sushi adventure

[paulgila]

i found some pix i took on a nite out with friends at "blue fin" sushi bar about a month ago so i decided to share our experience.i also wanna pull ahead of jeff searle in the stats--he's only 9 posts ahead of me!

"i'm comin' for ya,jeff!"

here we are arriving at "blue fin",a very traditional japanese

sushi bar.our friend yuda has been working here for a few months now & promised us a special nite!

heres forum member "harry palms" & danyelluh,the future mrs."harry palms."

danyelluh checks the beverage menu.

heres yuda looking quite professional making our "set-ups"

[paulgila]

sushi case.mmmmm,looks good so far!

"how much is the 'yuda belly' i see at the back of the case?"

kurosawa sake,recommended by yuda.

sapporro is yummy.lots of vitamin B for "beer".

everyone gets a cool towel for their hands.

i am really looking forward to trying the "live uni"!

[paulgila]

a look at the sushi bar.not many tables but thats how they

"roll"

the rest of our party arrive,song & frieda "peoples".they both work at toshi sushi,my regular sushi joint,along with yus,yuda's brother(who used to work at toshi also).

confused?

"harry palms" & i try to look tough.

now that we are all here the food starts to arrive.

[paulgila]

these teka maki may look ordinary,but had 2 different kinds of tuna inside.

best soup i ever had.

[paulgila]

heres yus,who is an amazing sushi chef,also,& loves "hamming it up" for the camera.

next dish arrives.

thats gotta hurt!

all the bones & head were deep fried later & we ate it.

tasted like potato chips!

he added a little sauce or oil to the sashimi.

[paulgila]

all the dishes were shared so everyone could try everything.

monkfish liver on the right,baby octopus on the left.

[paulgila]

this looks like saba,or mackerel.

oysters are the only seafood i'm not fond of.

tha sauce made it much better!

[LJG]

Paul, have you ever had Toro? That is the best it gets.

[paulgila]

"more sushi"!!!

everyone's still hungry.

the whole gang is definitely enjoying the meal.can it get any better? yeeaaaahh...

yuda working fast to get our next dish out.

anticipation builds.

[paulgila]

len i have had toro.i am a big uni fan,for me thats the big event!

yus thinking about whats coming next.

"ummmm,sauce."

yuda working feverishly now.

frieda & song starting to get silly.

[metalfan]

I'm certain that if you like that sort of thing, that's probably really tasty food...but as a vegetarian, all I can say is....ugh.

I like the vegetarian roll with cream cheese, avocado, carrot and cucumber, which I slather with tons of wasabi-laden soy sauce and 5-6 sliced of pickled ginger (I LOVE pickled ginger, I have even made my own in the past)

[paulgila]

abalone--i've always wanted to try it!!! yuda prepared it 2 ways.

& here a different way.

something about yus' hair looks strangely familiar...

lets take a closer look.hmmm,what does it look like?

it can't be! its....its....

[paulgila]

SEA URCHIN!!!!

its amazing.

frieda is getting loopy.she wasn't the only one!

yuda is moving so fast the camera couldn't focus on him.

[paulgila]

yuda preparing the uni.i have never seen this before,whenever i get it its already cleaned.

he's got great knife skills!

getting harder to steady the camera.

i wonder why?

group photos!

[paulgila]

two thumbs up!

not sure what this was--could be sea urchin guts.

or not.

[paulgila]

"harry palms" a little sad cuz he's the designated driver.

i think we drank all the kurosawa sake,so we had to move on to another brand!

[paulgila]

time for my patented "bathroom mirror" photo.

yuda ready for more.

"bring it onnnnnnn"!

things that look like dessert start to arrive.

they wanna kick us out for being loud & (mildly)obnoxious.

[paulgila]

http://s36.photobucket.com/albums....098.flv

http://s36.photobucket.com/albums....098.flv

<embed width="448" height="361" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" src="http://i36.photobucket.com/player.swf?file=http://vid36.photobucket.com/albums/e6/paulgila/sushi%2011-07/Koda098.flv"></embed>

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums....MG]

"yuda-MAN"

[paulgila]

time to split up the check.

everyone throws in some cash.

looks like we've all had enough food & al-kee-hawl for one night.

[paulgila]

well,maybe not ALL of us!

hope you enjoyed the sushi adventure at "blue fin"!

[Jeff Searle]

Paul,

    First of all, I did'nt realise we were in a race(?).   Sometimes I do spend too much time on this forum, probably because I can at work and then in the evening. I mean, if you want me to go out and take tons of pic.'s of myself and lots of duplicates,I guess I could. But not my style.  I give you credit for posting 3 pic.'s on a post, I still haven't mastered that move.

Jeff

[paulgila]

jeff i am humbled that you counted how many pix in each post.sometimes continuity demands that one is "flexible".

what i want is for you to have a happy christmas!

[amazondk]

Paul,

I got hungry just browing through the thread.  I actually had sushi last night at a funky little open air food court in the middle of an apartment building complex here.  It was simple, but very good.  Your pictures reminded me of one of my favorite restaurants in São Paulo.  The owner and head sushi man is a real artist.  I have never tasted better Japanese food anywhere.   With the largest Japanese population outside of Japan it is a pretty common food all over the country but no where like São Paulo.  For food in general I have never been to any city with better quality and selection of restaurants with cuisine from around the world than São Paulo, including New York.  

Great pictures.

dk

[PalmGuyWC]

I guess it's very fashionable now to eat sushi, and there are sushi joints all over the SF Bay Area, but sushi means raw fish to me. Ugggg!! I'm from the South, medium well, please.  I've had two different friends who got worms from eating sushi, and believe me the cure is not plesant or speedy, and the two or three months before diagnosis were not fun either.

Dick

[paulgila]

don glad you enjoyed the "sushi"! i did not know it was so popular in brazil,but have heard there is a big japanese community in peru.do they use local fish for sushi in your area,or stay with the traditional varieties?

dick it is not just fashion,it is really just plain "good food" to some,including myself.if you don't like it thats fine,i'm not here to change yer mind,just to share my experience  

another part of the fun is the social atmosphere of sitting at the bar & meeting & talking with others,which is WAY less likely to happen in a "normal" restaurant setting.

in fact,i met "harry palms" in just that manner & we have become great friends.

[Tad]

pohon, let me know when amatuer fugu chef night is,  I will get a collection rounded up for some gift certificates

for you!

[amazondk]

Paul,

There was a very large migration to Brazil from Japan starting in 1908.  The immigrants that came worked in agriculture to a large extent.  In fact even today the vegetable producers in the south comes from Japanese decendents farms.  Here in Manaus the egg producers are almost all Japanese.  This may have something to do even with the fact that the first Europeans to enter Japan were the Portuguese.  Since Brazil was the home of the Portuguese crown in the 19th Century this may even may have been an influence for the Japanese to come here.  São Paulo has the largest population of Japanese and even has a Japan Town called Liberdade.  

dk

[paulgila]

(palmotrafficante @ Dec. 23 2007,16:55)

QUOTE

pohon, let me know when amatuer fugu chef night is,  I will get a collection rounded up for some gift certificates

for you!

tad i'll try it if you will.

you first,since its yer idea.

[amazondk]

Paul,

I forgot your question.  For the most part the fish used are traditional.  The tuna and other tropical fish come from Brazil and the salmon from Chile.  Here in Amazonas peacock bass is also used for sashimi.

dk

[Urban Rainforest]

Paul, Great post! Sushi and seafood in general are one of my families favorites. I got very hungary looking at the pics. One of our favorites is a Hawaiin version of Sashimi called poke. In fact we just ate some for dinner. There are many variations but the standard form consist of raw tuna, sesame seeds and oil and seaweed salad. Yummy!!! Poke and beer...as good as it gets! BTW, you guys ran up quite a tab . Looks like a great time was had by all.

Steve

[paulgila]

steve poke is the best!!!

our dinner was pretty cheap for 6 considering we had abalone & live uni!

nice to hear from you,bro!

[deezpalms]

Steve ~ No yer talkin'!! Ahi poke, tako poki n' beers!! MMMMMMMMMMM, MMMMMMMMMMM!!!  I'll take some Hamachi & toro san too!!

[BS Man about Palms]

Evrytime I click on this thread I think its Matt in the first picture after too many years of too much sushi....  

[ellidro]

The girl in post 15 is eating fermented soy beans.  If you ever feel like throwing up try it!  IT IS THE MOST FOUL TASTING THING I HAVE EVER TRIED!  Supposedly it is one of the healthiest things you could eat. I don't remember the Japanese name for it.

[MattyB]

That was an adventure.  Loved the movie of Yuda-man!...and the pic of Yus' hair that looked like Uni.

[paulgila]

nick yer right--it WAS disgusting!even i wouldn't eat it & i'll eat almost anything!

[JakeK]

Paul,

If you ever make it out to Cincinnati, I can show you some world class sushi. Tons of authentic Japanese cuisine here since Toyota's N.A. HQ is in town. That sushi and sashimi looked great, except for the urchin, not sure if I'm ready for that yet.

Happy Holidays!!!!

[paulgila]

thanks,jake!

uni is a bit challenging.its the texture more than the flavor that some people don't like.

happy holidays to you,too!

[MattyB]

I think the texture is the best part.  It's cold and squishy and sorta foamy.  Dosen't sound good but it is.

[paulgila]

well said,matt.

i thought that was YOU who almost heaved last time we had it ???