by : Reiko Eating Out, Reviews, Seafood

Kado no Mise
カド・ノ・ミセ

I was very excited when I heard about Kado no Mise opening in the Twin Cities.

There are quite a few sushi restaurants in the cities, but I had high hope particularly for this place because I had a feeling that they would serve quality sushi in comfortable yet sophisticated space.

And I was not wrong.

Their sake and cocktail lists are impressive, but their beer list is short.

Terry said there were only three options for beer.

This time we passed on drinks.

The barley tea was refreshing.

Amuse-bouche: Braised burdock, celery, and carrots.

The oysters were small but delicious.

I liked that they were served rather simply, with ponzu, grated radish, and green onion so that I could really enjoy the sweetness of the oysters.

Other than the oysters, we asked all the dishes to be brought to the table at the same time.

So our table looked like this, and I loved it!

Tuna (toro) and Sake (Salmon) sashimi.

Ikura: Salmon Roe.

Uni: Sea Urchin.

Tamago: Omelette.

Isaki: Japanese Grunt Fish.

Hotate: Scallop.

Saba: Mackerel.

Anago: Sea Eel.

Home Soy Sauce with a brush.

Yes, brush!

You get to brush soy sauce on the nigiri sushi.

This was so cool.

Well, you might ask what Terry ate?

I was a bit worried because I was not sure if he would find anything he likes.

But he actually found several things that caught his eye, and he liked them.

Ebi Shiso Age: Shiso-Wrapped Crispy Blue Prawn.

Kabocha Salad: Kabocha Squash with Sauteed Mushrooms and Spring Greens.

Kanpyo Maki: Soy-simmered Gourd Roll.

We had a wonderful dinner, and I’m sure we’ll go back soon.

This time I picked individual dishes from the menu (and I loved all of them), but they have “omakase (chef-selected course dinner), and I might have to try that next time.

Since I’m Japanese, people often ask me where they can get good sushi in the twin cities.

Now I know how to respond!

Kado no Mise means “Cornered Restaurant” in Japanese.

by : Reiko Seafood

Cod with Summer Vegetables
鱈プレート

Cod is one of our favorite fish, and whenever I find a good deal I grab it.

The other day this beautiful cod had an amazing price, less than a half of the price we typically see, and I didn’t hesitate to buy it.

I’m very excited because I found this fish at a recently discovered grocery store, and it’s quickly becoming one of my favorite stores to go to for grocery shopping.

The name of the store is Fresh Thyme.

They have a few locations in Minnesota, and I found them by accident.

After work I decided to quickly walk to the bookstore located a few blocks from my office.

When I got there I realized that it was no longer Barnes & Noble but an interesting looking grocery store called Fresh Thyme.

Their produce section is my favorite.

They have locally grown beautiful produce for a reasonable price.

They also have a wide variety of interesting products.

When I say “interesting” I mostly mean natural, organic, local, healthy, unique, or plant-based friendly.

Cod was sauteed first.

And then garlic, onion, grape tomatoes, corn, and olives were sauteed with olive oil, and the whole thing was served with the cod.

Japanese basil (or Shiso) was sprinkled right before serving.

Simple, fresh, and tasty.

And it looks like you spent a lot of time in the kitchen to prepare it, although the truth is that it takes only a few minutes to put it on the dining table.

Cod fillet cooks fast, and you certainly do not want to overcook it.

The beautiful cod was served with fresh salad, made with locally grown arugula and other green leaves along with radish all from Fresh Thyme.

This makes a beautiful dinner when served with artisan bread or light potato salad.

Cod with Summer Vegetables

olive oil
1 lb cod fillet
salt and pepper
olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup sherry
1/2 cup grape tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 can corn
2~3 tablespoons chopped olives
salt and pepper
1 table spoon chopped Japanese basil (Shiso)

1. Salt and pepper cod. Cook with olive oil in a pan for a few minutes each side. Do not overcook.
2. Take the cod out of the pan. Add more olive oil. Sautee garlic and onion for a few minutes until cooked through. Add sherry and cook for a few more minutes.
3. Add grape tomatoes, corn, and olives. Continue to cook for another few minutes. Salt and pepper. Place over sauteed cod. Sprinkle Shiso.

by : Reiko Bread, Sandwich, Seafood

Smoked Trout Sandwich
ニジマス燻製サンド

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It’s hard to find fresh fish in the Midwest, but I do like fish.

So I often go for smoked fish, and trout is one of my favorites.

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The beautiful smoked trout along with tomatoes, spinach, and coleslaw were sandwiched between two toasted multi-grain bread slices.

This was delicious!

If you like fish, or simply if you are looking for something different from your usual turkey sandwich, try this.

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Smoked Trout Sandwich

2 toasted multi-grain bread slices
mayonnaise
Dijon mustard
spinach leaves
coleslaw (julienned cabbage, white vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper)
smoked trout
tomatoes
salt and pepper

1. Spread mayonnaise and mustard on bread.
2. Sandwich spinach, coleslaw, smoked trout, and tomatoes with the bread.
3. Salt and pepper if needed.

by : Reiko Leaf Vegetabes, Pasta/Noodle/Rice, Root vegetable, Seafood, Tofu

NABE Hot Pot
アメリカだって鍋

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Yes, it’s the time of the year for NABE, or Japanese hot pot.

When we moved to the condo in the city from the house in the suburbs a few years ago, one of the thing we did was downsizing.

A big one.

Well, we had over 3500 square feet in the house and we shrank our home to less than a half of it.

We got rid of a lot of things, and we actually enjoyed the whole experience.

When you go through a process like thins you realize how much unnecessary stuff you accumulate over years.

Since we moved to the condo, I’ve been careful in terms of what to buy, and I pay attention not only to the price but also to how much space it would take and how often we would use it.

I bought this NABE pot after we moved here.

It was rather an impulsive buy, but overall I’m happy with this purchase.

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I was happy to find the dried shiitake mushrooms and dried Kombu seaweed at the local grocery store.

I used these as the base of the NABE soup in which I cooked the fish and vegetables.

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NABE is probably one of the easiest things to prepare.

Basically you cut ingredients into bite-sized pieces, and that’s pretty much it.

Of course if you have extra time, you can always make your carrots look pretty (lol).

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Add all the ingredients into the boiled soup.

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Turn the heat down, cover, and then wait.

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You can basically use any vegetables, meat, and seafood.

This time I used cod, napa cabbage, scallion, carrots, tofu, and clear noodle, and served with a mixture of soy sauce, white vinegar, and sesame oil as a dipping sauce.

A great thing about NABE, other than that it’s tasty, is that it brings people to the dining table.

Well, in our household “people” would be me and my husband, but it did bring us to the dining table, and had us sit across from each other and a have a great conversation while taking time enjoying the dinner.

We always eat together if both of us are home, but we don’t always sit at the dining table and we often sit next to each other on the couch and eat while watching TV.

We don’t have to do this all the time but it was a great way to enjoy each other’s company, and I wouldn’t mind doing it again soon.

I’m on Instagram.

by : Reiko Egg, Pasta/Noodle/Rice, Seafood

Japanese Seafood Risotto
魚介おじや

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A famous Japanese cookbook author has once said home cooking is like a soap opera.

A story has to flow from one day to the next.

What she wanted to say is that some part of tonight’s meal can be (and often needs to be) used as a base and made into another dish for the next day’s dinner.

You don’t start over everyday.

Home cooks need to be creative and efficient and we do not want to waste our food or time.

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So this risotto was created as a part 2 dish from this stew.

Nothing fancy.

White rice was added and cooked in the stew and then served with an egg yolk.

Since you add already cooked rice to the soup, it takes only a few minutes to prepare this Japanese style risotto.

We call it “OJIYA”.

You don’t see it on the menu at any Japanese restaurants in the U.S. or even in Japan.

Because OJIYA is always served as the number two dish.

But it doesn’t mean the taste is second quality.

When the soup is rested overnight, it enhances the flavors.

The rice soaks up all the flavors, which makes OJIYA a great comfort food.

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You can fully cook eggs in the soup, but I wanted to keep the yolk intact so that I could let the creamy yolk coat each bite of my risotto

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Japanese Seafood Risotto

Japanese fisherman’s stew
1 cup cooked white rice
1 egg yolk
chopped chive

1. Add cooked rice to the stew.
2. Boil and then cook over low heat for a few minutes until the rice soaks the soup.
3. Add an egg yolk to the risotto. Continue to cook for a few minutes. Do not overcook the yolk.
4. Serve with chopped chive.

I’m on Instagram.

by : Reiko Seafood, Soup

Japanese Fisherman’s Stew
漁師さんのお味噌汁

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I was in the mood for seafood stew.

There was an Italian restaurant near our old house and they had great cioppino.

I thought about driving up there, but at the last minute, I decided to make stew myself and make it in the Japanese style.

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A generous amount of cod, shrimp, and green mussels were added to miso flavored soup.

This is the best thing about home cooking.

You can put as much as what you like in your soup when you make it yourself.

I added a large fillet of cod; Cod is probably one of my favorite fishes now.

Stew is hard to mess up.

My only advice would be “Do not overcook the seafood”.

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Absolutely delicious!

The flavors from the seafood go so well with white miso.

I don’t really need anything else except for a big bowl of white rice.

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Japanese Fiherman’s Stew

4~5 cups water
1/3~1/2 cup Japanese salted Kombu (shio-kombu)
1~2 tablespoons sugar
1~2 soy sauce
salt
1/2 lb cod
10~12 shrimp
8~10 mussels
1/3 cup white miso
chopped chive (or scallion)

1. Add salted kombu to water in a pot. Boil.
2. Add sugar, soy sauce, salt, cod, shrimp, and mussels. Boil again and then turn down to low heat.
3. When the seafood is cooked, remove from heat. Add miso.
4. Serve with chopped chive or scallion.

I’m on Instagram.