Website: morimotonapa.com
Cuisine type: Japanese, fusion
Atmosphere: modern chic, organic decor
Meal: dinner
Overall score: 8.6
Nina
I’ve been watching Morimoto’s displays of culinary artistry on Food Network for several years, and he never ceases to amaze me. To my delight, I found out that he (somewhat) recently opened a restaurant in Napa, and positive reviews have been pouring in about this place. Clearly, it was a must-see for me. The restaurant was fairly unassuming inside and out, with a subdued elegance and organic decor. The only exterior mark that something special was hidden inside were this tall, narrow banners with a long M and chef Morimoto’s logo. On the inside, the building had the modern style unfinished look - with bare cement floors and exposed air ducts along the ceiling, and the plain, natural decor (most notably grape vines) along with the dim lighting made for a very relaxed and cozy atmosphere, yet refined and sophisticated at the same time. There were two sections to the restaurant - the front part, with plain tables of various sizes (from intimate two-seaters to large group settings) and the sushi bar, was the more casual one, and as such had a shorter wait time. I never saw the other side of the restaurant since it was further in from the door, so I can’t really comment on it.
The waiter was very gracious and responsive, we had water on the table and had placed our drink order within mere minutes of sitting down. We went for something special to mark this special occasion of trying out a celebrity restaurant for the first time - the Morimoto Ginjo Premium Sake. The presentation was outstanding - the opaque glass little carafe came in a matching ice bowl, along with two matching glasses, with the assembly decorated with a few straw segments and a dendrobium orchid. Even more impressively, the sake lived up to the expectations set by the first impression. Though often I find sakes flavorless and even unpleasantly grainy in flavor, this one was more fragrant, more light and more complex in flavor than any sake I’ve ever had before. I enjoyed it slowly while we waited for our entrees.
And wait we did - as we were warned from the beginning, it took quite a while to get our food from the time we ordered, since we skipped appetizers and went directly for the entrees. I first tried the seafood toban yaki, which reminded me of a classic Louisiana seafood boil, minus the cajun spices and with a Japanese twist - it was served in a light, flavorful and rich red miso sake broth. The portion size was generous, the variety of seafood involved was impressive, and the presentation format was quite striking. The dish came in a super sized tagine-like bowl, and the cover was removed by the server after being placed in front of me, such that the complex flavors of the steam that had built up inside would entice me from the beginning. I had a bit of everything (lobster, king crab legs, mussels, clams, diver scallops and cod), and enjoyed each one of them since they retained enough of their own flavor to remain distinctive, yet absorbed enough of the broth to be rich and exciting. The only slight disappointment came from the shrimp, which tasted just a bit overcooked, and had a tougher texture than I would have liked.
Ben’s dish, which I enjoyed half of after passing him the second half of my toban yaki, was a bowl of chirashi sushi. The presentation was very plain (mildly flavored rice covered in an assortment of pickled vegetables and fresh seafood), though artfully assembled and well balanced. The fish (salmon, tuna, shrimp and salmon roe) was exquisite, with a creamy texture, clean flavor and appealing freshness.
Finally, my favorite part of any meal came around - dessert. The waiter saw my eagerness and proceeded to reassure me that all desserts are delicious, so regardless of my choice I would be sure to enjoy it, and then to make light-hearted jokes such as instructing the server who actually brought the dessert to describe it thoroughly to pass my scrutiny. Interactions aside, I was very happy with my choice. We shared the ice cream sandwich dessert, which consisted of three small and distinct individual chocolate based sandwiches, which I will describe in detail (of course).
The first was a light and crisp flavored white chocolate, lemon and verbena ice cream sandwiched between two very thin green tea cookies. Second, and probably my favorite, was a pair of sesame and brown sugar cookies holding a milk chocolate and sesame chocolate - I loved the richness and mild nuttiness of this one, and there is no better cookie than a sesame caramelized thin crust. Finally, there was a dark chocolate banana cardamom ice cream squeezed between dark chocolate cookies as thin as all the other ones. The cardamom flavor was a tinge too dark and earthy for me, but it did not really deter from my enjoyment of the dessert overall.
Even though this dinner was a little pricier than our usual fare, it was well worth it both for the experience (atmosphere, presentation) and the refined and elegantly paired flavors in each and every dish. Since a visit to Napa is in a sense a special occasion of its own, it would be in itself a good excuse to visit this establishment again :)
The waiter was very gracious and responsive, we had water on the table and had placed our drink order within mere minutes of sitting down. We went for something special to mark this special occasion of trying out a celebrity restaurant for the first time - the Morimoto Ginjo Premium Sake. The presentation was outstanding - the opaque glass little carafe came in a matching ice bowl, along with two matching glasses, with the assembly decorated with a few straw segments and a dendrobium orchid. Even more impressively, the sake lived up to the expectations set by the first impression. Though often I find sakes flavorless and even unpleasantly grainy in flavor, this one was more fragrant, more light and more complex in flavor than any sake I’ve ever had before. I enjoyed it slowly while we waited for our entrees.
And wait we did - as we were warned from the beginning, it took quite a while to get our food from the time we ordered, since we skipped appetizers and went directly for the entrees. I first tried the seafood toban yaki, which reminded me of a classic Louisiana seafood boil, minus the cajun spices and with a Japanese twist - it was served in a light, flavorful and rich red miso sake broth. The portion size was generous, the variety of seafood involved was impressive, and the presentation format was quite striking. The dish came in a super sized tagine-like bowl, and the cover was removed by the server after being placed in front of me, such that the complex flavors of the steam that had built up inside would entice me from the beginning. I had a bit of everything (lobster, king crab legs, mussels, clams, diver scallops and cod), and enjoyed each one of them since they retained enough of their own flavor to remain distinctive, yet absorbed enough of the broth to be rich and exciting. The only slight disappointment came from the shrimp, which tasted just a bit overcooked, and had a tougher texture than I would have liked.
Ben’s dish, which I enjoyed half of after passing him the second half of my toban yaki, was a bowl of chirashi sushi. The presentation was very plain (mildly flavored rice covered in an assortment of pickled vegetables and fresh seafood), though artfully assembled and well balanced. The fish (salmon, tuna, shrimp and salmon roe) was exquisite, with a creamy texture, clean flavor and appealing freshness.
Finally, my favorite part of any meal came around - dessert. The waiter saw my eagerness and proceeded to reassure me that all desserts are delicious, so regardless of my choice I would be sure to enjoy it, and then to make light-hearted jokes such as instructing the server who actually brought the dessert to describe it thoroughly to pass my scrutiny. Interactions aside, I was very happy with my choice. We shared the ice cream sandwich dessert, which consisted of three small and distinct individual chocolate based sandwiches, which I will describe in detail (of course).
The first was a light and crisp flavored white chocolate, lemon and verbena ice cream sandwiched between two very thin green tea cookies. Second, and probably my favorite, was a pair of sesame and brown sugar cookies holding a milk chocolate and sesame chocolate - I loved the richness and mild nuttiness of this one, and there is no better cookie than a sesame caramelized thin crust. Finally, there was a dark chocolate banana cardamom ice cream squeezed between dark chocolate cookies as thin as all the other ones. The cardamom flavor was a tinge too dark and earthy for me, but it did not really deter from my enjoyment of the dessert overall.
Even though this dinner was a little pricier than our usual fare, it was well worth it both for the experience (atmosphere, presentation) and the refined and elegantly paired flavors in each and every dish. Since a visit to Napa is in a sense a special occasion of its own, it would be in itself a good excuse to visit this establishment again :)
Food 9
Drinks 9
Atmosphere 9
Service 10
Value 8
Drinks 9
Atmosphere 9
Service 10
Value 8
Ben
Morimoto is the new feature in downtown Napa, at the end of the upscale restaurants along the riverside. It has a rustic, down-to-earth feel when you enter, but the flare and style one would expect. The opening room is large and well-lit with full windows, a sushi bar and a dozen or so tables. The menu is pricey, though not more than we expected due to the name and location. We ordered and shared two dishes: a seafood toban yaki, a mixed seafood (lobster, crab, mussel, clam, scallop) in red miso broth; and chirashi sushi (mixed sashimi over rice with pickled vegetables and salmon roe). The sushi was of exceptional cut and quality, and generously portioned, and my favorite of the two dishes. The toban yaki was also very flavorful, but not extraordinary, as it was challenging to perfectly cook a wide array of seafood. We ordered a sake (300 mL for ~$40) which was decent for a sake (I have to say there is an objective reason why, internationally, grape based wines are way more popular than rice based wines...). We had an excellent dessert - “ice cream sandwiches”, three neatly stacked halved squares of 3 different flavor mixes (white chocolate lemon with green tea, sesame milk chocolate with brown sugar, cardamom banana dark chocolate). While all the food was delicious, the most clear tell of the quality and pedigree of the restaurant was in the presentation. All of the dishes, and the sake, were gorgeously presented. The seafood and sushi had a rich, colorful, and luscious feel, while the sake in ice bath and jade looking glass carafe and cups was very elegant, and the ice cream sandwiches had a very crisp modern look. The menu is definitely long, creative, with many exciting options. I would highly recommend visiting with a large group, in order to try a bit of several different dishes.
Food 9
Drinks 7
Atmosphere 8
Service 9
Value 7
Drinks 7
Atmosphere 8
Service 9
Value 7
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