Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Dami Sushi and Izakaya (Buena Park, CA) and $100 Gift Certificate Giveaway!

by guest blogger @bstunoda
PS. Be sure to scroll to the end for a giveaway!

At an Izakaya restaurant, drinking is primary and eating is secondary. People go to izakaya restaurants to socialize much in the same manner that the Spanish drink wine and eat tapas. Like the current trend in dining, small plates dominate the menu and the plates are meant to be shared.
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Dami Sushi and Izakaya is located in the brand new Village Circle on Beach Blvd in Buena Park. After entering the restaurant, I found it to be beautifully decorated in modern Asian design. A high open ceiling, beautiful lattice wall coverings and effective lighting gave diners a comfortable experience.
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Whole grain salad
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The dish wasn’t calling my name, but I tried it anyway. It consisted of endive, black rice, Indian millet, lentil, kidney beans, fresh mozzarella in a soy vinaigrette. I was pleasantly surprised at how well the ingredients worked together. I think the soy vinaigrette brought all of the disparate flavors and textures together quite nicely. I’d choose this salad over most green salads as the kidney beans and lentils gave it quite a bit of substance.

Jawanmushi was next up and it turned out to be a version of chawanmushi (steamed Japanese egg custard).
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It was topped with shrimp and a shiitake mushroom. What gives chawanmushi a lot of flavor is dashi (Japanese soup stock) and sake. I happen to like all of the ingredients separately and the combination of everything was delightful to the palate.
DSCF1932A sake sommelier was on hand to explain that the sake served was carefully paired with the dishes.
We first tasted the Shin-rai Junmai Daiginjo which was very soft in nature; hints of melon and it had a floral nose. This was served with the dishes with more delicate flavors such as the whole grain salad. I really enjoyed this sake; it was almost like drinking a fine bottle of wine.

The Dami Seafood box was a true work of art.
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The sashimi was elevated by using artfully carved pieces of daikon radish. Some were carved as tables and others were shaped like miniature round plates. The sashimi salmon was my favorite. It was extremely fresh, full of flavor and on the fatty side.

Despite the appearance of the exterior, the oyster tempura was surprisingly crisp.DSCF1970
I used the ponzu sauce for dipping and combined the oyster tempura with the enoki mushrooms on each bite. While I thought the dish was tasty, I think the addition of grated daikon radish would make this dish even better.
A ssam-bab set was served next.
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DSCF1959The set included spicy pork belly, carrots, enoki mushrooms, green onions, lettuce and rice. It was both sweet and spicy and I liked how the enoki mushrooms gave it an interesting texture. Jokigen Junmai Ginjo was the second sake served. Unlike the first, this sake was very complex. There were many different taste sensations: mango, pineapple and pear to name a few. What I enjoyed the most about the sake was the clean finish. DSCF1937
I wasn’t expecting to find yakitori here and I was extremely delighted with their asparagus yakitori. I received a dish of thick asparagus spears and unlike some thick spears, this was not woody in taste or fibrous. Instead it was tender, juicy, and full of flavor. I literally savored each bite.

Saewoojang, or preserved shrimp, was served in a bowl over white rice.
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This shrimp is marinated for 7 days and served raw. Seeing an entire shrimp with head and tail still attached may affect the squeamish, but that didn’t bother me. I thoroughly enjoyed the intense flavors of the preserved shrimp.
DSCF1982The third and last sake we tasted was the Tenpouichi Tokubetsu Junmai.
This sake had notes of pineapple and apple and had a nice finish. Of the three that I tasted, the rice was strongest on the palate making it stand up better to Dami Sushi & Izakaya’s heavier dishes.

A tasting portion of miso salmon was served.
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This was their variation on the popular Japanese miso black cod. It seemed to have been prepared with a similar marinade. It was tender, sweet and flavorful, but most importantly perfectly cooked. In true izakaya fashion Dami Sushi and Izakaya provided a setting where you can enjoy fine craft beverages in a casual yet trendy setting. They place a premium on ensuring that the food is both fresh and served in an artistic manner. Dami Sushi and Izakaya is a great place to unwind from the week’s stresses with a friend.

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Now, I promised you a giveaway.
Dami has entrusted me with a $100 gift certificate to give away to one of you. To enter, just follow the instructions on the widget below (it may take a bit to load, sorry!). The giveaway will end next week. Good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway


Dami Sushi & Izakaya
5151 Beach Blvd, Unit A
Buena Park, CA 90621.
(714) 739-2537
http://eatdami.com/
Dami Sushi & Izakaya on Urbanspoon

Disclaimer: this visit was hosted

11 comments:

viaiko

Hi,

Please pick me! Thanks.

Another Girl

Very excited!

Unknown

THe Black Cod sounds good

tashamwilkerson


Jawanmushi sounds really good!!

Vegas and Food

I wanna try their cast iron rainbow rice and chirashi.. and of course, $100 worth of food and dessert.

Pam S.

The chirashi sounds delcious.

Anonymous

This restaurant sounds great. I love sushi and izakaya food.

Alice

Their Sushi Box looks amazing! And I love Black Cod.

boyzrule

Debnmike moretti
Miso salmon sounds yummy, but so does the salmon sashimi.

Unknown

Always looking for a good new izakaya place!

♡♥♬ Carolsue ♡♥♬

I would like to try their Miso Salmon and the Crunch Dragon Rolls
Digicats {at} Sbcglobal {dot} Net

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