ALL THINGS FOOD: Morimoto Napa by Chef Masaharu Morimoto

www.morimotonapa.com

Visit date: November 20

It’s Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto!
I wish I can brag and say I met him tonight, but he was out. Maybe next time, if he hasn’t already moved to Hawaii to open his next restaurant.

Chef Morimoto dates back to the original Japanese series of Iron Chef with Chairman Kaga at the helm. He is always shown with composure, reverence and a tendency towards tradition. Remember the re-match episode with Bobby Flay? Flay finishes the competition despite all the difficulties from cutting his finger and equipment “sabatoge”. In his excitement, he jumps onto the counter and onto his cutting board holding his arms out. Morimoto shakes his head disapprovingly, saying Flay is “not a chef… knives and cutting boards are sacred to us…” Instant respect for Chef Morimoto. (Don’t get me wrong, I like Flay, but he shouldn’t have been so cocky at the time.)

Morimoto Napa is what downtown Napa needs to revive itself. Up to now, vacationers and wine tasters stick to Highway 29, eating at places like Mustard’s Grill, Gott’s Roadside, Bistro Jeanty, one of Thomas Keller’s many places in Yountville, etc. For all of Morimoto’s traditionalism, the restaurant is chic and trendy. Two dining rooms are separated by an expansive kitchen. The connecting hallway displays floor to ceiling artwork of fish (red snapper?) on one side, and glass shelves holding antique kitchenware on the other. The main dining room in the back allows intimate parties, but also has communal tables for larger groups. Next to the communal tables is the bar with plush yellow chairs and stools for lounging.

Being so new, kinks still need to be ironed out. For example, we have a reservation, but still wait 45 minutes at the bar before being seated. Unfortunately, the bar is packed with people waiting, drinking, eating – especially unappealing when filled with people who had one drink too many from a day of wine tasting. Perhaps the bar and lounge area should have been designed in the smaller dining room in front. It would definitely help with noise control. I wouldn’t mind eating in the front dining room either, where it’s empty.

On the other hand, the food is as it should be coming from an Iron Chef – great attention to detail and weaving flavors together. The highlight of the evening is tableside tofu. It arrives as traditional flavored Chinese soy milk (not the sweet stuff coffee drinkers use in place of milk) and with one magical ingredient and 30 min of steaming... voila! instant tofu! Other must mentions include foie gras chawan mushi, duck meatball soup and chicken noodle soup.

The menu has a lot to offer and I wish we can try more dishes. For tonight, we try the more traditional Asian dishes. We’ll have to go again after the buzz wears off a little.

appetizer special – squid stuffed with spinach and herbs,

squid ink gnocchi, mozzarella cheese, house made xo sauce

kakuni – ten hour pork belly, rice congee, soy scallion jus

foie gras chawan mushi with duck breast, wasabi, sweet soy sauce
(“Chawan mushi” means tea cup steam, traditionally
a steamed egg custard dish with flavorings of the chef’s choice.)

yose dofu – fresh soy milk, nigari powder served tableside

(liquid form, add secret ingredient and let steam for 30 minutes)

toppings for the tofu – scallion, ginger wasabi, dried onion,
lightly sweetened homemade soy sauce and something
along the lines of chicken base slightly thickened with miso