Tag Archives: vodka

Blue Ginger, 3 July 2012

While I was visiting New England, I made a stop at Blue Ginger in Wellesley, MA.  Ming Tsai, once on The Next Iron Chef and other Food Network shows, opened this spot in 1998.  My friends had been raving about this place for awhile, so it was on our to-do list while I was out there.

The Blue Ginger kitchen working hard.

We started out with a couple of drinks from Blue Ginger’s creative cocktail menu.  I got the Thai Coconut Martini, which consisted of cilantro- and chili-infused vodka, Coco Lopez coconut milk, and lime…great flavor combination.

Thai Coconut Martini. “Creamy, spicy, delicious,” per the menu…I concur.

This was my first opportunity to obtain foie gras since the California ban on the delicacy went into effect, so I went a little overboard and both of the options.  Blue Ginger has two starters with foie gras, including a Foie Gras-Shiitake Shumai in Sauternes-Shallot Broth, and the Blue Ginger Charcuterie Plate.  The latter consisted of duck prosciutto, foie gras torchon, and country pâté.  Both were good…I especially liked the sweetness of the Sauternes broth with the shumai dish.

The Foie Gras Shumai. The shumai themselves came out in a dim sum bamboo container, and then were moved into the broth.

Charcuterie with delicious foie gras torchon (bottom right).

Seeing the need for another cocktail at this point, I chose the Gosling’s Gold Iced Chai Latte – chai-infused rum with Bailey’s and honey syrup.  Again, really tasty.

Gosling’s Gold Iced Chai Latte.

Moving onto the entrees…I went with the Grilled New Zealand Rack of Lamb, and my friends went with Szechwan Chicken and the Sake-Miso Marinated Alaskan Butterfish (two of the house specialties).  All of these were excellent.  The lamb was exceptionally prepared – juicy and tender – and was served with a crispy taro-corn cake, asian chimichurri, and adobo cream.  The butterfish was incredible.  I was a little jealous I didn’t get that myself, and if I go again that’s what I’ll be getting.

My rack of lamb.

Szechwan Chicken with Lapchang Sticky Rice and Sautéed Mustard Greens. Served with Garlic-ginger-soy syrup and sweet chile sauce.

The incredible butterfish, served with wasabi oil, soy-lime syrup, and vegetarian soba noodle sushi.

If rhubarb is ever on the dessert menu, I get it.  Blue Ginger has a Crème Fraiche Cheesecake with Rosé Sobet topped with gingered rhubarb, strawberries, and candied pistachios.  Also good was the Bittersweet Chocolate Cake with cardamom ice cream and chocolate ganache.  Great end to the meal.

Ming Tsai has some of his recipes (including a few of the ones featured at Blue Ginger) on his PBS show “Simply Ming“.  A few of the episodes are online on his website, which I’d encourage you to check out.

–
Blue Ginger
583 Washington Street
Wellesley, MA 02482
(781) 283-5790
http://www.ming.com/blue-ginger.htm

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Sumo, Sushi, and Sake – 22 June 2012

I went to a great Sumo wrestling event that the LivingSocial 918 F Street team put together for their DC-based clientele.  Not only did we get to watch two giants battle it out, but we got a glimpse of YO! Sushi‘s new US-based operation.  YO! Sushi has been around in the UK since 1997 (I had the chance to eat at the one a couple of blocks from Bedford Square in London in the summer of 2003), and it has expanded to Ireland, Portugal, UAE, Bahrain, Norway, and other locations globally.  The first US location will be opening at Union Station in DC on 11 July 2012, and this was a great kickoff.

I have to say that when I tried YO! in 2003 I was not thoroughly impressed.  I was more a fan of the kaiten-style sushi bar than anything else there.  However, the quality has been stepped up based on what I tried, and I’ll definitely be stopping in to their new location once in opens to see if it continues to live up to my new expectations for it.  The nigiri sushi was especially fresh and tasty, and the California rolls (although atypical from the norm – I think mine was crab and avocado with no cucumber) were better than most I’ve tried – rather than using crab stick, it tasted like fresh crab (definite taste difference between the two).

My view of the Sumo ring.

The menu for the evening.

We started off with some edamame and sashimi.  The sashimi, fresh and delicious, came out drizzled with a yuzu salsa that made the dish tangy.  I was a fan of this course, and I’d get it again at the restaurant…maybe two of them.

Whitefish sashimi in yuzu salsa. Good starter.

While we dined, the director of the US Sumo Championships, Andrew Freund, went over some facts and information about Sumo in general, and US Sumo in particular.  We then met the evening’s challengers – Byambajav Ulambayar of Mongolia, seven-time winner of the US Sumo Open gold and three-time World Sumo Champion, and Kelly Gneiting of Arizona, winner of four US Sumo Open medals and three-time US Sumo Champion (340 and 415 lbs respectively).

Director of US Sumo Open, Andrew Freund, explaining Sumo to the audience.

Next up on the menu was Spicy Tuna Tartare on Crispy Rice, and Shrimp Tempura Glazed with Creamy Miso.  I’m not sure that I’ve had crispy rice sushi before, but this wasn’t bad.  The shrimp tempura with the somewhat sweet miso glaze was tasty…it reminded me a little of fried and glazed Chinese dishes.

Tuna tartare on the left, tempura shrimp on the right.

While enjoying the course, the match began in earnest.  There were five rounds total, with Ulambayar winning 3-2.  It’s pretty impressive seeing guys of this size throw each other around…I certainly wouldn’t want to see one of them charging at me.

Next up on the menu was the previously mentioned nigiri sushi (Albacore Sushi with Citrus Ponzu) and maki (California Roll).  Both were excellent.

A great California Roll. I don’t normally get these since they’re done everywhere, but I’d get this one again.

Fresh albacore – a favorite of mine – with a tangy citrus ponzu sauce.

The drinks for the evening were great too.  Everyone was provided three sakes during the courses, and there was also beer, wine, and a cocktail called “Sumo Smash” (vodka, St. Germain, Aperol, and citrus) available for a price.

The first and second sakes were filtered (thus, they were clear), and the third was unfiltered (and therefore appeared cloudy).  The first, Diamond Sake (probably Momokawa brand, but that wasn’t specified), was smooth and buttery.  The second, Rock Sake (possibly this one), had what I picked up in the taste as a hint of blackberry.  The third was Pearl Sake (probably also Momokawa, based on this review which picked up on the same tastes), and was tropical in nature…I definitely picked up on the taste of pineapple in this one.

The Sumo Smash was also a good punch-like cocktail…I’ll have to recreate that.

Sumo Smash cocktail.

For those in the audience who were brave enough (i.e. not the author), there was an opportunity to go head to head with a wrestler of his or her choice (yes, one female tried it out), adding some additional interactivity to the event.

Dessert was Mochi Ice Cream of various flavors.  I grabbed a vanilla one, although they also had green tea and strawberry available.  Essentially it is ice cream inside of a rice cake.  I’m not usually a fan of stuffed rice cakes, but with the ice cream it wasn’t bad…the shell was much less tough than the others I’ve had.

Mochi ice cream – enclosed in a rice cake. I broke mine open before I got the shot 😦

Great event overall…this one sold out faster than any I’ve seen on LivingSocial.  If they offer it again I’d highly encourage it as an option for a fantastic date night out.  Check out YO! Sushi when they open, and if you beat me to it let me know what you think.

The author with the champs. Man, I’m in good shape.