Food
While the other group members had not been to Wabi Sabi before, they applauded each and every dish. Marc, a frequenter of NYC restaurants commented to the effect “I’m getting flavors very reminiscent of Nobu”.
Nelson Yip is the finest Asian/French fusion chef I have ever encountered. The secrets to his success are quite simple; great mentors in both French and Asian cuisine, a fanaticism for fresh ingredients and an unbridled passion for transforming ingredients into simple and at the same time spectacular dishes. He is so fanatical about the quality of his sushi, that he receives 3 shipments of fresh fish from Japan weekly. There simply is no comparison to the quality and freshness of his sushi and sashimi to most other Japanese restaurants in the area...at least in my opinion. I would be remiss if I did not mention that the service here is equal to the food. Some of the dishes we enjoyed were:
Seared Salmon w/ Yuzu Soya. This is as addictive a dish as any I have ever encountered. Pristinely fresh salmon is pan seared for a few seconds and then lightly dressed with a high quality light soy sauce to which Yuzu (yellowish citrus fruit with fragrant, acidic juice) has been added.
Hamachi Yuzu with Summer Truffle. Yuzu makes another appearance as it delicately coats mouth-watering fresh Yellowtail. Watercress and summer truffles complete the dish. The freshness of the fish and subtlety of the flavors make this as addictive as the Seared Salmon.
"Lollypop" Shrimp. Here Nelson fashions a large wild shrimp into a circle, adds a bit of crab meat to the center and then encrusts it with Panko bread crumbs, skewers each one with a stick and then fries them. The resulting "lollypop" is crunchy and greaseless and served with a lightly spiced dipping sauce made from chilis, tomatoes, onions and parsley. In combination, the sauce and shrimp throw a party in your mouth.
Berkshire Pork Goyoza. Nelson takes the pan-fried dumplings to new heights in this preparation. The incredibly light dumpling wrappers are made in house and stuffed with a minced pork stuffing made from wild boar. Lightly pan-fried, they are delicious and a far cry from the thick and doughy versions found at most other spots. I never asked what he makes the dipping sauce with, but it is the perfect foil for these heavenly pillows of pleasure.
Fluke Sashimi. This is without question my all time favorite when it comes to raw fish. Unfortunately it is a too infrequent special at Wabi Sabi. It is one of the fishes he gets directly from Japan. Preparation is the essence of simplicity. The Fluke is sliced transparently thin and served with a bit of equally thinly sliced Daikon radish. A bit of soy with a hint of wasabi added will bring tears of joy to your eyes with each piece you eat.
Wabi Sabi Chicken. Nelson’s version of General Tso Chicken will open your eyes as to how good this dish can be. He only uses white meat which he soaks in ice water overnight before doing his magic in the Wok. The chicken is cooked to a moist and greaseless perfection that will have you applauding the dish with your chopsticks.
Hot Stone Angus Steak. Premium Aged Angus beef is slightly seared in the kitchen and served tableside with a hot lava stone that allows you to cook the beef to your perfection. It is served with another of his incredible dipping sauces.
Duck Confit with Mushroom Risotto. I am not a fan of duck, so I have not tried this French classic. Everyone who has ever ordered it ususally reorders it on subsequent visits. I can however attest to the creamy and al dente risotto that accompanies the duck.
And of course there is a wide selection of the freshest Sushi and Sashimi one can find this side of Japan or New York City.
Not pictured (they were devoured as soon as they made an appearance) is the Fried Spicy Rock Shrimp appetizer. Nelson actually doesn’t use Rock Shrimp, but medium sized shrimp that he appears to flash fry and then coat with a spicy mayonnaise based sauce. It is one of the best shrimp dishes I have ever had, and I have had it as a main course on occasion.
I mentioned earlier that Emil did a masterful job with his selections and that was probably and understatement as the wines were simply glorious. When white Burgundy is on, it is very hard to beat, especially from winemakers like Emil chose.
2012 Domaine Comtes Lafon Meursault Clos de la Barre Villages. A legendary estate that produces legendary wines that are not easy to come by and expensive when you can find them. Dominique Lafon took over from his father in 1984. The domaine earned organic certification in 1995 and biodynamic certification in 1998. The team at Domaine des Comtes Lafon limits yields by de-budding vines in the spring. The harvest is all done by hand, and the grapes are sorted twice—once in the vineyards and again at the winery. Their vines average 32 years of age.
Traditional, natural fermentations are the hallmark of the domaine. Native yeasts, slow fermentations and long élévages allow the wines to express the complexity and nuance of each terroir. The Chardonnays are pressed gently and undergo a cool settling of the must for 24 hours before the juice is racked into both new and lightly-used oak barrels. Alcoholic fermentations last for three months, kept at a cool 22 to 24°C in their underground cellars. The whites are generally stirred on their lees, depending on the cuvee, and then undergo malolactic fermentation, which ends in May following the harvest. The whites are bottled unfiltered 18 to 22 months after the harvest. Sublimely silky and complex, the wines of Domaine des Comtes Lafon are a marvelous glimpse into the diversity of Burgundy’s terroirs.
2012 was an exceptional Vintage for white Burgunday. It is also the very first vintage that the Clos de la Baronne has been bottled as a single parcel. This debut bottling is sourced from the 2.7ha Clos de la Baronne, a monopole that includes 40-year-old vines. Oh what a wine, especially when one realizes this is a Villages level wine and not a premier cru or grand cru. It is simply stunning, displaying exceptional balance, finesse, complexity and a lengthy and magnificent finish. I sipped it slowly throughout the dinner an each sip seemed to add depth and elegance to the wine. It is a wine that will last for decades to come.
2012 Dauvissat Chablis Vaillons 1er Cru. Dauvissat is one of Chablis' great traditionalists, making Chablis reminiscent of Raveneau. Owner/winemaker Vincent Dauvissat prefers natural farming, using vine treatments sparingly, if at all. The fruit is harvested by hand and not destemmed; fermentation is part in enameled steel vats and part in wood, and all aging is in 6-to-8-year-old barrels. Vincent says, "Oak is very important to Chablis. The synergy of air and wood adds character and also helps soften the wine. Without oak, Chablis is too hard, too austere."
Tonight’s wine was classy, but definitely at the beginning of its drinking window. Give the oak a couple of years to become better integrated and this promises to be awesome wine.
2008 Raveneau Chablis Montée de Tonnerre Premier Cru. Domaine Raveneau, along with Domaine Dauvissat, is one of the two leading stars in Chablis. They continue to craft beautiful, and highly sought after wines seemingly almost every vintage. They are hard to come by and prices have soared in recent years. Brothers Bernard and Jean-Marie Raveneau are now in charge of 7.5 ha, where the philosophy in the vineyards is one of lutte raisonné (the practice of reactive, rather than proactive vine treatments, and largely natural farming). The harvest is 100% manual, after which the fruit is immediately pressed and given a 12 hour débourbage (settling) and the fermentation is initiated in large fermenters with or without selected yeasts, depending on the vintage. The malos are allowed to occur naturally and the élevage occurs in older casks (mostly small feuillettes or half barrels, which in Chablis equals 132 liters) and lasts for 12 months. There is no deliberate cold stabilization as the winter cold is all that is used. After approximately 18 months, the wines are usually fined, filtered and bottled.
François Raveneau established the domaine in 1948 by combining vineyards that he had purchased with vineyards owned by the family of his wife, who was part of the Dauvissat wine family. François was the first member of his family to bottle his own wine; previously the grapes had been sold to other estates to use. No new oak barrels are used to make the wines. The wines are fermented in stainless steel and then aged in barrels with an average age of seven to eight years, for twelve to eighteen months.
Raveneau owns sections of three Chablis Grand cru vineyards. These holdings are 0.54 hectares in Les Clos, 0.60 hectares in Blanchots and 0.75 hectares in Valmur. They also own land within six Chablis Premier cru vineyards. The largest holding is Montée de Tonnerre, with 3.20 hectares, followed by Butteaux with 1.50 hectares. The other four are Foret with 0.60 hectares, Vaillons with 0.50 hectares, Montsmains with 0.35 hectares and Chapelot with 0.30 hectares. There is also a newly acquired 0.95 hectare parcel of village classified Chablis, on the opposite side of the Vaillons slope. The first vintage from this plot was harvested in 2007.
2008 was another outstanding vintage. Tonight’s wine was elegance and finesse in a glass. It was beautifully balanced on the palate with a lengthy and soft finish. Like the wines of Dauvissat, they will age gracefully.
2007 Dauvissat Chablis Les Clos Grand Cru. From a very good vintage, this is a superb Chablis. Each sip displayed beautiful acidity on a stoney palate with lots of depth and a lengthy finish. Allen Meadows of Burghound calls it “One of the wines of the vintage.”
2002 Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Blanchot. One of the greatest white wines I have ever had. This was the first Raveneau I ever tasted (Sept. 2009). It mesmerized me then and it did so again tonight. 2002 was an outstanding vintage, and this surely is one of the wines of the vintage. I will reiterate my notes of 9 years ago when I tasted the wine. The wine displays an amazing purity. It sparkles like a fine gem in the glass. Incredible balance of minerality and acidity. Silky on the palate with a lengthy and pure finish. The wine has the stuff to last for quite some time. Along with the Lafon, this was my wine of the night.
2013 Château de Puligny-Montrachet Meursault 1er Cru Les Porusots. This was Emil’s back-up wine in the event of a flawed bottle. Fortunately none were flawed. Since we finished all the wines, Emil popped it so that we could have a glass with Nelson, who like the rest of us is a lover of fine wine. The wine is owned by the de Montille family. The wine is quite young, but showed great potential given a few years of cellar time.
As you can imagine it was an “over the top” evening of great wine and great food. It will be a hard tasting to top. Thanks Emil for your generosity and great selections. And thank you Nelson for the incredible food. Until next time.
Saluté
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