We decided to "go for it," and ordered the "King & Queen" Nigiri Sushi & Sashimi Combo, described on the menu as a "Wonderful combination of nigiri sushi, sashimi & roll. Served with Miso Soup, Salad." I have skipped the photos of the soup and salad, which are in my previous post.
When they say they are going to bring you a "sushi boat" - they are not kidding!
According to the menu, our boat contained 28 pcs nigiri, 44 pcs sashimi, three rolls & three hand rolls. In addition, the website boasts that our dinner included "natural white pickle ginger. Not artificial pink color" and "gold & silver grade nori (seaweed)." My takes on these aspects of the food were most favorable during my one lunch - I looked forward to seeing what my dining companions thought. Edsel has eaten sushi all over the world, and was the most knowledgeable person at the table.
My first task was to try to photograph this monster! I worked forward from the stern.
You can see the mackerel sashimi on the right (the silver-colored fish). It was the only variety that three of us passed on (Edsel ate his - brave trouper!). Mackerel is just too strong on its own like that!
Yup - no sign of pink dye on this tasty ginger!
I wasn't crazy about the tiny shrimp - there was nothing wrong with it - just lacked profundity.
This sashimi was presented most artfully, draped over the shotglass and sprinkled with roe. It was almost too pretty to eat. But we did. And we liked it!
This Daikon "vermicelli" was another lovely and refreshing garnish.
This is where I hope Edsel jumps in and fills in the gaps in my knowledge/memory. The Unagi (Fresh Water Eel) was delicious - I had stopped ordering eel, especially in Cleveland, because it always tasted old. Not this time! The handrolls behind the eel contained rice topped with a type of roe. Again, roe usually tastes like pebbles to me - but this was fresh and welcomed by my tastebuds!
So, we began to eat, working our way back from bow to stern! There was one piece of each item for each of us.
This fish was lightly seared.
Sweet, clean salmon.
This fish was a little stronger, but delicious.
A little stronger yet. Still yummy.
I really wanted to taste this appetizing squid roll with the cucumber intact - but my nose got the better of me and I poked it out. Fortunately (for me), all of the cucumber came out of the rolls very neatly.
California Roll.
Another type of tuna, this time as nigiri.
Edsel - help!
Ditto.
It all tasted good, even though I don't know my Hamachi from my Escolar.
The eel, as mentioned above, was superb.
This roll surprised me - I took the piece in the next photo, because I thought it had a big mushroom in it and it would be easy to pick out. Silly me!
Ichiban Roll (I think)
Smoked salmon, eel (this was the thing that looked like mushroom at first), cucumber, avocado & fish roe.Our last roll, as you may recall, looked like this (rear left right in front of Tom's hand):
Closer inspection revealed tempura shrimp as the featured filling (and a yummy sauce):
This feast left us absolutely sated. My mouth wasn't burning from saltiness and my tummy wasn't too full - a perfect last playtime before who-knows-how-long shoulder rehab. But Pacific East Eaton is definitely on my "go to" list once I am back in the saddle again! Oh - and if raw fish isn't your thing - Pacific East has a lovely noodle and cooked food menu also - so don't let the "sushi thing" deter you from playing with your food here - quality is high, food and service are wonderful, prices are reasonable - what more could you ask for when playing with your food?
