Grand Opening Showcase Dinner

A friend of ours, a local distributor, invited us to accompany him, his wife and a couple of friends to a complimentary dinner celebrating the grand opening for one of his accounts, Nozumi Asian Cuisine & Lounge (http://www.nozumiasiancuisine.com/nozumi/) . We brought along a few of our own bottles to share at the table and with the staff. We just progressed through the wines, not necessarily pairing them with specific courses, but as there were only six of us, we were able to taste and retaste as we wanted. Each of the first four courses presented two options and so my wife and I split the options and were thus able to try each.

Crab Miso Soup. Your basic, run-of-the-mill miso. Nothing wrong with it, but nothing stands out either.

Green Pea Soup. This was excellent. Extremely fresh tasting with a nice creamy texture. Garnished with something akin to creme freche, sprouts and a thick slice of a mushroom I'm not familiar with.

Sashimi: salmon, tuna and yellowtail. So very fresh, the tuna and salmon were superb. The yellowtail was okay, having a spot that was a little rubbery in texture.

Blue crab cake with sundried tomato lobster sauce. Garnished with a thick cucumber slice, red onion and a tiny, bite-sized whole steamed blue crab. The crab cake and sauce were very good. Lots of flavor and not a lot of breadcrumb. Unique presentation with the whole crab providing a nice crunchy bite to contrast the cake.

Sunomono. Traditional Japanese seafood salad. My wife's choice, and I got just a small bite of a seafood roulade of sorts. She enjoyed the dish very much.

Herb-marinated New Zealand lamb chop with cous cous and miso-baked eggplant. This was absolutely the star of the evening. Two perfectly seasoned lollipops, served rare with just the perfect crust on the exterior. One of the absolute best lamb chops I have ever had. OMFG good. The kitchen brought out a plate of extra chops that would have otherwise gone to waste. More? Yes please! Chef would not give us the seasoning recipe...will have to work on him.

Nigiri. Tuna, salmon & ama ebi sashimi with a "blushing geisha roll" which was avocado, spicy mayo, mamenori and unagi sauce. Garnished with the largest fried shrimp head I have ever seen. Again the tuna, salmon and ama ebi were fantastic and so very fresh. Very good combination of flavors and textures in the roll, with just the right amount of heat coming from the spicy mayo.

Filet mignon with truffle demi glace, mashed potatoes and baby root vegetables. My wife shared only a little bit of the filet with me, but it was cooked perfectly, with very good flavor.

Chocolate mousse cake with chocolate ganache sauce. This was also excellent, firm but fluffy, with excellent flavor.

• 1995 Charles Heidsieck Champagne Brut Millésimé 93 Points

  France, Champagne

  Just beautiful. Straw color. Opened with lemon oil, biscuit, almond and toast aromas. Flavors of citrus, minerals, wet stone and grapefruit with a medium bead. Has a slightly coarse feel to it which I found enjoyable. Set aside a glass to revisit at the end of dinner a couple of hours later, and it was just gorgeous. Mineral, citrus and floral aromas; apple, mineral and toasted brioche flavors expand on the palate. A lovely starter and nice match with various courses throughout dinner, from the soups to the blue crab cake and nigiri. 93-94+ pts.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 2008 Commanderie de la Bargemone Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence Cuvée Marina 91 Points

  France, Provence, Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence

  What a terrific rosé. Deep color, due in large part to having 20% Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend. The remaining components are 40% Syrah, 30% Grenache and 10% Cinsault. Aromas of red berries, rose petals, watermelon, cucumber and a hint of cassis. Nice underlying acidity; flavors of mineral, berries and flowers, with a long mineral and fruit driven finish. 90-92 pts.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 2009 Matua Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough 88 Points

  New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough

  One of the restaurant's pairings with dinner. Pale color. Notes of lychee, jalapeno pepper, gooseberry and cat urine. Nice citrus tones on the palate, along with jalapeno and lychee tones. Sharp acidity.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 2008 Kistler Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 92 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  This is just so bright and delicious. Notes of red cherry and clove with floral overtones. Well-balanced, with good underlying acidity and flavors of cherry and spice. Excellent with the lamb, adding a subtle fruity undertone complementing the spice rub. 92-93 pts.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 2004 Loring Wine Company Pinot Noir "Llama Farm" 90 Points

  USA, California

  A bigger, more powerful wine than the Kistler. Notes of red currants, baking spices and black cherry, with a subtle earthy tone. Balanced, with flavors of cherry cola, red berries, cinnamon and white pepper. Also very nice with the lamb. Whereas the Kistler provided a fruity undertone to the lamb, this provided more dominant overtones. Personal preference as to the better pairing.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 2006 Aquinas Pinot Noir 86 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Another of the restaurant's wines. Deep ruby color. Aromas of cherries, raspberry and cinnamon. Decent fruit, though slightly tart. Roudsn out a bit with some time in the glass, becoming less tart. Nutmeg and cherry tones. 86-87 pts.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

The staff did a fine job, and the kitchen performed wonderfully. I perused the wine list only for a brief moment, and it appeared to be very basic, so that was a bit disappointing, though maybe there is a second "reserve" list - I did not inquire about that or their BYO policy. It's definitely a place worth checking out based on the food alone though. Even if one is not a fan of the raw preparations, the 'normal' menu items (filet mignon, lamb, etc.) were just wonderful.