The 2015 incarnation of Dinner Club (neè Dinner Club For Day People) is currently 2-for-2 when it comes to planning and executing club meetings. If we can successful complete November’s planned meal I think that will tie our longest streak since the club started back in 2011. We did not come out in full force last week, as both Maryn and Louise were tied up with obligations that prohibited their attendance. Still, Amanda, Mark, David, Nate and myself made a pretty good go of it in their absence.
Kinjiro is an izakaya (read: casual drinking environment that also serves food) located in the Honda Plaza in Little Tokyo. It’s situated in the former b.o.s. space, is owned by the same person, and the kitchen is helmed by the former sous chef at b.o.s.. The menu has changed from offal-intense meat dishes to a broader variety of dishes. There are also nightly specials that are offered in addition to the traditional menu. Supplemented by several bottles of sake, our meal at Kinjiro was downright fantastic. Here, let me walk you through it with some of our tasting notes.
Louise wasn’t present to recount the minutes of the meeting but I’ll try to point out some tidbits as I work through the meal.
Throughout the meal we killed a few bottles of this delicious cold sake, which was quite delicate and clean. As someone who admittedly does not drink a lot of sake, I have no real basis for how to review it. That said, I quite like this.
Raw Yearling Oysters in House Ponzu. Personally I thought this was one of the less interesting dishes we ordered. Everyone else was in agreement that the oyster preparation was delicious. Maybe I’m just not an oyster guy. Maybe I want to shuck my own. Whatever the answer may be, I was clearly on the wrong side of the oyster argument at Kinjiro.
Brussels Sprouts With Yuzu Kosho Powder. On the other hand, these guys were my favorite bites of the meal. Leafed (Leaved?) Brussels Sprouts lightly sautéed (or fried?) and topped with a sprinkling of delicious yuzu kosho powder. Some at the table described them as easy to consume as popcorn. This was a nightly special, but I think Kinjiro would be wise to add this to the nightly menu.
Kinjiro Japanese Wagyu Carpaccio w/ Arima Sansho. The spiciness imparted by the sansho was a dynamite contrast to the delicate carpaccio. The onions and tomato added a burst of brightness. Amanda followed Rule #2 (“always scrape the plate”) ensuring we sent back a sparkling, like-new serving dish to the kitchen.
Foie Gras. Another nightly special was the foie gras skewer, which was topped with a dollop of wasabi. Two people at the table had never tried foie before. One of them loved it (Amanda), the other did not (Nate). Silently I cursed Nate, and considered making a motion to banish him from future Diner Club meetings.
Soft Shell Crab. Another standout dish was the crab, which was lightly battered and fried to perfection with a trio of side dishes we were instructed to dip our pieces into to round out the flavor. I really loved this iteration of crab, and this was one of my favorite bites of the evening. This might have been the point in the meal where Mark started talking about how there’s “no such thing as double dipping,” meaning he read something online about how science has proven that double dipping doesn’t spread germs. Ironically, three days after this meal I came down flu-like symptoms that nearly took me out of work for three days.Â
Free-range Chicken Maki-age. Of course fried chicken is always a must, and I think we agreed that this was an exemplary preparation. As is Dinner Club custom, we all took a bite of the pepper since there was only one on the plate. I’m not sure if it’s an official rule, but we’re all very serious about equality in serving sizes. Unless of course something sucks (which rarely happens), in which case the weirdo who likes the sucky dish can have as much as he/she wants. I’m pretty sure the only time this came into effect was when I ordered brains and sweetbreads at Animal.
Dashi-simmered Wild “Kinki” Rockfish. Although difficult to share, the rockfish was unanimously loved by Dinner Club. As Nate was the person to order the fish, I silently considered rescinding my motion to have him permanently exiled form Dinner Club. Did the “smoke break” that came at the absolute worst time happen after the rockfish? Two dinner clubbers decided they needed a cigarette right in the middle of the meal and as the door shut behind them a plate or two arrived, which we then had to wait to sample. It happened either right now, or soon after this dish.
Beef Tendon, Tongue, Sinew & Tripe Miso Stew. This was the most “b.o.s.” dish of the evening, and one of my favorites. David and I went to town on the offal, even requesting extra toasts with which we could sop up the leftover stew. Outstanding. Maybe this was when the smoke break occurred, because Nate and Amanda were little “meh” on this one.
Agedashi Homemade Tofu, Mushroom Ankake Sauce. Kinjiro offered one of the more unusual interpretations of age tofu I’ve ever seen, but it was still yummy. It was earthy from the mushrooms, the seaweed added a nice textural element, and all in all this was a great way to follow the intensity of the meaty stew that came before it.
Niman Ranch Pork Belly Kakuni, Half-boiled Free-range Egg & Daikon. If there is an unwritten rule of Dinner Club it has to be that when pork belly is on a menu, we have to order it. Kinjiro’s interpretation was tender as hell, not too porky, and with that little bit of runny egg to compliment the meat. I’m pretty sure this was where Mark reiterated his comment about how there’s no such thing as double dipping. I’m pretty sure he said that as he was lifting a spoonful of pork belly broth for me to taste after he had tasted it. Did I mention Mark had the flu last week? And I was flu-ish all weekend long following this meal? Is anybody catching what I’m implying here? Okay…just checking.
Grilled Onigiri Rice Ball. These were the biggest disappointment of the meal. Dry, bland and boring, they were best used as vessels for sopping up leftover pork belly sauce or ponzu. Oh well! Not everything on the menu can be a winner.
One of the biggest topics of conversation at Dinner Club last week was how David officially became an American citizen the morning before the meeting! To celebrate, Amanda subtly asked our server (Naomi, who was AMAZING, by the way) to put together a dessert combo that we could share in celebration of David’s achievement. If I recall the combo consisted of a creme brûlée, a black sesame mousse, and a panna cotta. We also ordered two bottles of dessert sake to compliment the sweets. Because Dinner Club scoffs at your one-bottle-of-dessert-sake-is-enough norms.
Dinner Club: We’re all right.
Following Dinner Club, Nate, Amanda, and myself walked over to Wolf & Crane for a beer. Apparently the night extended even further with drinks at Little Joy, but by that time I was in an Uber headed home. The following day was the Mets/Dodgers Game 5, and after that I caught Mark’s swineflu – from which I am still slowly recovering. If anyone wants to forward me any literature about the science behind double-dipping and the spreading of germs, I’ve got plenty of time to read it the next two days as I lay on my couch and try to recover.
Of The Spacistor – Form [MP3]
