Back to Napa

Time for the annual trip to Napa, and that means that our first stop must be at Morimoto in Downtown Napa.  This year we arrived early and were able to take advantage of lunch instead of dinner, so I'm able to talk about different menu items than the ones I posted last year.

Wednesdays in Napa are very quiet, so we were able to dine while hearing what the other said, which was a challenge with last year's Friday night dinner.  Our waiter asked us if we had any questions about the menu, and I only had one "How do you decide?"  I had already been thinking about just ordering from the appetizers, and he actually recommended it stating that some of their most unique items are listed there.  He recommended ordering 3-4 appetizers and supplementing with sushi.  Okay, no twisting of my arm needed.

Morimoto has two tartares on his menu.  Last year we decided to try the hamachi tartare, but this year we went back to the tried and true toro tartare just because I prefer toro to hamachi.  Everything else about the dish is the same: perfect.  The tartare is served with nori paste, wasabi, sour cream, chives, guacamole, and a crispy sesame puff, along with a soy dipping sauce so that you can create the perfect bite.  Realistically, they are all perfect bites.

toro tartare – wasabi, nori paste, sour cream 

Next up was the wagyu carpaccio which I tried to convince my husband was absolutely awful.  My tease failed and I had to share the heavenly dish.  The beef was perfectly tender, just a hint of searing, and the sauce was the perfect compliment.

wagyu beef carpaccio – yuzu soy, ginger, sweet garlic

The kitchen decided to serve the sushi next since our remaining two appetizers were on the heavier side.  We are big fans of saba, so to see horse mackerel on the menu, we knew we had to try it.  We also really wanted to try the amberjack.  All of the sushi was fresh and simple.  The kitchen didn't add any sauces to the enhance or change the flavor of the fish.  There was, of course, soy on the side and wasabi served with the dish.  One thing to note: the prices listed on the menu are per individual piece of sushi and not per pair as is more traditional.  So be careful when ordering if you're worried about money.

Clockwise from top left: hamachi / yellowtail, aji / horse mackerel, kyu-ri / pickled cucumber, kanpachi / amberjack, saba / japanese mackerel 

There are no words to describe the next dish.  No words that could possibly give it the justice it deserves.  All I will say is this: I love the pig and I feel for those who are unable to eat pig due to dietary or medicinal reasons.  You might recall how much I loved the pork belly at Hinoki and the Bird.  Well, I only like it in comparison to this.  I never wanted this dish to end.  And when eating the congee mixed with the natural juices of the pork, along with jus, it made me happy that the dish wasn't over just yet.  Our waiter said that next time we need to order the sticky ribs, but I can't imagine them being better than this.

kakuni – ten hour pork belly, rice congee, soy-scallion jus

And for our final dish, we were served our hamachi tacos.  The wonton taco wrapper was light and airy and the fish was served very naturally  A light way to end our meal.

hamachi tacos – avocado, yuzu koshu, lime

I can't wait to go back to Morimoto try even more dishes (and have the pork belly again).  Having been to both his Napa and New York locations, perhaps its time to venture to Philadelphia and Waikiki to see what they have in store for me.