FOX 5 TV Show

Introducing Summer Sake in Las Vegas.

Please click below;
http://www.fox5vegas.com/video/19823870/index.html

Nishimoto Trading Sake Tasting Event

June 6th Saturday, @Gonpachi Beverly Hills
12pm~5pm (Invitation Only)


I really like the Narutotai Ginjo Nama Genshu.
It has fruity aroma and sweet and full of Umami but very clean finish.
Alcohol % is 18.5% (sake averages 15~16% alcohol) but very soft attack.


I wish I could drink more but I had to work that day. sad.........





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Increase Sake Sales

So, I think in order to increase sake sales in Japanese restaurants are the same.
Need to create attractive sake sampler with small appetizers or have sake of the month special with seasonal Sashimi or food.
Include premium sake in Happy Hour with affordable price.


Report: Value Promos Fuel U.S. Dining Out Trend
June 8, 2009
-By Elaine Wong Consumers across the globe are cutting back on dining out, per a report released today (Monday) by The NPD Group. While marketers overseas tend to focus on new food introductions to help sales in tough times, in the U.S., it's all about value promotions.According to the report, foodservice outlets experienced a sharp drop in sales in Q4 2008, caused mainly by a steep decline in consumer demand. Spending dropped by 2.1 percent in countries like Japan, where the average diner spent $8.42 dining out. In Italy and Spain, the declines were 0.9 and 2.1 percent, respectively.

Meanwhile, foodservice brands in the U.S.—such as Subway and McDonald's—have responded to the global economic downturn with aggressive value messages. This focus on value advertising—as opposed to new menu additions—has paid off, per The NPD. Foodservice spending in the U.S. increased by 2.1 percent, and the average diner’s check was $6.34.
“While deals and promotions helped drive the small traffic growth at U.S. restaurants in 2008, such value-oriented practices are largely unfamiliar in other countries,” Bob O’Brien, senior vice president of global foodservice at NPD, said in a statement. “Instead, other countries are much more aggressive with product variety as an enticement to visit.”

Most common questions I get

Q1: Should sake be served hot or cold?

A1: Many people seem to believe that the finest sakes should be always served cold, but this belief is unfounded. The higher the quality of the sake is, the better it tastes regardless of temperature. To bring out the sharp flavors of lower grade sakes, however, it is often necessary for them to be served very cold. That being said, it is nevertheless true that some types of sake do taste better when cold while some others fare better when hot. Generally speaking, smooth ginjo-shu (premium sakes) with flowery or fruity aromas tend to be more enjoyable and better defined when chilled. On the other hand, junmai-shu (pure sakes) and honjozo-shu (brewage sakes) have acidic aromas and dry flavors. And with these types of sake, you can sense the maturity of the rice and the flavors are richer and fuller when these sakes are served hot.

Q2: How does one pick a good sake?

A2: It is hard to point out a single criterion for good sake. The type of sake people like depends greatly on the type of food they prefer. Some people like heavy and hearty dishes, while others like light and bland food. Those who like full-bodied red wine will probably prefer the junmai-kimoto or honjozo types of sake. The kimoto variety is a sake brewed in the traditional way using no artificial additives. Those who prefer simple yet fruity chardonnay wines, on the other hand, tend to enjoy the daiginjo (super premium sakes) type of sake. Try one from Niigata prefecture. The correct coupling of sake with the meal is critical for full enjoyment of the sake as well as the meal. Even if you think you do not like a particular kind of sake by itself, you may discover it has hidden charms when you combine it with a certain dish. Mix and match different types of sake with various kinds of food until you find a perfect pairing. I personally like sakes with a subtle aroma and well-balanced flavor reflecting acidity, sweetness and quality flavors.

Q3: What is the best way to do sake tasting?

A3: Just like with wine tasting, you sip the sake with some air when tasting it for the first time. Use the same glass you would use for white wine. Pour a little sake into the glass, and rotate it to expose the sake to air before you taste it. If it feels chilly, you may want to hold the glass with both hands to warm up the sake a little bit before you sip, because it is hard to detect the subtle aromas when the temperature is too low.

Q4: Are there specific kinds of glasses for serving sake?

A4: Sake, as well as wine or beer, does seem to taste different depending on the kind of glass used. In order to enjoy the full aroma of your sake, you will want to use a smaller white wine glass. When drinking hot sake, a ceramic cup for keeping it warm and a wider opening for letting out the steams is ideal. Using the wooden square type of sake cup is not recommended for serving Ginjo-shu.


That is because the scent of Japanese cypress clashes with the aroma of the Ginjo-shu. If you are drinking full-bodied junmai types of sake, however, serving it in the wooden square cup works really well. The robust sake flavors and the wood aromas enhance each other to create synergistic effects. When using wooden cups, it is recommended that the sake be served either chilled or at room temperature, not hot.

No need to go to Napa for a Wine Tasting

Not far (10min) from Downtown Los Angeles, there is a 23rd largest winery near the I-5 freeway. Actually this was my second visit but never had a tour inside the winery.
It is hard imagine from the outside but the banquet rooms, restaurant and fermentation rooms are pretty big.
Why am I writing about the winery? Because they are starting to carry Sake soon, which makes perfect sense because people love wine will like and understand the art of sake.

Click here to see pictures.


San Antonio Winery
CITY OF LOS ANGELES
CULTURAL HISTORICAL LANDMARK
ESTABLISHED 1917

Since 1917, The San Antonio Winery
has added flair and flavor to
celebrations of friends and families
throughout Los Angeles and the West.

Today, it is the last of more than one hundred
producing wineries that once lined the
Los Angeles River Basin.
It is a popular restaurant and legendary
banquet location, a comprehensive tasting room,
and an international wine shop
with hundreds of domestic and imported labels.

The winery is an oasis of good living
in the heart of the city.

SAN ANTONIO WINERY and MADDALENA RESTAURANT
737 Lamar Street, Los Angeles, CA 90031
323.223.1401 • 323.221.7261 fax
Special Events/Catering 323.223.1401 ext 8715 323-223-3728 fax
OPEN DAILY EXCEPT MAJOR HOLIDAYS
Group of 6 or more requires a reservations

FOR RESTAURANT RESERVATION: Dial Ext. 8715
For Wine Seminars: Dial Ext. 8771 FOR INFO ON PRIVATE TOURS, BANQUETS OR SPECIAL EVENTS: Dial Ext. 8715

OUR HOURS OF OPERATION

Day Wineshop Hrs. Restaurant Hrs.
Monday - Friday
Saturday - Sunday 8:30am-7pm
9am-7pm
10am-7pm
10am-7pm

Breakfast Hrs: Saturday & Sunday 9:30am - 2:30pm

Joto Sake Tasting @Gonpachi Beverly Hills

Definitely this was one of my best days. Nice weather, good lecture by Kuramoto-san(Breweries) and very good sake, what can I complaint about.

All sake was extraordinary but I was impressed by a couple of sake called Shichihonyari and Yuho. They don't have much floral or fruity aroma but have nice acidity and Umami which will compliment not only seafood but also meat dishes.
I am glad and also confident that sake is going to be on a mainstream in the US if we have unique varieties of flavor like these.

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Sake and Miso-Food

Miso Is the Jewel in the Crown of Fermented Food!

Some research shows that the two most effective fermented foods in preventing the growth of cancer cells are both Japanese: Miso (soy bean paste) and natto (fermented soy beans). Miso is particularly powerful in controlling cancer cell development. An additional piece of good news is that sake goes extremely well with miso. This is because the flavor and richness packed into miso (which derives from the amino acids contained in the soy beans) is quite similar to the palatability of sake, resulting in a synergetic enhancement of flavors. All dishes featuring ingredients dressed with miso, marinated in miso, cooked with miso, or grilled with miso as well as miso soup, create delicious harmonies with sake. Incidentally, soy sauce, which is indispensable to Japanese cooking, is also a fermented condiment. The addition of soy sauce or various other broths to the dishes above brings out the full flavor and richness of miso even further.

Wine is also known to go very well with fermented foods, especially fermented dairy products like cheese, because of the palate-cleansing effects wine’s strong acidity has. However, lower fat and lower calorie products are popular nowadays. In this culinary climate, therefore, Japanese fermented food products, which are low in calories yet high in fiber, are becoming more desirable. I hope condiments like miso becomes more widely used in Western cooking and that in turn will lead to an increase in the popularity of sake.

Let us raise a glass of sake and enjoy a miso-flavored dish tonight! Miso really is the king of fermented food.