This St. Patricks day was quite the international adventure.
It began at McGonigal's Mucky Duck, with shepard's pie. Then we moved to traipsing around Westheimer, doing a demented pub crawl. I'd call it a full pub crawl, but we didn't drink at every establishment, merely popped in to whatever establishment seemed open, our quest for a bellini (this is the part where I mention that I was not the chooser of this quest, merely a party to it).
Along the way, I get to talking to the two friends, *P and *S, and the subject of OGTC (one girl, two chopsticks) comes up. *S immediately knows where to take us, Coco's Yakitori.
This is my favorite part about Sushi and those who love it. There is always "that one place" that someone simply *must* recommend. In a big sushi world in Houston, any jumping-off points can be helpful. Besides that, I love hearing what it is about a certain food, in this case Sushi, that someone loves. The way my friend, *R, can describe her favorite dish is breathtaking, the way an artist describes his method and work.
I digress. We walk the seven or so blocks to Coco's, and the whole time I'm thinking, "gah, where is this place!? I've never heard of it before..." However, I keep an open mind. I began 2010 with the mindset of doing, not hesitating. I want it to be the year of "Why Not?" instead of the year of "Because I'm a wuss."
When we approach the neon-lit sign I realize I've seen this place before. Formerly a cafe (which wasn't that great), and now a Yakitori/Sushi place, the atmosphere is neon, karaoke, and hipsters. It was late on a Tuesday night, so there were not as many hipsters as would normally be there (thank God), but enough to give the effect. You know to what I'm referring--ironic hat, long, scraggly hair and/or facial hair, stock tattoos, thrift-store found ironic t-shirt, expensive watch and shoes, and the "better than thou" attitude. Worse than hippies in the sense that they make more money and worry more about their clothing, and carry iPhones and talk about what each other tweets. Like roaches, you peel back some of the darker, quieter parts of Houston and you'll find a colony of them, hiding. Once found, they will scatter and hiss at you.
Okay, I made that last part up. This is the part in the blog where I chastise myself for being mean, and remind my readers that I'm very live-and-let-live and such. But hipsters. C'mon. You've been snubbed by one. They're easy targets.
Anyway, I don't have many pictures because I didn't have anything but a phone-camera handy at the time. And the pictures that were taken were not in the best lighting, so hopefully my words will provide visuals.
*WARNING: I AM NOT A FOOD CRITIC, NOR HAVE I EVER CLAIMED TO BE, NOR DO I PLAN ON DOING SO IN THE FUTURE. EAT, ENJOY, AND FORM YOUR OWN OPINIONS*
We started off with a yellow tail, which was great. This place uses mayo in their rice, which I am not a fan of. I am not saying it wasn't tasty, but I'm just not a mayo fan in general. I loved the yellow tail despite this, but perhaps it's best to mention now.
Next came the rolls we ordered: New York Roll and Tiger's Eye Roll. I had recently purchased the Tiger's Eye Roll at Sushi Jin, and I wanted to compare. Coco's didn't disappoint, however, the mayo got in the way for me again. The jalapenos that Coco's used were sincere (aka spicy), much better than Sushi Jin's. The take away for their Tiger's Eye Roll was that it would be superior if it weren't for the mayo. Jus' Sayin.
Finally, we moved to the Ikura, which I have never tried before. If you've never had Ikura, let me explain:
Ikura is a small pad of rice, wrapped in nori (the black seaweed wrapper), with a heaping-helping of salmon roe on top. Coco's served ours with a raw quail egg on top (which is very common).
I've been told that one must eat this particular sushi right away, as soon as it comes to the table, as the nori will get soft and ruin the dish. Basically, one needs the differences in texture to fully realize the experience and taste.
A quick word. I grew up presyb-baptist, as I like to call it, which is just narrowing down my own brand of protestantism. I've been in a catholic church maybe once or twice, and know about one half or less of a hail Mary.
However. Before I popped the Ikura in my mouth, I crossed myself, and the sushi. Don't get me wrong, I love sushi. Okay, to be fair, I like sushi, because perhaps if you haven't tried all facets of it, how can you say you love it? Anyway, let's just keep in mind that I wanted to be adventurous.
But...it's bait. On my rice. About to go in my mouth. Yeah, I had to bless it, okay?
Ahem. Opening wide, I popped the whole thing in my mouth. And chewed. And chewed. And moved it around across my palate, too, to get the full taste. "Ohh...wow," I said through a mouth full of salmon eggs, and began the process of swallowing. It slid down my throat, and it felt like I was swallowing a mixture of chewed-up gummibears and raw eggs. And the flavor was a bit...fishy for my taste.
In fact, that was the first words out of my mouth as I came back up for air: "Is it supposed to taste this...fishy?"
*S erupted into laughter. *P handled my philistine comment well. Suffice to say I learned it was an acquired taste, and I would find that any other particular meeting with Ikura would yield better results.
This being the year of my can-do attitude, I welcome the challenge. In fact, I ask that you all try Ikura this year...why not with me?
A final note to the story: We did end up finding Bellini's. It took us seven bars, but we found a place that would make/sell it. My thought by the end of the night: Irish, Japanese, and Italian...only in Houston!
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