thistle Posted March 6, 2017 Share Posted March 6, 2017 I had a dream about eating uni last night (it was scattered like bacon bits on top of a rice bowl, which didn't seem right). I have never had uni, but if I want to live my dream, where should I try it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jca76 Posted March 6, 2017 Share Posted March 6, 2017 Do you want to try it straight or in a dish? For the former, any high-quality sushi restaurant will have it (I'd recommend going with nigiri over sashimi if you have both options, as the soft texture and rich flavor are balanced by the rice). Sushi Ogawa had Maine, California, and Japanese uni on a visit a few months ago, which would be a good way to side-by-side the geographical differences (I tend to prefer California uni to Maine, as I find it sweeter/creamier.) To try it as part of a composed dish, you're likely going for Japanese or Italian. Izakaya Seki's uni with quail is an unctuous delight. Himitsu has it atop chawanmushi (which I haven't tried, but sounds delicious, and they're good at pretty much everything) or as nigiri/sashimi. Morini's bucatini has uni, crab, and tomato and has been very good (and is basically always available), and I believe that Fiola Mare sometimes does an uni bucatini as well (although the uni is more of an accent than the star in most pasta dishes). (I believe the District Fishwife in Union Market sometimes sells it as well, if you're inclined to take it home.) When I first started eating uni, I found the texture to be off-putting; if you're texturally sensitive, a composed dish may be the way to go. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thistle Posted March 7, 2017 Author Share Posted March 7, 2017 Thanks, this is exactly the kind of response I was hoping for. I think I will try to plan a dinner at Nasime in Old Town, as long as uni is on the menu somehow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidwestTransplant Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 Looks like your mind's made up, but Jaleo has a sea urchin dish that I found an excellent introduction. I agree that there is a big difference between East and West Coast uni--much prefer West Coast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thistle Posted March 7, 2017 Author Share Posted March 7, 2017 Which location of Jaleo? I'm a lazy sod & prefer not to cross the river, if I don't have to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidwestTransplant Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 21 hours ago, thistle said: Which location of Jaleo? I'm a lazy sod & prefer not to cross the river, if I don't have to. I've only ever seen it at the DC location. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xochitl10 Posted March 8, 2017 Share Posted March 8, 2017 Kaz offers uni as either nigiri or sashimi, if you want to get its cleanest flavor. I don't care for uni because I don't like either the texture or the iodine flavor, so if either of those is an issue for you, I'd recommend trying it in a composed dish. Not helpful here, but the last uni I ate before leaving Japan was in this wonderful chawanmushi flavored with yuzu. I still think about it, and that was almost eight years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Tanigawa Posted March 14, 2017 Share Posted March 14, 2017 Bird's Nest/Calamari Pasta has uni as an ingredient @Takumi in Falls Church (photo from review in Arlington Magazine) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lotus125 Posted March 14, 2017 Share Posted March 14, 2017 Izakaya Seki has a delicious uni and quail egg dish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eatruneat Posted April 20, 2017 Share Posted April 20, 2017 Washington City Paper's Laura Hayes asks, have we reached peak uni? My answer: no. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted April 20, 2017 Share Posted April 20, 2017 6 minutes ago, eatruneat said: Washington City Paper's Laura Hayes asks, have we reached peak uni? My answer: no. Nobody knows uni better than Cedric Maupillier, who, as a young teen, used to sea-kayak out to an island in the Mediterranean, catch uni clinging to the rocks, and eat it with his hunting knife. It was his "rite of passage," he once told me. Now I'll spend the next three hours fretting about whether to name this thread "Uni" or "Sea Urchin." Thanks a lot! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naxos Posted April 20, 2017 Share Posted April 20, 2017 2 hours ago, DonRocks said: Nobody knows uni better than Cedric Maupillier, who, as a young teen, used to sea-kayak out to an island in the Mediterranean, catch uni clinging to the rocks, and eat it with his hunting knife. It was his "rite of passage," he once told me. Now I'll spend the next three hours fretting about whether to name this thread "Uni" or "Sea Urchin." Thanks a lot! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now