniques is after the fish is caught, a probe is inserted thru the nostril into the spine and the fish is shocked, this allows the fish to relax and the quality of the fish is preserved. Now the next thing seems pretty wild to me but I am assured that this is the truth... with some of the smaller fish like a wild Tai, after the fish is caught, some accupuncture is used to relax the fish so they can get the probe easily into the nostil to reach the spine for the shock. The key to this process is getting the probe directly to the spine so the full benefit of the shocking is reached.

[Greystreet]

Eliot, nice pics. How does one get invited to par take of this experience?

[molto e]

Eliot, nice pics.  How does one get invited to par take of this experience?

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I suppose becoming a regular and take interest in the cuisine...there was a couple that was part of a wild Tai tasting that took place before I got there.

[markemorse]

hey all,

just wanted to post a brief report of my Sea Saw dinner, no photos b/c most of these dishes have already been photographed here and there were enough other diners doing annoying things, I didn't want to contribute to it.

I'd planned on two dinners at Sea Saw, one shared plates dinner with my parents, and an omakase by myself, but came down with some extremely nasty stomach bug which made that plan impossible. so this is just the shared plates dinner. we had:

COLD

hamachi yellowtail with avocado, grapefruit, ponzu oil, some kind of truffle essence

fresh grilled octopus with tomato, shallot, housemade mozzarella, olive oil, yuzu juice, wasabi aioli, pink peppercorns and micro greens

cool duck, soy-zinfandel reduction

WARM

soft shell shrimp fry with curried green papaya slaw

baked black cod marinated in miso with spicy shiso daikon slaw

miso marinated seared foie gras with poached pears and a japanese mountain peach

sea bass, green tea soba noodles, umeshiso scented mushroom broth

DESSERT

Okinawa fritter with chai ice cream

to drink ‘02 Duckhorn Napa Merlot.

+++

thoroughly interesting, technically unimpeachable food with the exception of a weirdly half-assed steamed sea bass: the entire dish had a scorched aroma and the green tea soba were stuck together in the kind of formations that happen when you add noodles to water and don't separate the individual strands. or this could possibly be an authentic japanese thing I'm not aware of. this dish was verging on inedible due to the burnt overtones, and i think if i'd been in a different mood i might've asked the kitchen if this was the intended taste or not.

favorites of the night were the duck, the cod, and the foie gras, all subtle and delicious. everything was subtle and delicious, in fact...perhaps a bit too subtle for this man's palate. it was a pleasant meal, but further data is necessary. I'm going to need to try the omakase, but unfortunately that'll have to wait some months....

thanks for the tips

mark

[Teya9]

Yahoo Hubby and I are going to See Saw tonight based on all the fantastic reviews and beautiful pictures. We will be eating the Chef's special do his own thang meal.

Thank-you to all who have posted

[percyn]

I have a reservation for tomorrow evening. Does anyone know if the Japanese Kobe comes with the "Uber Omakase" or the regular Omakase?

Molto e, want to meet up tomorrow?

[molto e]

I have a reservation for tomorrow evening. Does anyone know if the Japanese Kobe comes with the "Uber Omakase" or the regular Omakase?

Molto e, want to meet up tomorrow? 

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sorry I did not see your post until now...