For those who know Chris and I well, it's no secret that sushi is our top favorite food, so on our anniversary we planned an Omakase Experience at one of the highest rated sushi restauraunts in the Twin Cities - Kado No Mise.
Kado No Mise translates to "Corner Restaurant", and is a Minneapolis restaurant that serves Edomae sushi, and simple, delicate, Japanese fare, true to the tastes and form that Chef Furukawa learned when he first started cooking professionally in his hometown of Tokyo.
We started with a few cocktails at Gori Gori Peku, their upstairs whiskey bar while we waited for our table to open up for our Omakase reservation. Omakase is the Japanese word for a meal that consists of courses specifically curated by the chef.
When our table was ready, we headed across the way into the dining area near the sushi bar.
We decided to add on the sake pairing with our Omakase. One of the things I really appreciated seeing was the use of kitsugi, also known as kintsukuroi - the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending the areas of breakage with lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold. The purpose being to embrace the life of the item, and appreciate it's beauty even in its imperfection.
While the sake add on was neat, we ended up finding out that sake, much like wine, has histamines that can trigger allergies or intolerances. Next time, we would skip this part, as we are less familiar with types of Sake, as opposed to wines that are "safe" for us.
Before the courses started, a silent server approaches the table with hot towels and two medium sized cups filled with a liquid resembling water. Chris says to me, "I think this whole set up is for our hands.", and he sticks his fingers in the cup, and then wipes his hands with the hot towels. Skeptical, I looked around at the tables around us, and no one had touched the cups of hot water, or their towels. I followed Chris, and dipped my fingers in, and wiped them on the hot towel.
Chris AFTER we have already violated the hot glasses, decides that maybe we should ask...
Chrysanthemum tea... We stuck our fingers in TEA.
Thank goodness I had already washed my hands prior, and it was only our fingers...at least I could still partake in the tea, though I imagine it must've been funny for anyone who saw us... HA!
So embarrassing...
Omakase
Pickled Spinach and Shiitaki Mushrooms
Chawanushi
Savory Japanese Egg Custard with three types of wild mushrooms, and barraccuda
King Crab with Pickled Vegetables, and Mushroom Ohitashi
Nigiri
Amberjack, Flat Head, Striped Head
Bluefin Nigiri
Leanest to Fattiest (Oops Camera did not eat first...Bluefin is my favorite)
Nigiri
Japanese Barracuda, Horse Mackerel, Spanish Mackerel, Pacific Sanma (Suary), Striped Jack
Sashimi and Nigiri
Uni, Tuna Belly with Picked Radish, and A5 Wagyu
Chris and I revisited the Bluefin tuna Nigiri once more, before moving on to our digestive course of 3 year fermented red miso soup, before our final dessert course.
Sorbet
Tomato Sorbet
Chris and I being from the West Coast always had access to the freshest sushi, and our favorite sushi restaurant in Seattle, Sushi Kashiba is a Japanese Government Award Winner for Japanese Cuisine Overseas. I am honestly so glad we gave Kado No Mise a try, it was truly a treat to enjoy quality sushi this far out in the Midwest. I reccomend this restaurant to any sushi lovers visiting or that live in the area if you want a truly delicious sushi experience.
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