Sometimes a meal is more than just a meal

 NOA Sushi 

February 7, Saturday

Our first visit to NOA sushi, two weeks ago was not only delicious, but a spark of inspiration about the pleasure of not only eating, but also cooking, Japanese food.

I think it was the extremely delicious Miso glazed black cod that turned the trick. Over the next two weeks, H has immersed himself (and us) in learning about Japanese cooking - especially because the dishes reflect our dietary ideals and our taste for umami. In the past two weeks we have made two trips to Uwajimaya, studied ingredient labels, added seaweed, edamame, miso soup and tofu to our diet, studied recipes and methods on YouTube videos and from two beautiful cookbooks that arrived via Amazon. 

Best of all, on a recent trip to New Seasons, I spotted black cod filets, on sale! I've never noticed or purchased this fish before, so it felt serendipitous to bring it home. Following a recipe, H marinated and cooked the fish - it was even better than NOA's.  A rock fish version is in the fridge right now. So, we were eager to return to the restaurant we liked so much to explore the menu further and apply the new knowledge we have gained. 

Saturday was bleak and rainy. I'd attended a painting class in the morning and had no urge to cook. Dinner out was the perfect plan. We arrived just at opening time, and the place was already filling up. Every table was soon filled and several turned over a few times while we were there. Reservations and a constant flow of take-out indicate a successful business.

This time we tried Japanese pickles - interesting variety - two kinds made with cucumber, shallot and daikon. Each was different and each had great textures. Then small plate, Agedashi tofu and mochi - completely unknown dish. I was especially curious about the dashi that surrounded fried and crunchy cubes of two textures. Chicken karage equals fried chicken - always a treat, and a spider roll and accompanying condiments. For entree we tried a dish I read about online when checking (consistently rave) restaurant reviews.  Creamy udon with roe. This was unexpected as it turned out to be dairy based cream sauce dotted with tiny salty and spicy red roe. The miso soup that accompanied was clean and light. It's the next item on our list of foods to master.

No sake on this dark and rainy night, but lovely green tea completed another enjoyable meal.

8 out of 10

Total $74 + 18%