Morimoto @ NYC *****

Morimoto-style Chirashi (10-12 Different Fish and Vegetables) 

On what was a particularly dark and stormy night, I ventured out from my West Village abode with one goal in mind, to consume a steaming hot bowl of Morimoto’s “Iron Chef” Chicken Noodle Soup. It was an afterthought to order sushi (when in Rome…). Since starting to write about food I’ve tried very hard to become familiar with the vocabulary of menus, so having been completely wrong did make me feel a bit sheepish;  the Chirashi dish sounded like a safe sampler of chef’s choice sashimi. Yet, as you can see from the picture, the overflowing bounty of the bowl placed on my table was a surprise magnificent enough to outweigh any embarassment.

Chirashizushi, literal translation “scattered sushi,” is basically a chef’s choice of sashimi and vegetables over a bowl of sushi rice. My eternally pessimistic mother immediately concluded, “this is where they dump all the leftovers.” Perhaps this is a plausible explanation for the origins of the dish, but  definitely not the one I would apply to a restaurant of this calibre. From the maguro’s ethereal freshness to the tamago’s simple, supple sweetness, every ingredient was of the absolute highest quality. Wielding my chopsticks cautiously, I prospected for favored ingredients; turgid salmon eggs remained miraculously intact during their hurried ascept to my lips, tamago was savored and scoured for even after the last piece had been greedily devoured. Indeed, the entire dining experience is akin to that of digging for buried treasure of the extremely fragile variety; thrillingly gratifying and frighteningly addictive. If all mistakes lead to such rewards then I don’t ever want to be right.

Once again, I have been incredibly impressed with the excellence exhibited at a Stephen Starr restaurant. Can’t wait to find some time to travel out to Philadelphia to visit his offerings on home turf! 

Details: 88 10th Ave (at 16th St) New York, NY 10011-4721 (+1-212-989-8883)