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Volume CXXXII, Number 18 |
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Raw fish makes the perfect dish
KERRY ELSON
COLUMNIST
The Foodie does not claim to be a conossieur of Japanese food. Nor is she particularly fond of it. However, when Foodie friends are in the mood for a fresh, salty treat, the Foodie is happy to join them. Such is the case every Wednesday for lunch, when the Foodie makes her weekly soujourn to the Café for a sushi plate with her roommates. However, unsure of her willingness to spend more than six dollars on this so-so cuisine, the Foodie was reluctant to journey to Portland's pricier Restaurant Sapporo.
Sapporo's swanky décor, friendly service, and fine food convinced her she had made the right choice. The Foodie recommends Sapporo for a celebratory evening; although the majority of patrons donned jeans, the Foodie did not feel out of place in her couture ball gown. She was particularly pleased that her large party was given a comfortable nook at the back of the restaurant in which to chortle and chuckle without disturbing other patrons.
Small decorative touches differentiate Sapporo from a typical Japanese restaurant. A fresh bird of paradise flower shyly bloomed from a corner in their nook, while sushi arrived on textured glass plates. Blue and green- hued ceramic plates framed non-sushi entrees. Much to her party's glee, there was a fountain in the ladies' room!
The Foodie was particularly endeared to Sapporo when the chef and owner left his station to take a Polaroid of her party so it could remember the restaurant always. This sometimes cynical Foodie for a flash feared she would have to pay for the photo. However, she soon remembered that she was not in her hometown of D.C. but in the state of Maine, where kindness and generosity are as bounteous as cool breezes and swaying pines.
The food lived up to expectations. Miso soup warmed bellies and whetted appetites for the delights to follow. The Foodie friend's fresh salmon roll was delicate and neatly prepared, while other Friends savored their beef-wrapped scallions, known as beef negima.
The Foodie and her friend particularly enjoyed their large helping of the old raw fish phobic's standby, chicken teriyaki. The sauce was lightly sweet; accompanying steamed vegetables were fresh and crunchy. One friend, however, was dissatisfied with her very salty smoked salmon roll.
The Foodie and her friends finished their feast with a round of fried green tea ice cream- ice cream tempura. While this sweet selection was favored by some, there were members of the party who found it strange.
The fluffy crust quickly became gummy and separate from the ice cream it enveloped. It was not a light, flaky, delicate complement but an overpowering lava that suffocated flavor. Yet the Foodie ate it all. She sometimes finds that consuming comestibles with odd textures is strangely satisfying. Perhaps the crust suffocated her brain just as it strangled the ice cream, inducing her to eat it without judgement.
Despite this final dissatisfaction, the Foodie enjoyed her meal at Sapporo
and would return again. She might even try the sushi next time.
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