My stomach is not a complex animal (actually not animal at all, but you get the idea). Most of the time (particularly mid-week) I'm not really particular about what I shove in my craw. But every now and again, I'll have an irrational, insatiable, oddball craving that just eclipses all other foods.
September 2007 - November 2007 = The Autumn of Uni.
There aren't many folks who are on the fence about uni--either you lust after it, or it's the wrongest, most wretched seafood representation of baby poo that ever tube-footed its way around the earth. I'm of the former camp.
When I'm trying to win over uni virgins, the easiest way I can describe the sensation and taste is that it's the Stinky Cheese of the Sea: Runny, creamy and rich (the way the best oysters are!), with undertones of sweet, fatty funk, and more than a whiff of seawater.
So I searched high and low, and with the help of a few patient, steadfast eating partners, we had a few dishes that definitely scratched my Cheese of the Sea itch. Here are my favorites:
Cold Uni Ikura Soba at Soba-Koh
(November, 2007; East Village, NYC)
Tasty, but maybe a better choice when it's not friggen frigid out.
Remember to wave to the soba-maker in his glass box!
Unini (Uni Panini!) at El Quinto Pino
(October, 2007; Chelsea, NYC)
Highly publicized, practically salacious, but TOTALLY worth all the squealing and
fainting--crispy, spicy (laced with Korean Mustard oil), unctuous and astoundingly simple. Don't fool yourself into thinking you can share this.
One Unini per Uni Fan.
Maccheroni alla Chittara with Lump Crabmeat and Sea Urchin at Esca
(October, 2007; Theater District, NYC)
OOH. MY. GOD.
Go. Go NOW.
Uni Ceviche with Pineapple at Cafe Atlantico
(November, 2007; Penn
Quarter, Washington DC)
I know, uni and pineapple with crispies on top sounds like insanity.
But you know what? This
sh*t WORKS!
I could've eaten 3 more.
For straight-up uni, nigiri-style:
Morimoto (Chelsea Market,
NYC):
No surprise here. Bask in the glow of beautiful people as you
take in the gorgeous, bustling sushi counter. O-toro is king here, but
the satiny, generous uni nigiri was right on its heels. Book in
advance, and get ready to splurge.
Sushi Sasabune (NYC, Honolulu, Los Angeles):
As self-proclaimed
sushi-nazis, they are SERIOUS about their uni, scraping away and
tossing the bits they consider inferior. Pricey, but worth it.
Japonica (Union Square, NYC):
Seems like a strange choice, but
ignore the massive makis and cranky naysayers, and peruse the sushi market specials of the
day--if you're a REALLY lucky bunny (as I once was!) they'll have uni
from California and from Maine, and you can do a side-by-side uni
tasting (Cali is sweeter and creamier, Maine is minerally, firm and
intense). Not cheap, but the least expensive of the 3.
A couple of highly memorable uni dishes, eaten well before the Autumn of Uni:
- Onsen Tomago (Cold "Egg" Soup, with a poached egg, uni, and ikura in chilled dashi) at Sakagura (Midtown East, NYC).
- Fresh-Pressed Uni Tofu at En Brasserie (Greenwich Village, NYC).
The Stinky Cheese of the Sea is a hard sell for folks who are maki-heavy with their sushi tendencies--but if you're not biting, it just means more poky beauties for me. WINNER!
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