Japanese Sake : All Japan News,Inc

By Aya Ota

Park Avenue” is a restaurant which has the theme, changes of four seasons. At every change of the season from autumn, winter, spring, to summer, its menu, its interior decorations, and even its staff uniforms get renewed, and the name of the restaurant also changes to “Park Avenue Autumn”, “Park Avenue Winter”, “Park Avenue Spring”, or “Park Avenue Summer”, and the sign gets changed accordingly.

This innovative idea of renewing the entire restaurant according to the image of the current season frequently became the topic of conversation, which led this place to win numerous awards in the past.

This restaurant has been loved by New Yorkers for a long time. It was operated for 22 years on the Upper East Side since its 1992 opening before it moved to the present location about 5 years ago. The concept for the menu is contemporary American. Ingredients from all over the world are creatively arranged in the dishes. The person who created the basic principles of the menu is Craig Koketsu, the former executive chef, who has now the role of both chef and partner. He is a third-generation Japanese American, and his last name, Koketsu, is Japanese. It may be the reason why he uses so many Japanunique food ingredients in his dishes.

The present executive chef is Zene Flinn. was born and raised in the Quincy District of Washington State where agriculture is the main industry. His father was an apple grower there. He grew up surrounded by seasonal fresh ingredients, which inspired him naturally to seek a career in cooking. After graduating from the well-known culinary school, “French Culinary Institute (presently called International Culinary Center)”, he built up his career at “Nougatine” run by Jean-Georges, who is a top leading French chef in New York. He joined the “Quality Branded Group” which developed 10 restaurants in New York, Miami, and Denver including this “Park Avenue” in 2010.

Flinn’s dishes represent his full love for the ingredients, and are superbly creative. He uses a wide variety of Japanese ingredients that include miso, mirin, yuzu juice, yuzu kosho, shirodashi, wasabi, sansho, umeboshi, etc. Soy sauce and miso are often used as a secret seasoning to enhance, deepen, or soften the taste. Yuzu, red pepper, and sansho are used to accentuate dishes by contributing to the impression for the first bite, or for visual effects. The surprising combinations of ingredients are something only a non-Japanese could think of, and are excellently balanced. Their concept, in which the changes of each of the four seasons is valued, is somewhat common to what Japanese cuisine is. In the summer of 2018, Flinn was invited by the Niigata Prefecture Government, and visited its local farms and producers, and was deeply impressed by the Japanese food ingredients, and learned a lot about them. Just recently, in January of this year, he impressed industry people at a reception held by the Governor of Niigata by creating and serving brand-new dishes, in which he used Niigata-made soy sauce, Kanzuri (fermented red pepper seasoning), and miso in Italian, Mexican, and Spanish style dishes.

One of the charms of this restaurant is its size. There are 220 seats in the main dining space alone. Additionally, there are 4 private spaces for event use, on which they like to put a special value. All those 4 spaces combined can accommodate parties of 200 people if sitting, and 300 if standing. In the eventful holiday season, they sometimes have as many as 1000 people a day.

This is definitely the kind of restaurant you would like to visit at every season - Autumn, Winter, Spring, or Summer - to enjoy each season of New York through all 5 of your senses.


四季が移るごとにレストラン全体を一新
『パークアベニュー/オータム、ウィンター、スプリング、サマー』

四季の変化をテーマした店『パークアベニュー』。秋、冬、春、夏…と季節が移るごとに、メニューや内装、従業員のユニフォームまで一新し、店名も『パークアベニュー・オータム』、『パークアベニュー・ウィンター』、『パークアベニュー・スプリング』、『パークアベニュー・サマー』と変え、もちろん看板も一新する。この「四季をイメージしてレストラン全体を一新する」という斬新なアイデアは話題となり、過去に数々の賞を受賞している。

同店は、1992年創業以来、約22年間アッパーイーストサイド地区で営業した後に移転、現在の場所で再開して約5年になり、長きにわたりニューヨーカー愛されている店だ。料理のコンセプトは、コンテンポラリー・アメリカン。世界各国の食材を取り入れた、創意工夫に富んだ料理が並ぶ。同店の基本方針を作ったのは、前料理長で現在はシェフ＆パートナーを務めるクレイグ・コウケツ氏。日系アメリカ人三世で「纐纈（コウケツ）」は日本の名字。その影響もあってか、日本食材を多く取り入れているのも特徴的だ。

現在、料理長として腕を振るうのは、ジーン・フリン氏。フリン氏はワシントン州クインシー地区の農業がさかんな地域で生まれ育ち、父親もリンゴ栽培をしていた。幼少の頃から、四季折々の旬の素材に触れて育ち、料理への関心を深め、シェフの道を志したのはごく自然なことだった。料理の名門校『フレンチ・カリナリー・インスティテュート（現インターナショナル・カリナリー・センター）』を卒業後、ニューヨークを代表するフレンチシェフ、ジャン・ジョルジュル氏が経営する『ヌガティーン』で修行を積む。『パーク・アベニュー』を含む合計10店舗のレストランをニューヨークやマイアミ、デンバーで展開する『クオリティ・ブランディッド・グループ』に入ったのは2010年のことだ。　　

　フリン氏が創り出す料理は、食材への愛にあふれており、かつ独創性にも優れている。日本食材としては、味噌、みりん、柚子果汁、柚胡椒、白出汁、ワサビ、山椒、梅干し…など、幅広く取り入れている。醤油や味噌は隠し味として使うことも多く、料理の味をまろやかに奥深く広げてくれる。柚や辛子調味料、山椒などは料理のアクセントに活用し、口に運んだ瞬間の印象や見た目の華やかさを創り出す。日本人では思いつかないような、意外な食材同士を組み合わせ、見事な調和を創り出している。四季の変化を大事にするというコンセプトは、和食にも通じるところがある。　フリン氏は、2018年夏に、新潟県の招聘で農家や生産者を訪問、日本産食材の素晴らしさに感銘を受け、理解を深めたという。今年1月には、新潟県知事が主催したレセプションで、新潟産の醤油やかんずり（発酵辛子調味料）、味噌を、イタリアンやメキシカン、スパニッシュスタイルと組み合わせ、全く新しい料理を創り出し、業界人をうならせたばかりだ。

同店の醍醐味はレストランの規模感にもある。座席数はメイン・ダイニングだけで220席。その他、プライベート・イベントに力を入れており、店内に4カ所の専用スペースがある。4つのスペースを合計すると着席で約200、立食で約300もの人数に対応できる。ホリディシーズンでイベントが多い時期には一日1000人以上の来客があることもあるという。

秋、冬、春、夏、すべての季節に訪れ、五感を通してニューヨークの四季を満喫したい…そんなレストランだ。

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Park Avenue /Autumn, Summer, Winter, Spring
360 Park Avenue South
New York, NY 10010
Tel:　212-951-7111
URL: www.parkavenyc.com

Mon – Thurs 11:30 am – 10 pm
Fri 11:30am – 11pm
Sat 11am-3pm, 5pm – 11pm
Sun 11am-3pm, 5:30-9:00 pm

By Elli Sekine

Ebisu, which is going into their 37th year of operation this year, is a long-established restaurant that has been leading the sushi boom in San Francisco. This restaurant is located near the center of the Golden Gate Park, and had become a super popular place in the nineties, where people would wait in line for a long time. Since then, they have tried diversified management styles, and tried out new sushi business models. Actually, in the past 30 years, they have expanded the business by opening 3 new restaurants, then closing them, and currently running only the main location. In their history, you can identify the pros and cons of a family-run operation. Ebisu has always been particular about quality and originality, and therefore, it was their management strategy to match the trends of the time. “The fundamentals are the most important things for the operation, which are consistent procurement of fresh ingredients, and the management,” says Erick, the 2nd generation owner.

Changing of management style according to the time…
In 1999, Ebisu Family’s second location, “Hotei,” opened. It was a noodle specialty restaurant which no one paid attention to at that time. The secret dashi made at the main location across the street was used for the noodle soups, and their wide variety of menu items that included udon, soba, somen, showa-taste ramen, etc., and its casual atmosphere made this place a hit. “As long as the base for Japanese cuisine is solidly mastered, you can create any dish,” at that time said Steve who is the founder, and currently the chairman. Especially, the “Reimen (cold noodle)” with house-made rich sauce, which you could not get anywhere else, was their top menu item. Ususally, average time people spend at a noodle specialty restaurant is not long, and therefore, its rotation is quick. From the customers’ point of view, it was really convenient that the restaurant was open from lunch through dinner time, and it was nice that they could have Ebisu’s roll sushi at a reasonable price. This location, thus quickly became very popular. Some customers who could not get into “Ebisu” went there, too. However, due to the ramen boom that came later, those customers slowly left for wanting of the new thing, ramen. For the 2 years prior to closing “Hotei”, they tried to continue by changing the owner, but finally closed its doors in 2015.

Catering sushi for parties…
In the 2000s, the core business that they were running along with the restaurant business was catering of sushi for parties, and catering for business offices.
With catering for weddings to business meetings at renowned hotels, they were extremely busy. The catering business was rapidly growing around that time as a new food business model. Erick, who was the leader of their catering business said, “It was really crazy, the situation we were in”, as he reminisced about those days when he was rushing around like crazy with his father and brothers. Presently, they are developing a well-balanced business based on the main location as the core.

“Airport Ebisu”, the second location of “Ebisu”, and “Hotei”, the second location of “Hotei” at the Financial District
In the early 2000s, the “Ebisu” family opened a branch at the new international terminal of SFO (San Francisco airport) which is known as “the most gourmet airport”. Ebisu was really standing out amongst the selection of restaurants and stores there, where the food culture unique to Northern California with the highest Asian population was symbolized in. Furthermore, the second “Hotei” opened in the Finance District, and their business was at its peak. On the other hand, in the background of such successes, they were having constant hardships with administering of employees, and the management. The distance from the main restaurant seemed to be one of the reasons. The idea of Steve’s, “to keep everybody within the reach of his supervision”, was far from the reality. It was also the time when maintaining of human resources was not catching up with the demands of the rapidly growing Japanese food businesses.

In the second half of the 2000s, San Francisco went into the IT bubbling period, and high-end Japanese restaurants were appearing one after another. Fine dining restaurants that served Omakase and Kaiseki courses increased in number in a very short time. Ebisu did a renovation of the entire restaurant in 2008, but did not change their position all throughout the past 30 years as a casual, locally based restaurant. Because of it, they still keep long-time regular customers without getting distracted by new trends. Moreover, due to the renovation, the older image of them, which is a usual typical sushi restaurant of the nineties, has transformed to a modern, bright, and spacious kind, which is drawing new types of customers. Adding more counter seats is contributing to the increase in the number of single customers.

The long-lasting Ebisu, which was established by a single generation, has been going forward by changing their business format along the way with the times. What has not changed is their offering of fresh ingredients, and their support of the local regular customers. Their family operation principle in which they do not rely completely on strangers, has been carried over to the second generation, and is still evolving.


地域に愛される寿司の老舗
-変わりながら持続する-


今年で創業37年目となるEbisuは、サンフランシスコで寿司ブームを牽引して来た老舗。ゴールデンゲートパークのほぼ中央に位置するサンセット地区で90年代、行列の出来る繁盛店となった。その後多角経営に挑戦し、新しい寿司店の在り方を実践して来た。実際、この30年で３軒の新規店舗を拡大しクローズし、現在は本店のみが既存している。そこには、家族経営の良さと難しさが見えてくる。また、品質とオリジナリティにこだわるEbisuならではの時代に合わせた経営戦略でもあった。「経営は基本が最も大切。それは一貫して新鮮な食材の仕入れとマネージメントです」と２代目店主のエリックさんは語る。

時代に合わせ経営形態を変える
1999年、Ebisuファミリー第2号店となる「Hotei」をオープンした。当時まだ誰も見向きもしなかったヌードル店だ。通り向かいに位置する本店で毎日取る秘伝出汁をヌードルスープに応用する手順でうどん、蕎麦、そうめん、そして昭和の味のラーメンなど豊富なメニューとカジュアルさがウケた。「和食の基本さえしっかりしていれば、どんなメニューでも創作できる」と当時、創始者で現会長のスティーブさんは言っていた。特に自家製コッテリタレの「冷麺」はここでしか食べられない絶品メニューだった。ヌードル店は平均食事時間が少く回転も早い。客にとっては営業時間はランチタイムから通しで便利であり、お得な値段でEbisuのロール寿司を食べられると言う事でたちまち繁盛店となった。「Ebisu」に入れない客も流れていた。しかしその後到来したラーメンブームにより、客は新しいラーメンを求めて散って行った。閉店前2年間はオーナーチェンジをし、2015年「Hotei」はそのドアを閉じた。

パーティ寿司ケータリング
2000年代、レストラン営業と同時に経営の柱となっていたのが、パーティー出張寿司とビジネスケータリングだ。結婚式から著名なホテルのミーティングまで引っ張りだことなった。ケータリングが新しい食ビジネスとして急成長したのもこの頃。その中心となって支えてきたエリックさんは、「状況はクレージーだった」と父、兄弟と走り回った当時を振り返る。現在、本店を軸としたバランスの良いビジネスを展開している。

エアポート「Ebisu 」２号店と金融街の「Hotei」２号店
2000年代初頭、「Ebisu」ファミリーは、「全米で一番グルメな空港」と呼ばれるSFO(サンフランシスコ空港）の新国際ターミナルに支店を出した。アジア人口の比率が最も多い北カリフォルニアならではの食文化を象徴した店舗セレクションの中でEbisuは際立っていた。さらに「Hotei」２号店も金融街にオープンし、経営は最高潮に達していた。しかしその裏では人事やマネージメント面での苦労が耐えなかったという。本店から距離が遠いこともあり、「常に目が届く範囲」というスティーブさんの思惑からかけ離れていたようだ。急激な日本食需要に人材確保が追い付かない時代でもあった。

本店の大改装
2000年代後半からサンフランシスコはITバブル期に突入し、和食高級店が続々と出現し、Omakaseや懐石メニューを提供する“ハイエンド”レストランが一気に増えた。Ebisu は2008年に店内の全面改装をしたが、30数年間通してきた地元密着型のカジュアルレストランの位置付けは変えなかった。その為トレンドに惑わされる事なく長年の常連客を確保している。更に改装により、90年代の平凡な寿司店のイメージはモダンで当たるく広々としたイメージに代わり、新しい客も呼び込んでいる。カウンター席が増えた事で一人客も増えている。

一代で築いた老舗Ebisuは時代と共にビジネスの形態を変えながら歩んで来た。変わらないのは新鮮なネタの提供と地域の常連客のサポートだ。他人任せにしない家族経営店の信念は今２代目へと引き継がれ、更なる進化を遂げようとしている。

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Ebisu
1283 9th Ave 
San Francisco, CA 
 (415) 566-1770
 https://ebisusushi.com

lunch
Monday to Friday 11:30-14:00
Saturday 11:30-14:30

Dinner
Monday to Thursday 17:00-22:00
Friday ,Saturday 17:00-23:00

By Kosuke Kuji

The most important objective of this business trip to Los Angeles was the “30th Japanese Food & Restaurant Expo,” sponsored by Mutual Trading, held at the Pasadena Convention Hall. This business-to-business event, held for the thirtieth time this year, drew 133 food and sake producers, etc., and 2,667 customers in one day, the highest number of exhibitors and attendees in it’s thirty-year history. Nearly seventy-percent of customers are restaurant industry professionals, with twenty-percent of the consumers consisting of Japanese nationals.

These statistics indicate how many non-Japanese professionals and consumers in the U.S. today are working in the Japanese cuisine and sake industry, or consuming Japanese cuisine, indicative of the widespread consumption of Japanese cuisine among non-Japanese consumers. In other words, Japanese cuisine and sake are no longer consumed only by Japanese nationals homesick for their homeland.

Sake producer Nankabijin never received such high customer turnout at their booth as they did this year. Their “Awasake Sparkling,” debut in the U.S. during this expo, was especially popular with many orders received. High-end sparkling Japanese sake is definitely accepted in the U.S. market.

Also, my college classmate from the Tokyo University of Agriculture, currently residing in Los Angeles, attended this expo. It was truly encouraging to receive support in the U.S. from my college classmate.

In the evening, I visited “Chateau Hanare,” the Los Angeles branch restaurant of the Japanese restaurant “Washoku-en,” very popular in New York, along with sake “Houraisen” from Aichi prefecture, and “Tatenokawa” from Yamagata prefecture. I greatly enjoyed the wonderful cuisine prepared by chef Abe, visiting from New York.

The restaurant scene changes quickly in Los Angeles leading California, the most populous state in the U.S., where the market for Japanese cuisine is anticipated to continue growing. We must continue producing even higher quality of sake to bring satisfaction to our U.S. consumers!

P.S. Right after I left, restaurant “Chateau Hanare” welcomed Leonardo DiCaprio as a customer…! Very disappointed to know I missed his visit!


南部美人ロサンゼルスへ その2

今回のロサンゼルス出張の最大の目的でもある共同貿易主催の「第30回レストランエキスポ」がパサディナコンベンションホールで開催されました。今回で30年を迎えたこのアメリカ最大のB to Bイベントは、何と133の食品、お酒などのメーカーが集まり、2667名ものお客様を1日だけで迎えて開催されました。30回の開催で歴代最高の出展者、入場者の数だったそうです。お客様は70％近くがレストラン関係者、お客様全体に占める日本人の割合はたったの20％しかいません。それだけ今のアメリカでは日本人以外が日本食、日本酒をビジネスにしている、食べたい、飲みたいと思っている、ということで、ノンジャパニーズ、アメリカ人への浸透がすさまじい勢いで進んでいるということです。もう日本人が日本を懐かしみながら食べるのが和食や日本酒なのではありません。

南部美人も今年ほどブースにお客さんが来てくれた年は無いくらい忙しかったです。特にこのエキスポにあわせてアメリカデビューを果たした「あわさけスパークリング」。これが大人気で、たくさんの注文をいただきました。アメリカでも確実にスパークリングの日本酒の高価格帯のものが受け入れられています。

さらに、このエキスポには私の東京農業大学時代のロス在住の同級生も来てくれました。本当に農大のつながりがアメリカでも心強く感じます。

夜はNYで大人気のレストラン「和食えん」のロサンゼルス店の「シャトー・ハナレ」に愛知の「蓬莱泉」さんと山形の「楯の川」さんとお邪魔しました。NYから駆けつけている阿部シェフの素晴らしい料理とお酒を楽しみ増した。
どんどん様変わりするロサンゼルス。アメリカ最大の州カリフォルニアをリードして、和食の市場がどんどん伸びていく予感しかありません。私達も今まで以上に高品質なお酒を醸し、アメリカ人の皆さんに喜んでいたけるようにさらに頑張っていきたいと思います！

追伸：シャトー・ハナレさん、私達が帰ったすぐ後にディカプリオがご来店だったそうです・・・。残念、ニアミスでした！

By Aya Ota

The very Japanese-looking façade of a restaurant that stands out on a busy street called the “Restaurant Row” in Times Square’s Theater District, catches your eyes. It is “Sushi Seki”, which is well known for its high-quality fresh seafood that they serve, and creative sushi, full of seasonal ingredients that you can enjoy.

Seki Shi, the owner/chef, is from the Fujian Province of China. He went to Tokyo to study at the age of 17. There, he opened his eyes to cooking, and distinguished himself. He went to New York in 1991, and worked at various notable restaurants including “Sushi of Gari” before he became independent, and opened “Sushi Seki” in the Upper East Side District.

Then, he opened two more restaurants 2 years in a row, the second one in Chelsea in January of 2014, and the third one in Times Square in October of 2015. Opening of another in Brooklyn is also in the works. People usually believe that the more authentic the sushi restaurant is, the harder it would be to expand the business to multiply, because in order to have such success, it heavily relies on the capabilities of artisans. I wonder what kind of dynamic power has been supporting this unstoppable advance.

“The Times Square restaurant is hugely different from the other two. It is positioned as the flagship, which represents integrated forms of various styles,” says Yasuyuki Suzuki, the General Manager.

Inside of this restaurant is a luxurious space with 80 seats on the first floor, and 70 on the second floor. Once you step inside, a spacious counter and tables open up in front of you. There is a space called the“Kappo Room” in the back, where a counter, tables, and a communal table are situated facing the open kitchen. On the second floor, there is a bar, where you enjoy mostly Japanese whiskey drinks, terrace tables by the windows, a private Japanese room, and a hide-out-like space where you enjoy omakase-style sushi. This place can accommodate every situation; business meetings, family get-togethers, large groups, couples on a date, or a single customer.

The menu, which used to contain mostly sushi, has been largely evolved. The Kappo cuisine aspect was launched due to Chef Seki’s strong hope and intention to take “restaurant cooking” as a whole, seriously. They serve a wide variety of seasonal a-la-carte dishes. Among them, the “Special Kappo Counter Menu” (from $85), full of both land and ocean ingredients of each season, changes the contents monthly. There are also dishes from which you can feel the changes of Japanese seasons, which you can rarely find in the US such as “Ayu ‘Sweet Fish’ Sansho-Ni”, and “Kogomi ‘Fiddlehead Fern’ with Sesame Sauce”.

There is a menu item, which is unique due to the condition, which is that the restaurant is located in the Theater District. The “Mini Omakase” ($55) is a popular item, which cleverly satisfies both the needs of theater-goers who don’t have much time to eat before shows start, and also the smooth running of the restaurant.

“It is not easy to fill this many seats in this location. To try a vast variety of styles means that it is required to accommodate every customer’s need,” tells Mr. Suzuki about the difficulty of realizing it. He met Seki Shi at “Sushi of Gari” in 2000, when he started his career as a manager. He joined the launch and the operation of the first “Sushi Seki”, but left them for a while between 2005 and 2012, building his career by working for various famous restaurants including “Megu”, “15 East”, and “Sakamai”. When Seki Shi was preparing to open the second Sushi Seki, he was asked to join the project again.

Mr. Suzuki is in charge of managing everything for all the restaurants in the chain except cooking. He acquires customers, hires staff members, teaches them how to serve, and even creates the ambience of each restaurant. By being a leading sake sommelier of New York, he put his strong efforts into creating their drink menus, and contributed to help them win the fabulous “NYC50” award in the “Wine and Spirits Magazine” 2 years in a row. It is very rare that a dink menu from a Japanese restaurant gets selected. In 2017, they were the only Japanese restaurant winner. I was so impressed with not only the good balance they show in every field, the great variety, and the depth, but also the contents which skillfully offer customers the ease of selection, and for the staff to make recommendations.

Mr. Suzuki is supporting the restaurant’s super success by being the other wheel of Seki, by creating drink menus to enhance Seki’s cooking, and handling the management, etc. With his principle, “there is no manual for hospitality”, he produces a superbly comfortable space which possesses both a home-like atmosphere and sophistication.

I would really like you to try “Sushi Seki”, which continue to evolve all the time.


決して進化を止めることのない寿司店『すし石』タイムズスクエア店

タイムズスクエアの劇場街、“レストラン通り” と呼ばれる賑やかな通りに、忽然と現れる純和風の店構えに目を奪われるーここ『すし石』は、高品質で鮮度の高い魚介類を使い、季節感あふれる創作寿司を楽しめることでよく知られる店だ。

　オーナー・シェフの石氏は中国福建省出身。17歳で東京へ留学、そこで料理に目覚め頭角を現した。1991 年にニューヨークに渡り、『Sushi of Gari』をはじめとする名店で活躍後、2002 年に独立。アッパーイースト地区に『すし石』を開店した。

　そして、2014年1月に2店舗目となるチェルシー店、2015 年10 月には3 店舗目となるタイムズスクエア店を立て続けに開店。近々、ブルックリンでの開店計画も進行中だ。本格的な寿司店ほど、職人個人の技量に頼るところが大きく、多店舗展開が難しいと思われがちだが、この快進撃を支える原動力とは一体何だろうか。

　「タイムズスクエア店はこれまでの2店舗とは大きく違う。さまざまな形態を総合的に展開するフラッグシップ店として位置づけている」と語るのは、ジェネラル・マネジャーの鈴木康之氏。

　1階に80席、2階に70席という贅沢な空間。一歩足を踏み入れると、広々としたカウンター席とテーブル席が続く。奥には「Kappo Room」と呼ぶ空間があり、そこにはオープンキッチンに面したカウンター席、テーブル席、コミューナル・テーブルが配置されている。2階に上がると、日本産ウィスキーを中心に楽しめるウィスキー・バー、窓際のテラス席、座敷の個室、おまかせ寿司を楽しめる隠れ家風の空間が存在する。商談、家族連れ、団体、デート、一人など、あらゆるシチュエーションに対応できる仕様だ。

寿司が中心だったメニューも大きく進化。「レストランとして真剣に“料理” に取り組みたい」という石氏の強い意向で割烹料理を開始した。月替わりで、四季折々の山海の恵みが満載の「割烹おまかせ（85ドル〜） 」のほか、バラエティ豊かなアラカルトを提供。稚鮎の山椒煮やこごみの胡麻和えなど、米国ではなかなか味わえない日本の季節感だ。

　また、劇場街という特殊な立地ならではの試み「ミニおまかせ（55 ドル）」も提供。観劇前で食事時間が十分取れない客からの要望と、店側の運営円滑化を見事に両立させた内容で、好評を博している。

　「この立地でこの席数を埋めるのは簡単ではない。さまざまな形態に取り組むということは、あらゆる客のニーズに応える必要があるということ」と、その難しさを語る鈴木氏。同氏は、マネジメントとしてのキャリアを開始した2000年に『Sushi of Gari』で石氏と出会った。その後、『すし石』1 号店の開店・運営に携わった後、いったん離れ、2005 〜12年は『Megu』『15 East』『Sakamai』など、数々の名店で実績を重ねた。そして、石氏が2 号店の開店準備を進めている時、「再び一緒にやってほしい」と請われた。

　鈴木氏は、全店で、集客、スタッフ採用・教育、接客、店の雰囲気作りに至るまで、料理以外のマネジメントを統括する。さらに、ニューヨークを代表する酒ソムリエでもある同氏は、飲料メニューにも力を注ぎ、『Wine and Spirits Magazine』で2 年連続「NYC50」に選ばれるという快挙を成し遂げた。日本食店の飲料メニューが選出されるのは非常に稀で、2017 年は同店のみだ。それぞれの分野でのバランスの良さ、種類の多さや奥深さに驚かされるだけでなく、客にとっての選びやすさとスタッフにとっての勧めやすさを両立させた内容は、「さすが」の一言に尽きる。

石氏の料理を引き立てる飲料メニュー、シェフとしての石氏を支えるマネジメント…という具合に、鈴木氏が両輪のひとつとなり、同店の快進撃を支える。「ホスピタリティにマニュアルはない」という信条で、家庭的な雰囲気とお洒落さを併せ持つ、絶妙な居心地の良さを演出する。

　常に進化し続ける『すし石』、ぜひ足を運んでみてほしい。

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Sushi Seki
(Flagship-Times Square)
365 West 46th Street
New York, NY 10036
Tel: (212) 262-8880
http://www.sushiseki.com/

Mon. 5:00pm-11:00pm
Tues.-Sat. 5:00pm-12:00am

By Elii sSekine

Hayes Valley, which is known as the place where a gourmet culture started, is also a highly competitive place for the restaurant business. During the recent real estate development, many new condominiums and business buildings have been built, and the area is becoming even more desirable. Many foodies who want to eat out live there, and also some culture/art facilities for performing arts such as symphony orchestra concerts, ballet, Jazz performances, art museums, etc. are in the nearby areas. Restaurants in the area, therefore, need to accommodate to a wide variety of preferences as well. There is only one real authentic sushi restaurant in the area, and that is “Tsubasa”. They have gained many excellent reviews through word of mouth on social media, and have been given a Bib Gourmand rating by the Michelin Guide. They are supported by local sushi lovers for their high-quality a-la-carte, and omakase menus, and the approachability.

The owner, Irene Ouyang, is a Chinese American. She has been a fan of Japanese cuisine for a long time, and was motivated to start and run a Japanese restaurant called “Sushi House” 20 years ago. She later opened “Naked Fish Sushi Grill & Wine Restaurant”, which attracted a younger generation of sushi fans, taking advantage of the pop culture-like sushi boom of that time. Its innovative style, in which a drink bar and sushi are combined, has been copied by many restaurants since, and has become one of the standard styles. Then, 3 years ago, she opened “Tsubasa” on a busy street of Hayes Valley where people are always keeping their eyes on restaurants.

Last summer, the restaurant welcomed Peter Pae as the executive chef, and refreshed the menu. Mr. Pae is a non-Japanese sushi chef, who has 20-years of experience in cooking at Japanese restaurants. He learned the basics of sushi and sushi making techniques from Osamu, the owner of “Sushi Sam”, a popular restaurant which has been leading the sushi boom in San Mateo. He is also carrying over his craftsmanship. He says, “The most important thing about sushi is freshness, and enjoyment of dining is enhanced by having seasonal ingredients.” It is so obvious that such a philosophy is reflected on the menu. He is very particular about the fish he buys, and 90% of it comes directly from Tsukiji and Fukuoka. A wide variety of ingredients and freshness are their selling points.

The menu contains a wide-variety of dishes which include a-la-carte dishes, traditional nigiri sushi, sushi rolls, the original “Fusion Roll”, and options of temaki (hand rolls). The signature items are the “Chef’s Choice”, and “Tsubasa Daily”, for which nearly 30 different kinds of seasonal freshly caught ingredients are described daily. Evening time is mostly filled by reservations, but some walk-ins are accepted on some nights. For lunch time, there are items for quick-eats such as chirashi sushi and negitoro donburi, but they have recently added omakase style dishes on the lunch menu, which are welcomed for business lunches and “Tsubasa” fans. This time, I tried a course meal, and some dishes from the regular menu items. The appetizer, local oysters, were flavored in a Japanese way, and colorfully arranged with momiji oroshi (tinted grated daikon) and green onions, and boosted my appetite. Nicely tender and sweet ankimo (monkfish liver) ($11/each) and Nasu-no Nibitashi (cooked eggplant dish) went very well with Junmai sake. Chawan-mushi (steamed egg custard), a popular dish ($9〜$14) had a slight fragrance of sakura-ebi (tiny dried shrimp), and the fluffy custard made with tasty dashi was bringing out the goodness of rich and creamy uni (sea urchin) from Hokkaido. The main dish, “Special Sashimi” ($80) was colorful, and presented like an art for the decoration of your table. You can easily imagine the freshness of the ingredients by just looking at them, and the skillfully cut pieces and tasteful presentation showcase the craftsmanship well. Well-thought colorful arrangement of that day consisted of fish from Japan, shimaaji, hotate (scallop), inada, kinmedai, kamasu, hotaruika (tiny squids), muki-hotate, etc., and sakura-masu (trout) was decorated and favored with cherry leaves. The nigiri plate looked high class and gorgeous with gold dusted o-toro and zuwai-gani (crab) served with kani-moso (crab brain), which give you the ultimate pleasure of sushi tasting. The menu contains a wide selection of ingredients from standard fish to rare fish from Japan’s nearby seas, which you rarely see at other restaurants, hence can accommodate all sushi eaters from beginners to experts. You can imagine how prominent this place is from serving hon-maguro, because it is supplied to only a limited number of Japanese restaurants.

The restaurant is medium size, having a total of 50 seats. On the left after entering, you see the sushi chef counter, and bar tables, which were filled with many single customers. As for the alcoholic drink selection, Japanese sake brands dominate it. They are sorted by dryness, crispness, and smoothness. Next is wine, beer, and craft beers. Here, the sushi dining that should start with a drink, which Ouyang believes in, matches the eat-out culture spirit of Hayes Valley, and is collecting a lot of sushi fans every day.


築地、福岡直送の新鮮なネタが自慢の人気寿司店

グルメ発信基地としても知られるヘイズバレーはレストランの激選区。最近の再開発で新しいマンションや商業ビルが次々と建ち、益々魅力的な街へと変貌を遂げている。レストランに出かけるフーディーな客が多く、シンフォニーやバレエ、ジャズホール、美術館などの文化芸術施設が隣接するため、店側も多種多様な対応が求められる。その中で唯一の本格的な寿司屋、「Tsubasa Sushi」は、SNS の口コミで常に多くの星の数を獲得し、ミシュランガイドではビブグルマンにも選ばている。アラカルト、オマカセ共に高品質なのに通いやすさが寿司ファンに支持されている。

オーナー、 Eileen Ouyang 氏は中国系アメリカ人。昔からの日本食好きが高じて20 年前にレストラン「Sushi House」の経営を始めた。その後オープンした「Naked Fish Sushi Grill & WineRestaurant」は、当時のポップな寿司ブームに乗り、特に若年層を惹きつけた。ワインを加えドリンクメニューを充実させた画期的なスタイルは、今では多くの店が取り入れ定番となっている。そして3年前、いつも注目を浴びるヘイズバレーのおしゃれで賑やかな通りに「Tsubasa」をオープンした。

去年の夏、エグゼキュティブシェフにPeter Pae 氏を迎えメニューも一新された。Pae 氏は、日本食レストランでの料理人歴20 年になるノンジャパニーズの寿司職人。San Mateoで寿司ブームを牽引して来た人気レストラン、「SushiSam’s」のオーナー、おさむ氏から寿司の基本と技術を伝授され、その職人気質も継承している。「寿司は鮮度が命。そして季節のネタが並ぶ事で、食べる楽しみが一層豊かになる」とPea 氏。その哲学はメニューを見れば一目瞭然だ。毎日仕入れる魚にはこだわりがありその90％近くが日本の築地や福岡からの直輸入。ネタの種類と新鮮さがウリとなっている。

メニューは、一品料理、伝統的な握りとロールにオリジナルの「フュージョンロール」手巻きのオプションが加わるバラエティーな内容。看板は、「Chef’schoice」と30 品目近くの旬のネタが毎日書き換えられる「Tsubasa Daily」だ。

夜は予約客がほとんどだが、日によってはウォークインでも入れる。昼メニューはさっと済ませられるチラシ丼やネギトロ丼物などもあるが、最近「オマカセ」もランチメニューに加わり、ビジネスランチや“Tsubasa ファン” に好評だ。

今回、コースとレギュラーメニューの一部を賞味した。アペタイザーの牡蠣は地元産で和風に味付けし、もみじおろしやグリーンオニオンの彩も良く食欲を唆る。適度な甘さで柔らかいあん肝（各＄11) とナスの煮浸しは純米酒との相性も抜群。人気アイテムの茶碗蒸（＄9 〜＄14）は桜えびの匂いがほんのり漂い、良い出汁で仕上げたフルフルなカスタードが北海道産の濃厚でクリーミーな雲丹を引き立てている。メインの「SpecialSashimi」($80) は、色彩豊かでプレゼンテーションがまるでアートの様にテーブルを飾る。ネタの新鮮さは見た目で想像できるが、その切り身とセンス良い盛り付けに職人技が光る。この日は、シマアジ、ホタテ、イナダ、キンメダイ、カマス、ホテルイカ、ムキホタテなど色合い鮮やかで、サクラマスは桜の葉で飾り香り付けをするなど工夫が凝らしてある。

握りは金粉を飾られた大トロと蟹味噌を挟んだズワイ蟹で高級感が漂い寿司の醍醐味がたっぷり味わえる。メニューは定番の寿司から他店ではお目にかかれない日本近海のネタが揃っており、初心者から寿司ツーまでを満足させる内容。また、本鮪の仕入れは日本食レストランの中でも限られているため、同店の盛況ぶりが伺える。

店内は全50席のミディアムサイズ。エントランスを入った左側には寿司シェフカウンター、バーテーブルがあり、個人客も多く見かける。アルコールは日本酒が圧倒的に多く、ドライ、クリスプ、スムーズの口当たり別で表示してある。次いでワイン、ビールを多種揃える。ここでもOuyang 氏がこだわるドリンクから始まる寿司ダイニングがヘイズバレーの外食スピリットにマッチし、毎日大勢の寿司ファンで賑わっている。

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Tsubasa Sushi
429 Gough St.
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 551-9688
http://www.tsubasasf.com/

Tues.-Wed. 5:30pm-10:00pm
Thur. 11:30am-2:00pm
5:30pm-10:00pm.
Fri. 11:30am-2:00pm
5:30pm-10:15pm
Sat. 12:00pm-2:45pm
5:30pm-10:15pm
Sun. 5:30pm-9:30pm

By Elli Sekine

During the last half of the nineties in San Francisco, people were enjoying the economic growth, and traditional washoku such as high-end sushi, kappo, and kaiseki-style Japanese cuisine was beginning to gain attention. Corporate businessmen were the main target demographic, and "Kiku of Tokyo" in the Hilton Hotel, and "Kyoya" in the Palace Hotel in downtown where the convention center is located, were enjoying their popularity as the typical restaurants of that type. In the year 2000, the washoku boom entered into the fusion phase, and after 2010, the "Sushi Kaiseki" and "Omakase" era began. Now, such high-end washoku culture has settled in, and non-business people are also acquainted with the culture. Such achievements made by legendary chefs who triggered the washoku boom, are still thriving in San Francisco's restaurant industry, decades later.

In 2008, after "Kiku of Tokyo" closed, Chef Gomi opened the freestanding "Kappou Gomi" in the Richmond District, and entertained us with authentic Japanese cuisine at a reasonable price. Unlike the restaurants in the downtown hotels, there was no feel of a high-end place, private tatami rooms, etc., but Mr. Gomi seized the hearts of business people who used to know him, and of local American regular customers as well. However, finally, in October of last year, the long-lived washoku legendary restaurant in San Francisco came to an end. While everybody was reminiscing and missing the legend, Mr. Son Minh, Mr. Gomi's former favorite disciple during his "Kiku of Tokyo" days, opened "Akira", the only restaurant where his master's teachings have been inherited, and it became a popular topic of conversation.

The owner/chef, Minh was born in Vietnam. The co-owner and wife, Ms. Judy Young, was born in Laos, and came to the US as a refugee in the seventies. They met through a refugees' circle activity, and later got married. They both overcame discriminations and hardships in life. Since graduating from college, Judy has been working as a counselor for poor people and immigrants. On the other hand, Son met his master, Gomi at a washoku restaurant, "Kiku of Tokyo" where he worked as a temp while going to school. Son was working diligently, and got noticed by Chef Gomi, who told him, "If you like to cook, I can teach you how to cook washoku, starting from the basics." After the training was done, he worked as a sous-chef for a while.

After that, he worked at "Hanazen", and "Kiji" as head chef. The mater/disciple relationship between him and Mr. Gomi continued over the next 20 years, and still ongoing even now.

The name "Akira" was also given by the master. The name represents a positive and progressive approach. "Akira", which has been open for one year, is located in a residential area slightly away from Japan Town. "Akira" meets neither conditions for what a successful washoku restaurant should have, a "good location" and a "Japanese chef", but it has gotten off to a good start as if overturning such cliché. The first reason is its price setting.

Minh's transpicuous personality and diligence that shows in his words: "I would like my restaurant to be the kind of place for everyone to be able to have a reasonable meal", seem to be reflected upon how he runs the restaurant. The second reason is its menu structure. It is unbelievable for a restaurant with a mere 38 seats to have such a rich variety of items. Its line-up of popular items from the eighties such as traditional style sunomono, karaage, donburi, tempura, noodles, sashimi etc. can accommodate any customer. The third reason is the service. Every staff member is friendly, and although they are not Japanese, they have the right knowledge, and the omotenashi spirit is embedded into theirs.

While increasing the number of his original menu items, Mr. Minh always maintains traditional items as well. For example, they offer items like Shokado Bento ($17, lunch only), Chawan-mushi ($10), and Matsutake Dobin-mushi, which you don't see anywhere else. He makes dashi delicately as he has been engaging in Japanese cuisine for a long time.The fluffily strained chawan-mushi, dobinmushi with fully extracted shiitake mushrooms' flavor and umami, etc. satisfy the customers who remember "Kiku". The Shokado-Bento is one of their popular joyful lunch choices. It contains plenty of fresh sashimi, and the price is reasonable, and has become a very popular item for the Japanese people who live in a nearby residence community for Japanese Americans. At dinner time, an omakase course ($65) is offered in addition to the a-la-carte dishes. It is a kappou-style washoku course with 7 items including a small bowl of appetizer, sashimi, and fruits.

Lately, in the Bay Area of San Francisco, older Japanese owners/chefs are retiring one after another, closing the restaurants, and the generation is transitioning to non-Japanese chefs. In such a time, I can say that Mr. Minh one of the lucky ones who were able to inherit traditional Japanese cuisine techniques from a craftsman chef. I can see that a new era of washoku culture is beginning to rise at the same time while the good-old days are carried over.


割烹レジェンド店を継承する新レストラン

90年代後半、好景気に沸いていたサンフランシスコでは、寿司なら上ネタ、割烹、懐石料理といった伝統和食が注目を浴び始めていた。そのターゲットとなったのはビジネスマン達で、コンベンションホールがあるダウンタウンに位置するヒルトンホテル内の「キク　オブ　トウキョウ」、パレスホテル内の「京屋」はその代表店として人気を誇っていた。2000 年になると、和食ブームはフュージョン期を迎え、2010 年代に入ってからは「寿司懐石」や「オマカセ」時代となる。今やハイエンド和食は定着し、ビジネス以外の客も引き込んでいるが、その火付け役となった伝説のシェフ達が残した功績は、時代を超え今でもサンフランシスコレストラン業界に息づいている。

2008 年、「キク オブ トウキョウ」の料理長だった五味シェフは"Kiku" の 閉鎖後、リッチモンド地区に独立店舗「割烹五味」をオープンし、正統派の和食料理がリーズナブルな値段で味わえると話題を集めた。ダウンタウンのホテル内とは異なり、プレミアム感や個室の座敷などはないが、五味氏を知るビジネス客と地元アメリカ人の常連客を掴んでいた。しかしついに去年10 月、長年に及んだSF の和食伝説は幕を閉じた。誰もがその存在を惜しんでいたところ、「キク オ
ブ トウキョウ」時代、五味シェフの愛弟子だったソン・ミン氏が師からの伝授を継承する唯一の店「アキラ」がオープンした。

オーナーシェフのミン 氏はベトナム生まれ、共同オーナーで妻のジュディ・ヤング氏はラオス生まれで、70年代、難民としてアメリカに移住してきた。二人は難民サークルで出会い、やがて結婚をした。お互い差別や生活苦を乗り越え、ジュディは大学を卒業した後、現在まで貧しい人や移民のカンセリングをしている。一方ソン氏は、同時代にアルバイトをした和食レストラン、「キク オブ トウキョウ」で師匠の五味氏と出会った。真面目に働いていたソン氏に「料理が好きなら和食を基本から教えてあげよう」と声がかかった。修行後はスーシェフとして２軒の店を支えた。その後ソン氏は、「花膳」、「キジ」の料理長を勤めている。しかし五味氏との師弟関係は、20 年以上に及ぶ今でも続いている。「アキラ」という店名も師からの授かりもの。明るく漸進的な姿勢を表している。

開店から一年となる「アキラ」は、日本町からは少し離れた住宅街に位置する。成功する和食レストランの法則である「良いロケーション」と「日本人シェフ」のどちらも持ち合わせないが、それを覆すかのように幸先の良いスタートをきっている。その第一条件は価格設定だ。

「誰でもリーズナブルに食事がでる店にしたい」とソン氏の気取らない性格と勤勉さが店作りに反映されているようだ。第2 はメニュー構成にある。メニューの多さは38 席の店の規模からは想像しがたい内容だ。昔ながらの酢の物や唐揚げ、丼、天ぷら、麺類から寿司など人気アイテムの数々が並びどんな客にも対応できる。第3 にはサービスが挙げられる。スタッフは皆フレンドリーで、ノンジャパニーズでありながらも日本食の正しい知識を持ち、おもてなしの精神も継承されている。

ソン氏はオリジナルメニューを増やしながらも、伝統メニューも必ず残している。例には、松花堂弁当（$17 ランチのみ）、茶碗蒸し（$10）、松茸土瓶蒸しなど他店には見られないアイテムがある。日本食に長年携わったシェフらしく、出汁の取り方は繊細だ。フルフルとした茶碗蒸しのこし方やしいたけの香りと旨味を引き出した土瓶蒸しは"Kiku" を懐かしむ客を喜ばせている。松花堂弁当はランチタイムのお楽しみの一つ。新鮮な刺身も含めた盛りだくさんの内容でお値打ちとあって、近隣の日系施設に住む日本人の人気メニューとなっている。一方、夜はアラカルトの他、オマカセ（$65）も提供している。小鉢からお造り、水菓子まで７品目提供する割烹風和食コースだ。

今やサンフランシスコベイエリアでは、往年の日本食オーナーシェフ達が続々リタイヤで店を閉め、ノンジャパニーズの世代へと推移している。そんな中、ソン氏は職人シェフから伝統的な日本食を受け継いだラッキーな一人かも知れない。古き良き時代を追随しながらも新しい和食時代を築き始めている。

Akira
1634 Bush Street
San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 800-8498
http://www.akirasf.com/

Lunch
Mon.-Fri. 11:30am-2:30pm

Dinner
Mon.-Thurs. 5:00pm-10:00pm
Fri.& Sat. 5:00pm-10:30pm

By Keiko Fukuda

There is a restaurant on the first floor of a modern building that stands out facing Melrose Avenue. It is UMEDA, run by Mr. Takuya Umeda who used to be a chef at Matsuhisa, and became independent.

There is a pond under the glass floor of the entrance of the restaurant, and the ceiling is designed to look like waving water. You feel the special thoughts of the designer that were put into both the exterior and interior. I heard that the owner of the building took charge of the designing of the building. Mr. Umeda was introduced to this building during its construction.

He was drawn to its good location, and decided to close the deal. At the time, he expected to open the restaurant in about 6 months or so, but it actually took 3 long years to open due to taking a long time to acquire various licenses. You can say that this is a typical hardship that every owner who wants to open a new restaurant in Los Angeles experiences.

Mr. Umeda is from Hokkaido. After working for a restaurant in Sapporo, an acquaintance contacted him about a position opening in a Japanese restaurant in London. He went for the interview because he had always been interested in working overseas. He passed the interview, and got hired in 1987. In 1997, he moved to NOBU London. NOBU London is the second NOBU after NOBU New York was established by the charismatic chef, Nobuyuki Matsuhisa.

After that, Mr. Umeda moved to the Beverly Hills Matsuhisa, andgrew his experience and career under Nobu-san for 20 years. I asked what he absorbed from his master. "I learned from him, the techniques as to how to apply something extremely innovative on something very basic. The way he thinks of how to create something new from ingredients from all over the world that influence him is fantastic".

As such, he finally reached the point of opening the restaurant UMEDA in March of 2017. UMEDA has very extensive menu for both lunch and dinner. The best seller at lunch is the Bento Box ($42). For dinner, in addition to various dinner items, 4 omakase-style dinners are served; tasting ($100), sushi and sashimi ($120), chef's choice ($150), and the highest course which includes a Miyazaki beef dish ($170).

From the stand point of applying innovative arrangements to basic Japanese cuisine, you can say that the Matsuhisa style is deeply embedded into Umeda's cooking. However, now that he became independent, he also tries to develop his own color in his cooking style. Especially with his original sauce, "Koji salsa", to accentuate fish and meat, for instance, he is striving to establish the Umeda style.

Moreover, since he is from Hokkaido, he is particularly picky about seafood ingredients, and many ingredients are sent directly from the Tsukiji market. "You can place orders to Tsukiji directly now, which allows for fresher fish in less time, and cheaper acquisition. Someone actually goes to the market to buy wholesale and send to us, so it is very easy to deal with because we can convey our opinions directly," says Mr. Umeda.

After starting his career in Sapporo, he wandered through various places - London, Beverly Hills, Melrose, and now has 35 years of experience. Umeda-san's idea is to just create the kinds of dishes which are wanted by customers, and would please them. He also shows his flexibility by saying, "If requested by a customer, I would like to challenge it with my experience and knowledge without being conservative and declining to make it, even if it is not a Japanese dish. A new thing could be born unexpectedly like that, couldn't it?"

Lastly, I asked him what kind of restaurant he would like to see UMEDA become 5 years from now. He said, "I would like it to be a place where customers enjoy vividly with their favorite food and drinks - like the image of an English pub." They say that for British people, pubs are an essential part of their lives. I look forward to the day when UMEDA becomes such a place for the people around the Melrose area.


松久出身のシェフが手がける食材にこだわるレストラン

メルローズ・アベニューに面した一際モダンな建物の１階にあるのは、松久のシェフから独立した梅田拓也さんが手がける店、UMEDA 。エントランスのガラスフロアの下には池、店内の天井はまるで波打つようにデザインされている。外観、内観ともにデザイナーのこだわりが感じられる。聞けば、建物のオーナー自身が設計も担当したのだそうだ。梅田さんはこの物件の建設中に案内され、ロケーションに魅力を感じて契約。しかし、半年程度で開店できるだろうと踏んでいたのが、実際は諸々のライセンス取得に時間がかかり、オープニングまでに３年もの年月を要した。ロサンゼルスで新規のレストランを開店させるオーナーには付き物の苦労と言えるかもしれない。

梅田さんは北海道の出身。札幌市内の店で勤務した後に、知り合いからロンドンの日本食店で料理人を探していると声がかかった。以前から海外に興味があったことから迷わず面接を受け、採用された。それが1987 年のことだった。さらに、1997 年にはNOBU ロンドンに転職した。カリスマシェフの松久信幸さん（以下ノブさん）がNOBU ニューヨークに続いて、２号店として手がけた店だ。　その後、梅田さんはビバリーヒルズの松久に移り、20 年にわたってノブさんの下で経験を積んできた。どのようなことを師匠から吸収したかを聞いた。

「ベーシックなものがあって、その上で、非常に斬新なアレンジを施す点を学ばせてもらいました。世界中の食材から影響を受けて、それからいかに新しいものを作り上げるかというアイデアが素晴らしいのです」

こうして、2017 年３月に開店にこぎ着けた UMEDA では、ランチ、ディナーともに多彩なメニューを揃えている。ランチタイムに一番出るのは弁当ボックス（42 ドル）。夜は各種ディナー以外にテイスティング（100 ドル）、寿司と刺身（120 ドル）、シェフズチョイス（150 ドル）、さらに宮崎牛の一品が含まれる最上級コース（170 ドル）の４種類のお任せを提供。

日本料理の基礎の上に斬新なアレンジといった点では、松久スタイルが染み込んでいるとも思える梅田さんの料理だが、独立したからには自分自身の色を料理で出していこうとしている。特にオリジナルのソース「麹サルサ」で魚や肉にアクセントを加えるなど、梅田スタイルの確立に努めているとのこと。

また、北海道出身であることからも魚介のネタにはこだわりがあり、築地直送の食材を多数取り寄せている。「今は直接、築地に注文を入れられるので、鮮度がよく、時間も短く、値段も安くなっています。何より実際に市場で魚を買って卸す人が送ってくるので、どういう魚がほしいかといった、こちらの意見も直接伝わる分、非常にやりやすいです」と梅田さん。

札幌に始まり、ロンドン、ビバリーヒルズ、そしてメルローズと各地を渡り歩きながら、シェフとしての経験は35 年になると言う。そんな梅田さんが理想とするのは、あくまで顧客が食べたいと思う料理、喜んでくれる料理を作ることだと語る。「お客さんがリクエストしてきたら、それは日本料理じゃないからと保守的にならずに、自分の経験と知識を駆使して挑戦したいと思います。新しいものとはそうやって意外なところから生まれるものではないでしょうか」と、フレキシブルな姿勢を見せる。　最後に５年後のUMEDA をどういう店にしたいかを聞くと、「好きな料理とお酒でワイワイと賑やかにお客さんに楽しんでもらえる店にしたいですね。イメージはイギリスのパブです」と梅田さんは答えた。イギリス人の生活にパブはなくてはならないものだと言われるが、メルローズ界隈の人々にとってUMEDA がそういう存在になれることを楽しみに待ちたい。

UMEDA Restaurant
6623 Melrose Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90038
(323) 965-8010
http://umedarestaurant.com/

Mon.-Sat. 12:00pm-2:30pm
6:00pm-10:30pm
Sunday close

By Aya Ota

“WOKUNI”, an innovative restaurant which offers fresh seafood cultivated directly from their own self-operated aqua-farm in Nagasaki, appeared in Midtown in late October, and has become the talk of the town.

“I would like to spread the Japanese food culture in which people eat fresh seafood, to the world,” says Daiichi Sakamoto, President of Tokyo Ichiban Foods (the company is listed with the first section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange). This company opened a fugu (blowfish) specialty restaurant called “Torafugu Tei” first in 1996 in Shinjuku, Tokyo, and since then, they have developed a restaurant chain of 50 restaurants specialized in seafood in the Kanto area including “Torafugu Tei” and “Uohkuni”, etc.

With the company’s philosophy, “to serve high quality food ingredients at reasonable prices”, they launched their own aqua-farm in 2011. They are Japan’s one and only food service company which handles everything by themselves including producing, processing, and selling of seafood.

The sales points of “WOKUNI”, their first overseas development, are undoubtedly their own brand tuna and adult yellowtail. Their own aquafarm is located in a cove flourishing with nature, where the clear stream of Yasumandake, the highest peak of Hirado City, Nagasaki prefecture, and Tsushima Ocean current meet. They conduct an environment-friendly sustainable cultivation by not catching young fish until they grow to become as large as 50 kilograms or more, etc. They also follow through with quality control by feeding fish with human-consumable fresh sardine and mackerel. I was impressed to know that they produce tuna and yellowtail, considering American customers who do not care for the fishy smell by making adjustments with the foods for the fish. They are the most particular about freshness. Normally, it would take 5 days for the fish to arrive at the restaurant if distributed through the fish market, but for them, it takes only 48 hours because they use their own distribution route to directly send fish from the aqua-farm. The fish are never frozen in the direct shipping, so the quality and taste stay its best. Cultivating fish in its own fishing ground makes consistent supplying possible, and also their own distributing system allows them to keep the prices as low as 60 to 70% of the normal distributing system. In addition to their own tuna and yellowtail, other naturally-caught fish is procured through their own distribution system every week from Tsukiji and various Kyushu areas, and overall, 80 to 90% of their fish is from Japan. The rich variety on the menu that includes not only sushi and sashimi, but also hot grilled, fried, and BBQed dishes, and cold dishes such as tartar, carpaccio, etc., allows you to enjoy the goodness of seafood fully. 30 brands of Japanese sake are strictly selected with the view of “best pairing with the seafood” in mind. From the end of November, they started to serve lunch, and the items such as seafood bowls, chirashi sushi, unagi bowls, etc., are served with reasonable pricing.

“There is no other country but Japan in which such high-quality seafood can be caught naturally or cultivated. I would like to spread the splendidness of Japanese seafood culture from New York, which can be called the Capital of the world,“ says Mr. Sakamoto as his reason to have chosen New York as the base for the company’s first overseas development. While popularity of sushi and sashimi grows bigger, fish consuming population seems to grow every year by one hundred million globally. “I am surprised that customers’ fish consumption is much larger than I originally expected. I feel that we must set our future prospects by looking at the world from now on,” continued Mr. Sakamoto. At “WOKUNI”, most of their customers are local Americans. After the grand opening,they have been making adjustments in the details of the menu structure, food volume, presentation, tastes, etc. according to the customers’ reactions. Their American customers are speaking highly about the restaurant, saying “It is a place where you can eat high-quality sushi and sashimi at reasonable prices”.

In the future, he wants to expand not only the restaurant business, but the company’s own brand of tuna and yellowtail wholesale business, basing WOKUNI. They keep challenging the world as a general fisheries company. He is very enthusiastic about becoming the base of spreading Japanese food culture itself, not to mention seafood.


日本の高品質な鮮魚を世界に向けて発信

長崎の自社漁場から直送する鮮魚を提供する画期的な店『WOKUNI』（うおくに）が、2017年10月末、ミッドタウンに登場して話題になっている。

「新鮮な魚を食する日本の食文化を世界に広めたい」と語るのは『東京一番フーズ』（東証一部上場企業）の代表取締役社長、坂本大地氏。同社は、1996年に、ふぐ料理専門店『とらふぐ亭』を東京・新宿に開店して以来、現在では、関東地方中心に『とらふぐ亭』や『魚王KUNI』など、魚介料理を強みにしたレストラン約50 店舗を展開している。同社では「こだわりの食材を手頃な価格で提供したい」という理念を持ち、2011年に自社漁場に着手。魚類の生産、加工、販売まで一貫して手がける日本唯一の外食産業だ。

同社の海外初進出店となる『WOKUNI』の目玉は、なんと言っても、自社ブランドのマグロとブリだ。自社漁場は、長崎県平戸市最高峰の安満岳の清流と対馬海流が流れ込む、自然の恵み豊かな入り江に位置している。稚魚の乱獲をせずに50 キロ以上になるまで大きく育てるなど、環境にも配慮したサステナブルな養殖方法を採用。そして、人も食べられる鮮度のイワシやサバを餌として与え、品質管理を徹底している。魚臭を苦手に感じる米国人顧客を意識して、餌を工夫して、魚臭が少ないマグロやブリを生産していることにも驚かされる。一番のこだわりは鮮度だ。通常、市場を介して流通した場合、約5 日かかるところ、自社ルートで漁場からレストランへ直送するため、たった48 時間で到着するという。一切冷凍せずに直送するため、品Interior Exterior質や味の点でも引けを取らない。自社漁場で生産するので安定供給も可能で、市場を介さず自社流通するため価格も約60 〜70％に抑えられる。このマグロとブリ以外にも、独自の流通ルートを通して、築地市場や九州各地から天然魚を毎週取り寄せており、店全体で使う魚介類の8 〜9 割が日本産だ。メニューは、寿司や刺身はもちろんのこと、焼き物、揚げ物、串焼きなどの温菜から、タルタルやカルパッチョなどの冷菜まで豊富に揃い、魚介類の魅力を味わい尽くすことができる。日本酒は“ 魚と合わせて美味しい”という観点で厳選し約30種類用意している。11 月末からはランチもスタート、海鮮丼やちらし寿司、ウナギ丼などを手頃な価格で提供している。

「天然も養殖も、これだけ高品質な魚介類が捕れる国は、日本以外にない。世界の食の首都とも言えるニューヨーク、世界中から多くの人が集まるニューヨークから、日本の魚介類のすばらしさを発信していきたい」と、坂本氏は海外初の拠点をニューヨークに定めた理由を語る。寿司や刺身の人気が高まる中、世界的に見て、魚食人口は毎年1 億人ずつ増えていると言われている。「お客様が魚を食べる量が、当初予想していたよりもはるかに多くて驚いている。これからは世界を見据えていかないといけない」と坂本氏。同店では、顧客のほとんどが地元米国人。グランドオープニング後は、顧客の反応を見ながら、メニュー構成や、ボリュームや盛り付け方、味付けなど、細かい点で見直しをかけているという。米国人客からも「高品質な寿司や刺身をリーズナブルに食べることができる」と好評だ。

今後はこの『WOKUNI』を拠点に、レストラン事業だけでなく、自社ブランドのマグロやブリの卸売り事業を広げていきたいと考えている。“ 総合水産企業”として、世界へ挑戦し続けている。魚介類はもちろんのこと、日本食文化そのものの発信拠点にもなりたいと意欲的だ。

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WOKUNI
325 Lexington Ave.
New York, NY 10016
(212) 447-1212
http://wokuninyc.com
Dinner Mon.-Fri. 5:00pm-10:30pm
Lunch Mon.Fri.11:30am-2:45pm
Sunday Closed

By Keiko Fukuda

It was right after their 2016 opening when the restaurant became the talk of the town as a “Japanese restaurant in downtown, to which people pay a lot of attention”. They won second place in the “101 Best Restaurants 2016” by Jonathan Gold. It is “Shibumi”. David Schlosser is the owner/chef there.

The first time I visited Shibumi was in September of 2016 when a JETRO event was held with David’s skillful cooking, using produce from the Oita prefecture. The restaurant is located in the Midtown district of Los Angeles where a lot of renovation is going on, and it is located at a corner of a building which does not have any visible sign. The impression I got from such a location and its appearance is that this place is like a hide-out which is supported by customers who visit just to taste his cooking. However, as mentioned before, David’s skills
which developed through experiences through working in Kyoto, etc., have been highly claimed, and so exposed on many media outlets, that he cannot just stay hidden quietly.

David was born in Santa Monica, California. He explained how he became interested in Japanese cuisine as follows: “There are many people in California who basically are health conscious, and I also have been leading a lifestyle with a very healthy eating habit. While I was traveling around Asian countries in 2000, I visited Japan, which gave me a strong impression, and Japan became a special place for me. I was touched by the people I met, Zen, and the foods of Japan.” He was a chef of French cuisine. He accumulated his experiences in Japanese cuisine in Tokyo and Kyoto, and then worked in a famous Japanese restaurant in LA after returning to the US. In July of 2016, he opened the long-awaited Shibumi restaurant.

“For Americans, Japanese cuisine is no longer something rare. However, to me, focusing on sushi for example, Japanese cuisine served in the US has been transformed to suit Americans’ tastes. I opened this restaurant hoping to offer true authentic Japanese cuisine to Americans. Therefore, I dare not serve sushi, and set up menu items that are non-fusion and have real Japanese tastes loved by the people of Japan.” The realization of Oita’s produce event in the fall of 2016 was led by his hope to deliver genuine items to America, which met the purpose of JETRO to deliver more Japanese ingredients to the American market. Then, in December of 2017, another Oita Fair was held at Shibumi, which lasted 10 days. At this Fair, a special menu – an original recipe created by David using Bungo-gyu (beef) sent directly from the Oita prefecture, yellowtail, and shiitake mushrooms was offered to the customers for tasting. The menu, which is a realization of the collaboration of Oita ingredients and David, had 2 courses, one for $75, and the other for $40, which included salt-grilled Bungo beef with yuzu pepper, yellowtail tataki with kabosu citrus sauce, and miso soup with sweet potato/shiitake balls.

David commented on the Oitamade food ingredients at the Fair as follows: “I was able to produce a very rich and deep taste thanks to the dried shiitake mushrooms I used with konbu for dashi of the miso soup. Bungo beef is considered to be in between Miyazaki beef, which is known for its light-tasting fat, and Kobe beef, which is well-balanced with fat. Bungo beef is relatively not as well-known as the other two in the US, and it will require some effort to make it more known here in the future. The characteristic of the yellowtail is its simple taste.”

Personally, I was most impressed with the miso soup with shiitake mushrooms. It reminded me of Dango-jiru, an Oita local favorite, which has a comforting taste that heals your body and soul. I freshly felt astonished and touched again to know that such very profound Japanese cuisine was being made by an American without showing any deliberate eccentricity. The Oitamade yuzu-kosho (pepper) served with the Bungo beef exquisitely brought out the umami of the meat. A special freshtasting cocktail made with Oita shochu brand “Ichiko” with kabosu juice was also served there.

Based on the success of the 2017 Oita Fair, David is looking forward to and is enthusiastic about a 2018 Oita Fair, saying “I would like to present a recipe using Sekiaji, Sekisaba, and again Bungo beef next time”. I heard that he is also planning to go to Oita to visit production sites before the next Fair.


話題の懐石料理店で大分フェア開催

その店が「ダウンタウンにある注目の日本食レストラン」として話題になったのは、2016年にオープンして間もなくのことだった。ジョナサン・ゴールドが選んだ「101Best restaurants 2016」では第２ 位に選出された、デビッド・シュロッサーさんがオーナーシェフを務める渋味だ。

最初に訪れたのは、大分県の物産を使ってデビッドさんが腕を振るったJETRO のイベントが開催された2016 年９月。再開発が進むロサンゼルスのダウンタウン地区にあり、ビルの一角にある同店には目立つ看板も掲げられていない。ロケーションといい、外観といい、料理を目当てに訪れる客によって支持されている隠れ家的な店だという印象だ。しかし、前述のように、京都でも料理人経験があるデビッドさんの手腕が評価され、ひっそりと隠れているわけにはいかないほどに多くのメディアで取り上げられてきた。

デビッドさんはカリフォルニアのサンタモニカ生まれ。日本料理に興味を持ったきっかけを次のように語る。「カリフォルニアにはもともと健康志向の人が多く、私自身も非常に健康的な食生活を送ってきました。2000 年にアジア各地を旅行した時に、日本に立ち寄り、私にとっては特別な場所だという強い印象を持ちました。特に、日本で巡り会った人々、禅、そして食に深い感銘を受けました」

もともとフランス料理のシェフだったデビッドさんは、東京や京都で日本食の経験を積み、アメリカに戻ってからもロサンゼルスの有名な日本食レストランで料理人を務めた。そして2016年６月、満を持して渋味を開店した。

「アメリカ人にとって日本料理はすでに珍しいものではありません。しかし、寿司を中心に、アメリカで出されている日本料理はアメリカ人の舌に合うように変容したものになっていると思います。私は本来のオーセンティックな日本料理をアメリカ人に提供したいという思いで店を開けました。ですから、あえて寿司は出さず、フュージョンではない、日本人に愛されているリアルテイストの日本食をメニューに並べています」　本物をアメリカで届けたいという思いが、日本産の食材をよりアメリカ市場へというJETRO の目的と合致し、2016 年秋の大分県の物産のイベント開催につながった。そして、2017年12月には10日にわたり、渋味で大分フェアが改めて開催された。これは、大分県から直送された豊後牛。ハマチ、シイタケを使って、デビッドさんがオリジナルレシピを考案し、テイスティングメニューとして顧客に提供するという内容。75 ドルと40 ドルの２種類のメニューが用意され、塩でグリルされた豊後牛の柚子胡椒添えやハマチのタタキのカボスソース、またシイタケが入ったさつまいもの饅頭の味噌汁をはじめ、大分の食材とデビッドさんのコラボレーションが実現した。

同フェアで取り上げた大分県産の食材について、デビッドさんは「味噌汁の出汁に昆布と共に使った干しシイタケのおかげで非常に豊かで深い味を出せました。豊後牛は、さっぱりした脂が持ち味の宮崎牛と脂が乗っている神戸牛との中間に位置します。神戸牛や宮崎牛に比べてまだまだアメリカでは知名度がないので、今後、知らせるための努力が必要ですね。ハマチはシンプルな味が特徴」と評価した。

個人的に最も印象に残ったのはシイタケを使った味噌汁。大分の郷土料理、団子汁を思わせる、心も身体も癒されるホッとする味だった。奇をてらうことなく、非常に奥深さを感じさせる日本食がアメリカ人によって作られていることに、改めて驚きと感動を覚えた。

また、豊後牛に添えられた柚子胡椒も大分県産。肉の旨みを絶妙に引き立てていた。大分県の焼酎ブランド、「いいちこ」をカボス果汁で割った、爽やかな特製カクテルも振る舞われた。

デビッドさんは、2017 年の大分フェアを踏まえて、2018 年にも「今度は関アジ、関サバ、そして再び豊後牛を使ったレシピを提供したい」と再度の開催に意欲を見せている。その前に生産現場の視察を目的に、大分県を訪問する計画も持ち上がっているとのことだ。

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Shibumi
815 S. Hill St.
Los Angeles, CA 90014
(323) 484-8915
http://www.shibumidtla.com/
Tue.-Sun. 6:00pm-10:30pm
Monday Closed

By Keiko Fukuda

The ranking contest, “Los Angeles ramen top-10” in the LA Weekly magazine in 2013 awarded Umenoya in Torrance as No. 3. The article read, “You don’t hear the typical loud vibrant greeting as many ramen restaurants here, but you can taste all their efforts in making a bowl of ramen”.

It has been 4 years since the article was published. After gaining new customers triggered by the LA Weekly ranking, Umenoya has been running very successfully, mainly supported by the local customers. I asked Mayumi Kohagura, the manager, what they do specifically to increase repeating customers.

“The space is limited, so in order to increase rotations, we serve as quickly as possible. We cannot do much about shortening the time of customers who are waiting to be seated, but we try to serve hot dishes as quickly as possible after receiving orders by training our staff for it. Another key point is to try to maintain the same taste. Of course, we do make slight changes to improve tastes, however, we strive for serving consistent tasting ramen as much as possible.”
In order to maintain the consistent service and taste, Mayumi is present in the restaurant every day. She says, “Not only do we try to keep the same taste, I also watch out for the consistency in the presentation so it matches the explanations in the menu. My motto is to serve a bowl that satisfies each customer at every visit.”
Surprisingly, the restaurant does not close until 3 after midnight. Not only are they accommodating people who want to eat ramen that late in the day, which makes this restaurant very important for them, but there are also other firm reasons or needs to run until that late according to Mayumi. Many regular customers work in different shifts for a huge hospital called Torrance Memorial which is only a few blocks away. They want to come to the restaurant after the graveyard shift.

The restaurant is not open for lunch except for weekends due to shortage of staff. There are 8 in the kitchen, and 6 in the front serving, however not everyone is working exclusively for Umenoya. Mayumi continues, “The biggest problem is how to keep the number of staff. This restaurant originally opened as a fast-food restaurant, and we cannot apply for a liquor license. We had a plan to open a second restaurant in Long Beach where alcohol beverages can be served, but we had to give up due to a trouble with the lease.

How about the menu? It has indeed a wide variety of items! On top of regular flavors such as Tonkotsu, Miso, Shoyu, Shio, and Spicy Miso, there is a kind called Jiro Ramen, which is made specifically to satisfy lighter taste fans. In the summer period, they add cold ramen to the menu. I myself prefer tonkotsu flavor, but it is an excellent point that there are many choices. For instance, if I bring my son who prefers miso flavor, or my daughter who prefers shoyu, the restaurant can accommodate all of us. All our favorites are listed on the menu. Mayumi says that they receive an equal number of orders of different flavors.

Yasunori Aoki, the sub-manager, who is in charge of the development of the menu, told me about his aspiration for the future. “As for the taste, I would like to keep introducing something new to make the restaurant stand out. For example, I want to discover something that exists in Japan, but not in Los Angeles, and then arrange it to suit the local area here, and make it a new popular menu item. I would like to keep making studious efforts in developing the menu.”


LAのラーメン店３位に輝く

2013年のLA Weeklyの「ロサンゼルスのラーメン・トップ10」のランキングで、堂々３位に選出されたのが、トーランスのUmenoyaだ。その記事には「ラーメン屋によくある威勢のいい掛け声をこの店で聞くことはできないが、すべての労力を１杯のラーメンに注ぎ込んでいるにちがいない」とある。

あれから４年。LA Weeklyのランキングを契機に新たな顧客を獲得した後、今もローカル客を中心に盛業を続けている。マネージャーの古波蔵（こはぐら）眞由美さんに、リピーターを増やす工夫について聞いた。

「狭い店なので回転率を上げるために、注文を受けたらすぐに出すことを徹底しています。席に着くまでにお待ち頂くのはある程度仕方ないですが、注文の後はすぐに熱々を食べていただけるようにスタッフを教育しています。それから味を変えないこと。もちろん、味の改善という意味では多少の進化もありますが、極力、安定した味のラーメンを提供するように心がけています」

サービスと味の安定のためにも、眞由美さんは毎日、店に出ている。「味のブレがないように、またメニューと変わりない盛り付けにも気をくばっています。お客様が来店されるたびにご満足いただける１杯を提供していきたいということがモットーです」

同店の営業時間はなんと深夜３時まで。その時間にラーメンを食べたいと思う人にとっては貴重な存在だが、それ以外にもしっかりとした深夜営業のニーズが存在すると眞由美さんは語る。数ブロック先には大規模な病院トーランスメモリアル・ホスピタルがあり、シフト制の勤務を終えた従業員たちが常連客でもあるのだそうだ。

ただし、人手不足が理由で、週末を除き、ランチは営業していない。キッチンには８人、サーバーは６人いるが、全員がUmenoya専業というわけではない。「人材の確保が一番の悩みの種です。また、この店はもともとファストフード店だった設計上、アルコールのライセンスを申請できません。そこで近郊のロングビーチにアルコールも提供できる２号店を出す計画が進んでいたのですが、 リース契約上のトラブルにより断念しました」

さて、肝心のメニューはと言うと、実にバラエティ豊かだ。豚骨、味噌、醤油、塩、スパイシー味噌にあっさり味に改良した次郎ラーメンまで揃う。夏には冷やし中華も仲間入りする。筆者個人は豚骨ラーメンのファンだが、味噌ラーメン好きの息子や醤油ラーメン好きの娘と来ても、それらがすべてメニューに並んでいるという時点ですでにポイントが高い。眞由美さんに聞けば「どのラーメンも満遍なく注文が入ります」とのこと。

メニュー開発を手がけるサブマネージャーの青木康則さんは「味に関しては、常に新しいものを発信して尖った店にしたいですね。例えば日本にあるのにロサンゼルスにないものを発見して、それをこちら向けにアレンジして人気メニューに育てるなど、常に努力を怠りなく取り組んでいきたいです」と抱負を語ってくれた。

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Umenoya
24222 Crenshaw Blvd.
Torrance, CA 90505
(310)530-3177
Monday,Wednesday-Friday:5:30pm-3:00am
Saturday: 12:00pm-3:00am
Sunday: 12:00pm-11:00pm
Closed on Tuesday