Last night I went to Japonais with six other women from work. When I walked into the restaurant I got the sense that the focus was not necessarily going to be on the food. Japonais is, for all intents and purposes (and maybe just because I don't get out much), a club. Music was pumping, lights were dimmed, and people were clearly there to see and be seen. One of my colleagues rattled off a list of celebs that supposedly frequent the restaurant.
In any case, we started with a wonderful bottle of wine. I learned many things from the more experienced attorneys at the table, and one of them included that you can never go wrong with a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc- preferably Marlborough. I loved it! It reminded me of a Riesling but not quite as sweet.
We got lots of appetizers including the much discussed "the rock"- literally a smoking hot rock is brought to your table, on which you then cook thin slices of ny strip steak. A bit gimmicky, but fun nonetheless- My real problem with "the rock" was that the meat was just tooo salty. And I love salt.
For my entree I ordered the mushroom encrusted cobia- the fish was cooked to perfection, and the mushroom crust provided great texture. But again, the sauce was really salty. What should have been a light meal actually left me feeling somewhat bogged down.... Don't get me wrong, it's all "tasty," but I know I'd have appreciated it more if everything was a little less salty, so as not to completely cover the natural flavor of the ingredients.
For dessert we ordered the doughnuts and apple toban yaki- again, obviously yummy, but I wouldn't call home about it.
Next time I go to Japonais, it would likely be for drinks and some sushi.
In any case, we started with a wonderful bottle of wine. I learned many things from the more experienced attorneys at the table, and one of them included that you can never go wrong with a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc- preferably Marlborough. I loved it! It reminded me of a Riesling but not quite as sweet.
We got lots of appetizers including the much discussed "the rock"- literally a smoking hot rock is brought to your table, on which you then cook thin slices of ny strip steak. A bit gimmicky, but fun nonetheless- My real problem with "the rock" was that the meat was just tooo salty. And I love salt.
For my entree I ordered the mushroom encrusted cobia- the fish was cooked to perfection, and the mushroom crust provided great texture. But again, the sauce was really salty. What should have been a light meal actually left me feeling somewhat bogged down.... Don't get me wrong, it's all "tasty," but I know I'd have appreciated it more if everything was a little less salty, so as not to completely cover the natural flavor of the ingredients.
For dessert we ordered the doughnuts and apple toban yaki- again, obviously yummy, but I wouldn't call home about it.
Next time I go to Japonais, it would likely be for drinks and some sushi.
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