More Fun Playing With Sushi at Pacific East Eton

Inspired by a Facebook post by Cleveland Foodie this afternoon - I had an almost insatiable craving around lunch time for sushi from Pacific East. I was finally able to persuade some office-mates to join me, and down Richmond Road we went!


Miso Soup


Salad


Bento Box

I had to snap fast because Jamie wanted to start eating! His lunch included Soup and Salad (all the lunches come with it), Beef Negimaki (broiled thinly sliced beef rolled w. scallion), California Roll upgraded to a Spicy Tuna Roll ($1 upcharge), and a potato-based side dish.


Sushi Lunch

Anna and James opted for the same: chef's choice of 4 Nigiri, California Roll upgraded to a Spicy Tuna Roll ($1 upcharge). It looked delicious.



However, if I do say so myself, I think that I chose best:


Chirashi

My photos do not do this plate justice! Assorted fish were arranged over a mound of sushi rice, sprinkled with bonito flakes, seaweed flakes, fish powder, fish roe and accompanied by Japanese pickles.

There wasn't an off smell or flavor on this plate - even the mackerel was palatable (I usually find it too strong). The pickles were fresh and delicious (the ones I tasted - the cucumber ones remained). I've noticed that I always like Pacific East's Roe - which usually tastes like pebbles to me. All of the flavors and textures balanced.

All of the fish was so fresh, so perfectly sliced, and so good tasting, as was the expertly prepared sushi rice. I feel insanely happy and sated right now - some sort of raw fish euphoria! My companions enjoyed themselves at lunch - but I had fun - nay, delight - playing with my Chirashi at Pacific East Eton today!

Fun Playing with my last meal . . .

. . . before shoulder surgery. I wanted something healthy, hearty, tasty and close to home - so Bob and I met up with Edsel and Tom for sushi at Pacific East Eton in Woodmere, an East Side suburb near Beachwood. I had lunched at Pacific East on my birthday in July, and had been wanting to get back and try more.

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 very tasty roll was, I believe, crab stick mixed in the most delightfully spicy sauce. Had I not read it on the menu, I wouldn't have guessed it was crab stick!

This fish was lightly seared.

Definitely a tuna varietal.

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?

More Fun Playing with Birthday Treats

Yesterday turned into a little bit of a nutty day. I had some business to attend to at the office, and was finished by lunchtime. As it happened, though, everyone else at the office had other lunch plans, so I wound up on my own on my actual birthday. I decided to get a few more things done, run a few errands, and then quench the sudden urge I had for sushi at the new Pacific East Eton, 28601 Chagrin Blvd., Suite 850, Woodmere, Ohio, (216) 765-1305.

By the time I took my seat at the sushi bar, is was after 2:30pm (and they close between 3 and 5 pm). The sushi chef was pleasant, but didn't want to recommend anything because he didn't know me. Since it was so late (and I'd be having a big dinner at Lola in a few hours), I decided to keep it light and simple. I selected the Maki Combo Lunch: Soup, Salad and two Maki Rolls.




Miso Soup

My first taste of this location of Pacific East was perfect. Not too salty, not too fishy, loaded with little dices of tofu and exquisitely fresh greens, this soup really whet my whistle for the fish to come.


Salad

This lovely salad contained crisp, tasty greens and was topped by a slightly peanutty dressing.



Since they were about to break off service for a couple of hours, all of the fish in the sushi bar case was wrapped up. It all looked fantastic!






Salmon and Tuna Maki Rolls

I don't usually order Salmon at sushi bars, but since it is in season now, I thought I'd take a chance.







Both rolls were perfect. Pristine fish, perfectly prepared sushi rice, and fresh nori. Most of us don't pay a lot of attention to the nori (it is, basically, fishwrap) - but this time, it caught my attention. It had a slightly oceanic flavor to it, and was so pliable that I had no trouble biting through it, so I could eat each piece in two delicate bites (instead of cramming the whole thing into my mouth like Chairman Kaga) without having to tug at it, or worse, without the roll coming apart.

I can't wait to get to Pacific East Eton for a more extensive meal!