(Click here for the Dec 17, 2015 Review)
I sat at the bar for lunch a week ago and, in effect, had an omakase: Â We told Chef Yu two or three things we wanted, and asked him to supplement with whatever was good that day (but not the really pricey o-toro). Â At ten pieces, we’d had enough: Â bronzino, medai, hamachi belly, another hamachi of some sort, char, three types of salmon, walu, aji; approximately $37 or so — not cheap for lunch, but in NYC it would’ve been twice that.
I sat at the bar of Takumi Sushi Bistro the other evening, and began my evening with an Echigo Premium Red Ale ($8 for 11 ounces) from Niigata, Japan. I *love* this beer, and generally order it whenever I see it – as you know, I prefer a malt profile to a hoppy one, and Echigo Premium Red Ale is right up my alley – if only it wasn’t so expensive. Does anyone know where to find this at retail?
The beer went delightfully with the Sushi Fresh Cuts of the Day ($40), which included 10 pieces of superior nigiri, and 1 maki roll. In this case, there were 2 pieces each of madai, hamachi suna-zuri, shima-aji, sake harasu (brushed), and o-toro, one raw, the second lightly seared with a handheld torch. The maki was the exact roll you see here on the top-left (I’m writing this post entirely from memory, and don’t remember the exact prep, but it was a worthy follower to the nigiri).
I eat sushi more slowly than I’m supposed to, but nevertheless, this was a quick excursion – expensive, and worth it. Takumi remains the best sushi bar in Northern Virginia, and I don’t even know what’s close.