A Fish Story

"It's on the house," Toyoda's sushi chef slid a plate heaped with albacore sashimi towards us. My eyes widened.

"Wow, that's a lot of fish," I murmured, chopsticks paused in mid-air already grasping a slice of maguro tuna. The tiny dish of maguro and scallop had seemed, to me, to be the perfect size for one. Now I'd been presented with an unexpectedly large gift, increasing my fish supper three-fold.

Not that I could complain; the albacore was soft and delicately flavored, fresh and cold on my tongue. But I couldn't eat it all on my own - I needed to bring Michael over to the sashimi side of sushi.

There is very little in the way of seafood that Michael will eat. But a tuna sandwich, especially one featuring albacore, is one thing that doesn't elicit a grimace, and with the discovery about a year ago that he outright loves spicy tuna rolls (which, let it be known, contain tuna in the raw), I saw an opportunity.

"Michael, you really should try a piece," I offered. "The flavor is just like albacore from the can, and it's much milder than the maguro, which is what you ate in your spicy tuna rolls."

Michael wasn't so sure, but with a little more sake, he felt ready to take the plunge. First, though, the albacore must be marinated in soy sauce and wasabi. And oshinko maki (pickled radish roll) was on hand to act as a chaser. Gingerly, he picked up the piece of tuna, practically dripping with soy sauce, pausing to examine it with a worried look before popping it into his mouth.

He chewed. I waited silently, breathless with anticipation. I still remember the putrid look he gave me when I convince him to try calamari in Greece, and I was hoping this wouldn't be a repeat. He swallowed, then turned to face me.

"You know, it wasn't bad," he mused. "If I can just get over the idea of eating raw fish."

Victory was at hand! Over the course of the evening, Michael managed to eat two more pieces, and even tried a tiny sliver of scallop, my personal favorite. Of that, he wasn't sure what to think.

"It's not fishy," he agreed, "but it's slimy and weird." He reached for another piece of albacore, and I happily polished off the rest of the scallop by myself.

Little Blog Lost

Poor, poor Rutabagastories, I have been neglecting you so. Which is why I've decided to write a short, yet hopefully sweet, post, just to keep my blog from feeling like such a little lost lamb.

As usual, a lack of writing means I've been rather busy. And perhaps just a little lazy. What with many house guests, including the lovely Leonie from Germany, and adjusting to Michael's new daytime work schedule (yes! the husband has joined the ranks of the living and now sleeps at night, everyone!), I've managed to stay fairly active. And some may know how I love to play tour guide, especially when food is involved. Getting to introduce a German girl to her first taste of Japanese food tonight at Toyoda Sushi was quite a treat. A great sushi chef with a sense of humor and a habit of throwing us little treats on the house makes for a fun night out, indeed.

Sadly, it's past time for bed, now that I rise at 6:30am, an hour later than previously. So long, farewell, I promise not to forget you, my little Rutabagastories.

Sushi in the Hood

Being as there was no food in the house yesterday to speak of (no vegetables, fruits, or protein other than beans, that is), there were two logical options:

a) go grocery shopping

b) go out for dinner

While the more frugal option would doubtlessly have been (a), we chose the more enticing option of eating out. After buying a couple of beers at The Beer Authority, I was on a support-local-businesses roll, and as it had been years since we'd eaten at Toyoda Sushi, the choice seemed obvious.

Amy, Michael, and I took our seats at the bar, which afforded us entertainment along with our dinner, as we watched the chef prepare plate after plate of tempting sashimi, maki, and other sushi. Toyoda is a real neighborhood place, typically packed with locals, and the whole time I was there I kept wondering to myself, "Why has it been so long? What reason have we not gone here lately?"

I also sadly recalled the demise of Shian, the Chinese restaurant across that street that opened a few years ago but has since closed. Shian never managed to build the kind of following Toyoda has, despite stellar Chinese food. People were doubtlessly scared off by the "American Chinese" sign by the door (not what you want to advertise as a Chinese restaurant in Seattle) and the very un-Chinese faded pink and mauve Victoriana of the interior, a relic from the old Baker's restaurant and candy shop. Once Michael and I were bold enough to try it, we fell in love with the spicy dumpling soup and homemade noodles, and we showed our loyalty by eating there almost every time we chose to eat out in Lake City for at least a year. Sadly, our efforts were not enough, which is hardly surprising when we typically ate alone in a space that could easily seat 50 people or more.

Thankfully, Toyoda's popularity does not seem to be waning, and I'm happy to add it back into our (admittedly rather infrequent) rotation. I was also thrilled to discover that Michael will actually eat raw fish - and enjoy it! He has a newfound love for spicy tuna rolls, which is quite something coming from the man who will typically only eat three kinds of seafood: canned tuna mixed with mayonnaise on a sandwich, halibut or cod that has been battered and fried, or shrimp, preferably the small salad shrimp that don't "pop" when you bite into them (and preferably doused with plenty of cocktail sauce). He even branched out last night and tried the eel - and declared it to be "not too bad".

As for me, I pretty much love it all - there are few edibles from the sea that I won't eat, and sandwiching a course of sushi rolls between an appetizer of vegetable tempura and a dessert of tempura ice cream was just right. Now I long to go back again - and I don't intend to wait a few years between meals there this time!

You've Been Good, Have a Beer!

OK, so Las Vegas was, in its way, fabulous, but let's be honest - the desert and casinos just aren't really my thing. So I was just a little happy to be back in Seattle today, despite the clouds and cooler temperatures, and I was also more than a little happy to check out the newest addition to our downtown Lake City merchants: The Beer Authority.

Yes! I kid you not! Lake City now has a beer shop! And, in all seriousness, I didn't intend for those last sentances to (almost) rhyme, but I must have been so excited that I spontaneously burst into verse. The Beer Authority has taken over the spot that once was Flava Coffee, and, while it is admittedly smaller and feels less lived-in than Bottleworks, they offer a fantastic selection at prices comparable to the other, not quite so local, places I go for beer, plus they have a 5% neighborhood discount. They even have a website already: http://seattlebeerauthority.com/

OK, I should probably stop before I start to sound like a literal advertisement for the place. No, I am not being paid, I just really enjoy good beer and supporting local independent businesses. Lake City has lost too many of those in recent years, so I hope the neighborhood will show it's dedication to the ones that are still there and the ones just starting out as best we can.

And in further Lake City news, I also saw that the vacated space that used to house the upholstery shop next to Toyoda Sushi (and which has since moved down the street to the former Taco del Mar location) has proclaimed in handwritten black marker on the brown paper lining the windows that it is soon to be a coffee shop! Now I am doubly excited because since Flava and Cranium's left we have had no real coffee shop to speak of, and I do not count the two Starbucks shops. They are too far from the downtown core to be easily walkable, anyway, aside from the fact that Starbucks in Seattle - or anywhere, fo that matter - is hardly unique.

But our future coffee shop needs a name and they are seeking submissions. You can leave yours by the door of their humble location. Let's also hope that they can put forth a good paint job and some fun decor to appeal to the locals, too. Lake City, I knew you had it in you!