Not sure it would survive the trip overseas From what I have heard, fresh wasabi root spoils incredibly fast. Not sure if it could be grown in North America (I'd be willing to give it a try though)

Tamago is definitely a challenge. I have seen people attempt it... don't think it'll take 10 years to perfect it (at least not at a commercial level)... but I could see a few months worth of effort to be able to do it consistently.

And the first 2 years on eggs alone! Speaking of Jiro, I've learned that freezing then thawing an octopus will yield similar results as Jiro's multi-hour massaging.

Post-pool 4:30p supper at Picco, larkspur

gazpacho

shared pizzas

Strauss soft serve - vanilla - with mango / pineapple fruit


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The fish market sells the roots for about $80 a pound ... it is in the refrigerated fish case and i think it is on a bed of ice or something special to keep it fresh. It also loses its flavo(u)r shortly after grating it. It is apparently about the most difficult of commercial crops to grow. The "wasabi" paste one typically eats is about as authentic as the "maple" syrup that (now past tense?) comes from Mrs. Butterworth's head.

Are you saying that high-fructose corn syrup isn't another name for maple syrup? :p I'm sure that there was a trace of maple syrup in the tank before...

All joking aside, I've never had real wasabi before, but I'd like to try it (and to try to grow it myself). I usually take the faux-wasabi straight up with my sashimi... not a lot mind you, but the thought of dipping a perfectly good piece of sashimi/sushi into the salt-bath that the soy sauce is just makes me convulse... Soy sauce has it's place, but I've never liked it with my sashimi...

one could make the analogy with caviar and king crab legs. I prefer both solo without stuff. I know that people like their caviar on blini or in eggs etc. I know people eat their king crab legs in noodles or salad. Just different prefs.
I almost never dip any sushi in sauce because I assume the chef already seasoned it :-)
very Jiro-influenced.

I typically take a dab of wasabi and put it on my fish, and rarely have the wasabi/soy sludge. What I will do at times is take a single packet of soy and sprinkle it on the fish prior to consumption. One packet typically for the entire plate.

If I’m eating sushi/sashimi that I’ve purchased from a retail establishment, I will add a little soy sauce to this previously frozen fish. (By law, all tuna sold in the USA must be frozen…then thawed).
If I have caught the tuna myself (and it hasn’t been frozen), I will skip the soy sauce to better appreciate the true taste.
Not a wasabi fan.

I ran out to the nearest restaurant from our VRBO and ordered potluck. Mrs BV said the “redneck Cuban sandwich” was one of the best things she’d ever tasted. I had pulled pork, cole slaw and summer squash medley with rosemary. This may become a regular thing.

I've never had caviar (beyond ikura or masago or similar), but I agree. King crab legs (to me) are best simply cleaned and steamed (maybe with seasoned water). I've tried dipping them in butter, but it just left me with an oily residue. Granted I haven't tried various compound butter suggestions, but I suspect they wouldn't influence it one way or another. Masago or ikura sprinkled lightly on some warm rice is nice.

Grilled chicken (braslvr!!!)

roasted carrots
oven fries - Yukon gold
oven fries - russet
sauteed red onions

raw carrots

I love the Chicken so much even without sauce.
some of the skin blackened. I’m not sure of the reason.


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ah, by caviar I meant more that Russian-inspired stuff and not Japanese style of caviar. It’s all good. Tobiko pop :-)

Grilled hamburgers and hot dogs, tater tots, and sliced lettuce, tomatoes, and onions. Cold Rose while prepping and some left over Pinot with the meal.

Ice cream Sundaes are on deck for dessert.

When I worked as a delivery driver for a take-out Sushi place some years back, I saw how they made the tamago brick that was created before it was sliced. They used a special rectangular egg pan that they would pour the beaten mix in, let it set, then fold it on top of itself, add more mixture, and continue the process until a brick was completed, then refrigerated until it was sliced for the sushi order. A few bricks were made daily, and usually as sold out before the end of the day.

My sister is down from Mass. for the week. She brought her husband, daughter and granddaughter. They are here to visit her daughter’s father’s family (long complicated story). She invited us to meet them this afternoon. We are gathering at Asheville Pizza and Brewing company, one of my favorite places. I will probably order a 12” with vegan cheese, bell peppers and sausage. There’s a hazy IPA on the menu I haven’t tried yet, so that’s probably gonna wash my pizza down.

I think I'd need more than one to wash down vegan cheese :).

Last night, we tried the first of our Sitka Salmon Shares delivery - signed up through the end of the year thanks to chgoeditor's good reviews. We made the sauteed sablefish over tomato-saffron broth, with mushrooms and blistered cherry tomatoes, from the Sitka website. Very good, and the sablefish was high quality. We have a few more sablefish fillets and some halibut from our first delivery. So far very pleased with our purchase! Seems like a good way to ensure we're eating a good quality fish once a week.