If you are a fan of the show Iron Chef, you’ll know that Morimoto is one of the most innovative chef’s, ever. This past Mother’s day, my older brother’s and I treated our family to dine at the Morimoto Restaurant in Napa, CA. We weren’t only celebrating Mother’s day, but we were celebrating three other very special occasions: my Dad’s birthday/upcoming retirement, and my little brother’s graduation from UC Davis.

We decided to take our Morimoto experience to its max and opted for the “Morimoto Omakase” which is defined as “‘Chef’s Choice’ a multi-course tasting menu designed to allow you to experience the essence of Morimoto’s cuisine.” The tasting menu consisted of eight courses. Though the portions were small, I was waddling out of my seat by the time dinner was over. The dinner was paced out to 4 hours filled with great food and good company.

Of course, I was there to document the whole experience. The food was beyond DEEE-LI-COUS! The nigiri was the freshest and best sushi I’ve ever eaten. Although service was lacking for the premium price that we paid, we had wonderful experience and great time together as a family. Now, onto the FOOD! (Forgive me for not remembering everything I ate, but I did my best to describe what it was). Enjoy!

 

The Morimoto Martini (pictured below, right) was tasty! It consists of Morimoto junmai sake, grey goose vodka, and a Japanese cucumber.

First Course: Tuna Tartare with assorted sauces and toppings (check out that presentation)! There was also a rare berry that was imported from Japan which is suppose to change the pallet taste. Such a fantastic course for starters!

Second Course: Kampachi Sashimi (The chef’s poured hot oil over the raw sashimi to cook it).

Third Course: Sea Bass (Disappointed that the fish was dry. We informed our waiter that it was dry and he told us that he’ll tell the chef, but they didn’t do anything about it) :/

Fourth Course: Foie gras and duck meat chawanmushi. A Japanese custard dish.

Fifth Course: Sake sorbet with basil seeds (it changes the pallet’s taste for our next dish).

Sixth Course: Assorted sashimi (soooooooooo good… the best sushi! Ever! Ever!!)

Seventh Course: Tuna! The right side is sweet bread served with foam. I don’t remember what the left side is, but it was almost like a yummy egg roll.

Coffee (disappointed that the coffee was nothing spectacular).

Eighth Course: Dessert – Can’t really remember what it was, but I think it’s a lemon bar served with green tea ice cream, and freeze dried (sugar?) droplets.

A special dessert just for my Dad!

A few photos taken afterwards. This is their outside dining area.

Verdict: Morimoto’s was a once in a lifetime experience and I feel everyone should try these fine dining restaurants for any special occasion. Though the service could have been better (I expected it to be better), the food was devouring. If you have great company accompanied with top notch food, the whole experience will make everything worthwhile!

Lenses Used: Canon 50mm 1.2 + Canon 35mm 1.4