Omakase of the Day (Chef’s Special) – 7,000 yen

Uobaka only offers two menu, Omakase (Chef’s Special) 5,000 yen and 7,000 yen. Both courses are entirely seafood, and  changes daily depending on the fish caught in the morning. 7,000 yen course consists of Sashimi dish, Live Squid Sashimi, Grilled Fish, Nimono (boiled dish), Fried Fish, Soup, Sushi, and a side carefully prepared by a female chef Sae Iwamoto. They also have extensive list of Sake and Shochu.

In the picture (clockwise from center): Alfonsino, Moontail Bullseye, Octopus, Grunt, Bluefin Tuna.

2-2-19 Ginza Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan 104-0061                                                                                                                                         Phone: 03-3563-4100

Caramelized diver scallops, cauliflower purée, almonds, balsamic reduction – $14.00/$26.00

REDD is definitely a must-go if you are visiting Napa. All the ingredients were very well complemented as there was like “chemistry” in every bite I take. The scallop was perfectly seared, especially given the size of it. Not chewy at all and a lot of moisture. The cauliflower purée was well-blended, not too mushy, and tasted super smooth!  I was happy to find cauliflower florets too, and they were a bit roasted. Finally, the almonds added a nice crunchy flavor along with some raisins. This dish was actually part of an afternoon tasting menu so I thought there was an excess of purée for that one piece of scallop. I forgot how much the tasting menu cost, but REDD offers an appetizer portion or entrée portion on its menu. Ah, how I wished I could have had more!

6480 Washington Street, Yountville, CA 94599
Phone: (707) 944-2222

Venus (Platter) – $81.00 (market price) (not during king crab fishing season)

Whole Lobster and 3 king crab legs

The so-called legendary Venus platter is market priced, so beware of the legendary check at the end. The Venus platter comes with a 2 pound steamed lobster and a pound of king crab legs.  Both the lobster and the king crab legs were fresh with a subtle sweetness. Equipment is given to you to slowly dissect the platter (bibs included),  so every time you devour the sweet lobster and crab meat, you will be met with hard-earned satisfaction (unless you prefer everything prepared for you). The platter comes with a mixed butter sauce that closely resembles popcorn butter and tastes like kettle corn. I would prefer everything without the sauce to savor the freshness, but that is my preference. The platter was split between 4 people (small stomachs) and it was not enough for a typical meal. Prepare to order more or jump to another restaurant (that is what we did).

The Barking Crab
88 Sleeper Street, Boston, MA 02210
Phone: (617) 426-2722

Cioppino $21

This is an assorted seafood in a spicy white wine tomato broth with garlic bruschetta.

This popular dish at Gio’s gives you a good amount of seafood, very large shrimps,
mussels, clams, fish, baby crab legs, scallops, squid and baby octopus.
The seafood was very fresh and the timing handled well, nothing was overcooked.
The tangy flavors of the wine and tomato broth were well balanced,
the texture was just right, not too soupy and not too thick.
I only wish they had served more bruschetta for me to clean the clay pot.

Gio’s Downtown
701 Market Street, St. Louis, MO 63101
(314) 241-2424

Roasted Littleneck Clams – $25.00 (lunch)

A plate of littleneck clams bathed in a tangy spicy red sauce with scallions. The light sauce has hints of tomato paste and white wine similar to moules frites. On top of the entree are three baked garlic bruschettas which may be too hard for the average customer to eat without cutting up their gum, but the plentiful sauce allows the bruschetta to soak up and soften. The ideal way to tackle the meal should have plucked clams on the soaked bruschetta eaten in one bite, but that is typically impossible with this kind of dish, so expect a mess. I suggest take a bite out of the bruschetta and then fork a clam, simple and easy. The clam meat may be small, but the dish has enough clams to provide a satisfying meal.

550 Tremont Street, Boston, MA
Phone: (617) 423-0550

Uni – $8.00 (2 pieces of Nigiri)

Few Japanese restaurants give you a large partition of sea urchin like Nozumi does. Nozumi gives you whole pieces of Uni that are the freshest in town and a good indication of that is the unique sweetness of sea urchin and the lack of unpleasant sea taste.

100 W Higgins Road, Suite J-30, South Barrington, IL
Phone: (847) 783-5995

Muzuki Moon – $16.00 (lunch)

A tempura spicy tuna roll surrounded by cucumber and avocado mamenori roll, topped with diced crab, scallops, and spicy shrimp, yuzu sauce, chili tobiko, and unagi sauce. This roll is crunchy from the tempura spicy tuna, but held together with the soft soy-based wrap with avocado that gives this dish a spicy and refreshing taste. Not to mention the diced seafood extravaganza on top with crunchy flying fish eggs.

100 W Higgins Road, Suite J-30, South Barrington, IL‎
Phone: (847) 783-5995‎

Raw Oysters – Market Price ranges from $2.00 -$3.00 each

A small seafood restaurant with the raw bar occupying half the space, this truly is a seafood hole-in-the-wall. Neptune Oyster has a set of daily oysters from the east to the west coast that changes every so often. Their selection of oysters is quite large with every oyster having its own distinct characteristic. On our raw dine out, we had the following. Who knew oysters could have fruity tastes.

Starting from the lemon on top to the center of the plate:
Island Creek: medium-large, medium salinity, juicy, fruity finish
Taylor Bay: medium-large, medium salinity, seaweed finish
Summerside: medium, medium salinity, juicy, citrus finish
Kumamoto: small, sweet, plump, creamy, hints of honeydew melon
Fanny Bay: medium, low salinity, sweet, cucumber finish

63 Salem Street, Boston, MA
Phone: (617) 742-3474

Fedelini with Tiny Clams, Smashed Cherry Tomatoes, and Parsley – $20.00

Ideal pasta should have the bouncy feel to it when you handle it. At Alta Strada, their fedelini is just perfect to Italian standards. The amazingly bouncy thin pasta is mixed with a light tomatoe sauce with smashed cherry tomatoes and parsley as its entree name indicates so. Some may prefer a heavy sauce to their pastas, but I personally favor a light sauce with my pasta. Tiny cooked clams are also part of the dish which add a little seafood twist to the entree.

92 Central Street, Wellesley, MA
Phone: (781) 237-6100

Smoked Salmon Benedict – $12.50

At this American-Seafood joint, they provided an assortment of American food with a seafood twist. Their one entree during their brunch hours was the Smoked Salmon Benedict. The benedict consisted of fresh smoked salmon with poached egg and hollandaise sauce on an English muffin. What makes this particular benedict so outstanding is the poached egg is consistently cooked to the point where the yolk is in liquid form. The blend of yolk, egg white, smoked salmon, and hollandaise sauce is a cause for concern for the weak hearted, but for those daring individuals that want an amazing brunch, go with this entree. The sides it comes with are hash brown potatoes and ratatouille, a nice compliment of starch and cooked veggies.

210 Spring Street, New York, NY
Phone:  (212) 274-0505

Marinated Yellowfin Tunafish — Euro 165 (part of 5 course meal)

This marinated yellowfin tunafish with black garlic, coconut and mechouia sauce was extremely delicate. The sauce pairings provided a unique expirience with every bite. The design was very appealing as well matching colors and playing with tones in the food. This was similar to the other dishes which were all very light in general. The restaurant is one of 9 three star Michilen restaurants in Germany and ranked number 57 in the world by the Pelligrino list. Chef de Cuisine, Sven Elverfeld, well-known for his imaginative talents in creation of excellent dishes as well as for his aesthetic presentation, was named Chef of the Year 2007 by the gourmet magazine “Der Feinschmecker”. If there is interest gathered by comments I can provide the additional courses as well.

StadtBrücke 38440, Wolfsburg, Germany
Phone: +49 (0) 5361-607000

Grilled Atlantic Salmon — $25.95

The salmon at the Chicago Firehouse Restaurant is finished using their signature style of infusing flavors into the meat and the seafood on the grill. This ‘fire crust’ finish creates a layer right on top the salmon of aged balsamic vinegar, but with options of black peppercorn, parmesan or horseradish for their steaks and chops. This particular dish is garnished with sweet, tart and spicy fresh corn niblet succotash. The sauce is very flavorful (read: strong) but adds a nice compliment to the salmon.

1401 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL
Phone: (312) 786-1401

Haemul Soon Doobu @ Korean Garden 11.99

This is a Korean seafood, tofu, and vegetable stew in a stone pot that includes a vareity of seafood such as shrimp and mussels. The stew also comes with raw egg for you to crack and pour into the stew where the heat will cook it. The stew is quite dense with a milky texture to it from the tofu. The dish may be a little bit spicy for the average audience, but is perfect to go with your bowl of white rice and small appetizers.

122 Harvard Avenue, Boston, MA