Credit: Alexa Lampasona
Credit: Alexa Lampasona
Sake has been a staple in the Japanese culture for more than 2,000 years, and over the past decade it has picked up speed in America. In an effort to share the knowledge about sake, Doraku Sushi in Buckhead Atlanta has created "Sake Culture" every Thursday. The restaurant invites Sake Sommelier Koji Aoto and Kikusui Representative/Sake Advisor Ty Taylor to collaborate with Executive Chef Todd Dae Kulper in an informative (and tasty) lesson of sake and sushi pairings.
"With such a wide variety of sakes to offer, it can be challenging for guests to taste these differences. Even reading the label on many of our bottles can be a mounting task,” says Curtis Smeller, manager of Doraku. "We know that information is very important for our guests to understand the culture of Japanese sake and we take it very seriously. But at the end of the day, all we're really trying to do is make friends with great food and sake.”
Doraku has many selections of sake from the house sake Sho Chiku Bai, a popular American sake made in California; to the Sakamai Kikusui, imported from Niigata, Japan. If you can't make it to "Sake Culture," sample one of the restaurant's two main sake flights: the mama-san (three two-ounce tastes) and papa-san (five two-ounce tastes). Both flights change their offerings according to the season and the types of fish available.
The next “Sake Culture” features an “Omakase Dinner” on April 30.
Credit: Alexa Lampasona
Credit: Alexa Lampasona
A few other spots to try sakes:
3345 Lenox Road NE
404-869-1888
Katana's sake sommelier is Johanes Yoharry who is certified though International Kikisake-Shi, a sake certification program that is only available in English in Los Angeles and Japan. Katana's flight selection starts from light to full-body sakes. His suggestion is the $15 "Sake Tasting"that features 3 shots of the following: Asahiyama Junmai, Amabuki Yamahai Junmai (made with marigold yeast), and Evoluzione Crazy Mikl. Each sake progresses from dry to semi-sweet, ending with the slightly effervescence of Evoluzione Crazy Mikl which hints at creamy vanilla and coconut.
One Buckhead Plaza, 3050 Peachtree Rd NW
404-841-0040
At Umi, the five-course omakase menu is paired with a sake tasting. As Gabe Bowen, bar manager at Umi says, “It’s very important for sake to progress in dryness. Through the courses of the omakase, the flavors progress in intensity. In order to let each dish truly sing, the sake must counteract with the flavors and progressively cleanse one’s palate.”
The pairings for the omakase menu are as follows:
- Soup - Akita Homare
- Starter - Kaiun
- Sashimi Plate - Hakkaisan
- Hot Dish - Sesshu Otokoyama
- Assorted Nigiri - Sawanoi Daikarakuchi
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