Dinner at Kenichi Dallas on Thursday paired saké with wagyu beef, sushi, and scallops

by Teresa Gubbins

DALLAS — Kenichi Dallas hosted a sake dinner on Thursday that let patrons sample a slew of sakes, paired with a six-course meal starring sushi and other Japanese specialties.

Led by sake sommelier "Chef Hung" Nguyen, who recently attained his Level II Sake Expert certification, the dinner drew about 30 attendees, who came to the table with varying levels of sake savvy, from the parents of a Kenichi staffer to a trio of well-versed gourmands who recently made a dining pilgrimage to Japan.

Nguyen offered a brief dissertation on sake, highlighting these facts:

When one attendee asked about the difference between hot sake and cold, Nguyen explained that "premium" sake is usually served cold, and that inferior sake is heated to hide its inferiority. But he also said that some decent sakes benefit from being heated.

Americans are definitely drinking more sake. Consumption has doubled since 1998, and imports have risen by 14% a year.

After a toast in Riedel sake glasses, Nguyen and company -- Kenichi chefs Yuki Hirabayashi, Garee Battad, and Freddy Nguyen, plus sommeliers Adam Faraizl and Rob Albright -- unfurled the first course: sashimi, accompanied by Setsugetsu Bijin "Beauty" Junmai Ginjo from the Oita region of Japan.

Ginjo is the word, Nguyen said.

"If you walk away from this remembering one word, let it be 'ginjo,' because that's the most versatile sake," he said. After six courses and seven sakes, the only reason I remembered the word is because I wrote it down. Ginjo is the word, not Grease.

Second course: stuffed morel tempura "cocktail", with Kamoizumi "Autumnal Elixir" Junmai Daiginjo from Hiroshima. This top-rated sake had a fabulous mouthful, with lots of body and an earthy, mildly cheesy, memorably funky taste.

Third course was killer: Genuine Wagyu maki with cucumber, avocado, kaiware, cilantro. America now has its own domestic Wagyu, the highly-marbled Japanese beef, from ranchers such as Yama Beef in Mabank (east Texas). Did the fact that this "genuine Wagyu" was actually from Japan make it better? The thinly sliced beef was wrapped around a filling of rice, seaweed, kaiware (radish sprouts), and cilantro. The beef had an irresistibly chewy texture, almost like jerky, with a bit of a tang. Sake: Kasumi Tsuru "Crane of Kasumi" Yamahai Ginjo from Hyogo.

Fourth course was a mini study of Aji, or mackerel. What a looker: The fried fish skeleton formed a vessel and focal point for the two items. 1. sanban-su, like a shredded mackerel salad, and 2. nigiri -- two buttery bites of mackerel affixed to deliciously squishy rice.

Nguyen effused about the accompanying sake, the Watari Bune "55" "Ferry Boat" Junmai Ginjo from Ibaraki, which he called an "obsession" among sake sommeliers, due to its source: It's made with an ancient, heritage-breed rice that'd been lost for centuries then found in 1989.

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Fifth course was the entree: choice of caramelized sea scallops or kobe-style ribeye with Jizake Tenzan "Heaven's Mountain" Junmai Genshu from Saga. Like most of the ladies in the houze, I got the scallops, which were fine; what I really loved was the accompanying orzo studded with soybeans (i.e., edamame).

Dessert was black sesame mousse with Tahitian vanilla creme anglaise and cardamom chantilly.

A diner at my table loved the subtle but exotic cardamom flavor of the chantilly cream. I was transfixed by the accompanying sake: Chikurin Hou Hou Shou sparkling junmai from Okayama. It was frothy and effervescent, with a bubble-gum personality that felt both youthful and charming -- nice ending to the meal.

The price was $100 which, unfortunately, came with an add-on 20% tip (plus tax = $126). As someone at my table pointed out, most of the people attending this thing who actually paid for it probably would have, left to their own device, left a higher tip. Ah well.