Friday, October 26, 2007

zen eatin'

i know that this is usually the topic of foodie blogs, such as that of my friend ehrrin's "now that's good eatin'!". but i must gush about my delicious dinner last night.

kurly and dyl procured a sitter from their baby sitting co-op (isn't that a rad idea? that kurly is an innovator) and we met for dinner and sake at zenkichi.

zenkichi is an intimate and beautiful ninja lair of a restaurant in our 'hood, marked only by a glowing orange light on the outside of a building with a wooden facade (a very strange, organic contrast to its industrial surroundings). as you walk in, you give your name and then are directed to a rock garden waiting area, complete with bamboo stalks in the center and smooth gray stones underfoot.

the roped-off dining room is up a set of stairs, and each booth is sectioned off with wooden slats and a rolled shade for total privacy...should you need anything, you buzz a little buzzer that is attached to your table! radness.



here's what we had (all tapas-style, for sharing):

miso soup for kurly and dyl
sake sampler for me, bdub and dyl
tuna carpaccio
miso roasted eggplant
shrimp tempura with camembert
scallop tempura with green tea salt
grilled rice ball
wild mushroom gratin
truffled egg custard
age tofu in broth
black miso cod

everything was fantastically fresh and delicious, like a little japanese tea party in my mouth! an explosion of flavors! a plethora of harmonious new tastes! as we descended the stairs, we were met with many gracious bows from our hosts, a welcome change from the too-familiar uber-hip restaurant staff brush-off one can encounter in our little hamlet (i'm not hatin', i'm just sayin'...). places like zenkichi definitely heighten my enjoyment of where we live.

as for tonight, the word on the street is that shoop is in town with his lady! hooray! hopefully we will get to hear the lovely sounds of rosie thomas (aka shoop's lady) and hang with our delight of a friend.

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