Sakagura

A nearby conveyer belt sushi restaurant was closed for the evening, so we stopped in Sakagura instead for some late night eats and drinks.

A trip here is never cheap - the average cost of $12 listed in Zagat's couldn't be farther from the truth, unless you're ordering edamame and a cup of tea or one drink. And let's face it, no one orders just one drink.

Some tasting notes:

Manamusume, Ginban: Two sakes from the seasonal selection. I'm writing this weeks after the fact, so my memory is hazy. Both are at least ginjo, if not daiginjo. You'll want to have these as starters or with very light fare, such as...

Sake ochazuke: On one level it's hard to justify any sort of cost for a dish that's essentially tea poured over rice. After hearing one-too-many Iron Chef tasters commenting about ochazuke taking them back to the days of their youth, I had to try it. Like any simple dish, it's the quality of the ingredients, the details, and in this case the presentation that matter. It was quite soothing. For a moment I felt like an Iron Chef taster.

Sanma onigiri: Not your ordinary onigiri. Baked Sara is wrapped around rice and served with with shiitake mushrooms, pickled radish & mountain vegetables. Three onigiri are served on a long plate. If you liked baked fish and rice, here's your dish.

Bishonen: I used to be quite fond of this hearty sake, but I find my tastes have changed since I last tried it. Still, it goes well with the gindara yuan yaki below:

Gindara yuan yaki: broiled black cod marinated in mirin, sake, and soy. Served in a steak cut topped with a thin slice of lotus root soaked in mirin. The lotus root is crunchy and brightly flavored contrast to the rich flavor of the cod. Damned tasty.