7.30.2004
fukui-san!
This was written but not uploaded at about 12:30 AM on July 30th, thus I have adjusted the time and date accordingly.
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On Iron Chef, 'chairman' Kaga just referred to duck as an old woman and quail as the virgin. Japanese TV is frighteningly weird.
A couple of new restaurants to review; I referenced the new Japanese restaurant in Lenox, Fin, a few weeks ago. Also, a review of Il Trattoria Vesuvio in Pittsfield.
Fin: two stars out of five. This was, as my brother ably described, fusion cuisine: the restauranteurs, none of whom are Japanese, it seems, have successfully fused classical Japanese with crap Japanese, coming up with a very chic and very poor menu. Completely out of touch with the locals who inhabit Lenox, MA, the three sushi dinners are $50, $75, and $100 per plate 'omakase' specials. My father ordered the absurdly priced pork tonkatsu. My mother had a fantastic tempura dinner, replete with a chicken skewer (I've never seen this in a tempura dish before), and a whole soft-shell crab. My two brothers ordered between them a strange tempura udon and a bizarrely named "bowl of rice" topped with broiled eel. The udon wasn't even udon: it looked like linguini. The broiled eel was dwarfed by the massively large bowl of rice. I had the bowl of rice topped with grilled fish. What kind of self-respecting sushi bar grills a perfectly good piece of tuna? To top it all off, the wait-staff couldn't pronounce the things that we were ordering, missed what my dad ordered ("here's the pork pancake, sir" "no, I ordered the pork tonkatsu" "oh, you did?") and forgot to bring us miso soup which, frankly, I wish we'd left unsaid. One of the easiest things to make is miso soup. Who messes up miso soup? Made with water instead of bish stock, this was bland and luke-warm. To its credit, the maki rolls we ordered as an appetizer were very good, and my mom's tempura dinner was fantastic. Also, Fin bills itself as a sushi and sake bar, and having tried neither for reasons that a) i'm too poor for sushi at Fin and b) i really wasn't in the mood for sake, perhaps I am misjudging this eatery on foodstuffs that are outside of its expertise. Then again, what Japanese restaurant can't cook rice? Ew.
Il Trattoria Vesuvio was a good deal better: My family’s average was about 3.4 stars out of five. The calamari appetizer was delightfully crispy, but unfortunately was less seasoned that one would have hoped. The other appetizer, was a delicious bowl of mussels. The steak with mushrooms was perfectly cooked but the marsala sauce could have used more flavor. The frutti di mare looked delicious, but my father informed us that the mussels and shrimp were overcooked. The veal medallions with prosciutto was delicious but over salted, and the spicy pasta with shrimp was delicious, if only mildly spicy. Then again, I drink Tabasco sauce, so it’s not like I can tell. I ordered the pollo saltimbocca, which was marvelous: the sauce was rich and buttery with a perfect blend of cheese and herb, paired nicely with my pino grigio/chardonnay blend. The chicken, which could so easily have turned out dry, was kept moist by the prosciutto and cheese stuffed inside. Each of the dishes, save the spicy pasta, was served with a side of penne marinara which, though bland, cut a nice contrast with the main dishes. As expected, dessert did not disappoint: the mandarin orange sorbet was refreshing, but a little too sweet. The tiramisu had been constructed in single portions rather than cutting slices out of a larger dish. Each ladyfinger was perfectly soaked in coffee syrup and the entire confection was outstanding. We also ordered a chocolate mousse pyramid filled with caramel, which was delicious, if a little cloyingly sweet. Overall, I’d go back here and try something else on the menu.
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On Iron Chef, 'chairman' Kaga just referred to duck as an old woman and quail as the virgin. Japanese TV is frighteningly weird.
A couple of new restaurants to review; I referenced the new Japanese restaurant in Lenox, Fin, a few weeks ago. Also, a review of Il Trattoria Vesuvio in Pittsfield.
Fin: two stars out of five. This was, as my brother ably described, fusion cuisine: the restauranteurs, none of whom are Japanese, it seems, have successfully fused classical Japanese with crap Japanese, coming up with a very chic and very poor menu. Completely out of touch with the locals who inhabit Lenox, MA, the three sushi dinners are $50, $75, and $100 per plate 'omakase' specials. My father ordered the absurdly priced pork tonkatsu. My mother had a fantastic tempura dinner, replete with a chicken skewer (I've never seen this in a tempura dish before), and a whole soft-shell crab. My two brothers ordered between them a strange tempura udon and a bizarrely named "bowl of rice" topped with broiled eel. The udon wasn't even udon: it looked like linguini. The broiled eel was dwarfed by the massively large bowl of rice. I had the bowl of rice topped with grilled fish. What kind of self-respecting sushi bar grills a perfectly good piece of tuna? To top it all off, the wait-staff couldn't pronounce the things that we were ordering, missed what my dad ordered ("here's the pork pancake, sir" "no, I ordered the pork tonkatsu" "oh, you did?") and forgot to bring us miso soup which, frankly, I wish we'd left unsaid. One of the easiest things to make is miso soup. Who messes up miso soup? Made with water instead of bish stock, this was bland and luke-warm. To its credit, the maki rolls we ordered as an appetizer were very good, and my mom's tempura dinner was fantastic. Also, Fin bills itself as a sushi and sake bar, and having tried neither for reasons that a) i'm too poor for sushi at Fin and b) i really wasn't in the mood for sake, perhaps I am misjudging this eatery on foodstuffs that are outside of its expertise. Then again, what Japanese restaurant can't cook rice? Ew.
Il Trattoria Vesuvio was a good deal better: My family’s average was about 3.4 stars out of five. The calamari appetizer was delightfully crispy, but unfortunately was less seasoned that one would have hoped. The other appetizer, was a delicious bowl of mussels. The steak with mushrooms was perfectly cooked but the marsala sauce could have used more flavor. The frutti di mare looked delicious, but my father informed us that the mussels and shrimp were overcooked. The veal medallions with prosciutto was delicious but over salted, and the spicy pasta with shrimp was delicious, if only mildly spicy. Then again, I drink Tabasco sauce, so it’s not like I can tell. I ordered the pollo saltimbocca, which was marvelous: the sauce was rich and buttery with a perfect blend of cheese and herb, paired nicely with my pino grigio/chardonnay blend. The chicken, which could so easily have turned out dry, was kept moist by the prosciutto and cheese stuffed inside. Each of the dishes, save the spicy pasta, was served with a side of penne marinara which, though bland, cut a nice contrast with the main dishes. As expected, dessert did not disappoint: the mandarin orange sorbet was refreshing, but a little too sweet. The tiramisu had been constructed in single portions rather than cutting slices out of a larger dish. Each ladyfinger was perfectly soaked in coffee syrup and the entire confection was outstanding. We also ordered a chocolate mousse pyramid filled with caramel, which was delicious, if a little cloyingly sweet. Overall, I’d go back here and try something else on the menu.
