Izakaya Seki in Washington D.C.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013 at 1:43PM 
We already covered lunch at Ben's Chili Bowl, and now that Guinness Week is a cloudy, lingering hangover, the only thing left from our 24-hour trip to D.C. is to post about Izakaya Seki, the restaurant Hiroshi Seki and his daughter Cizuka opened on V Street in July.
Izakayas are Japanese watering holes that serve food to go with the drink. The menus tend to be no frills and offer dishes that might be described as Japanses tapas. Because there's a lack of inferior options on the menu at Izakaya Seki, deciding on what to get was overwhelming, so we asked if we could do an omakese/chef's tasting sort of thing. It was a request our gracious server kindly obliged and proceeded to execute with a firm understanding of Mr. Seki's food. Here's what we had:
Hokkaido scallop carpaccio with yuzu and shiso ($15) - Citrus and seafood come together in many parts of the world. Here, they show up as a whimsical variation of ceviche. The Asian influence comes from yuzu, a fruit native to East Asia that's similar to grapefruit, and shisho, a vibrant Asian herb also known as perilla.
Barbecue eel and cucumber ($9) - Tender pieces of grilled eel were tossed in a light barbecue sauce consisting of soy, sugar, mirin, and sake. Fresh cucumber and the vinegar-based dressing they were served with balanced the subtle richness of the sweet and sour glaze. The traditional inclusion of sake in the barbecue sauce makes the dish an excellent pair for any of the sakes on Izakaya Seki's drink menu.
Tuna tataki with garlic chips ($9) - This dish showcased Seki's knifework. Fresh, tender pieces of soft tuna are contrasted with sweetness from toasted garlic. Soy sauce adds depth and salt, while scallions lend a bit of spice from their sharp bite.
Obanzai (three sides for $10) - Spinach with sesame, pickled daikon, and burdock and lotus root with chili gave us our vegetable quota. There are always five or six vegetable options. Theyre $7 each, but three for $10 is the way to go.
Assorted mushrooms ($9) - Eringi and shimeji mushrooms are sauteed at a low heat just enough to soften up and absorb the butter they're cooked in. They're delicate but meaty, with fresh green onion cutting through the butter's richness.
Cream croquettes with bechamel, crab, and corn ($8) - This dish shows one of the great things about izakayas: they're casual eateries, rooted in Japanese tradition and technique, but also explorative and without bounds. These Maryland-crab-cake-meets-Spanish-croqueta are bechamel based with lump crab and corn. After the mixture is cooked, it's chilled, shaped, coated in panko, and fried to order. More Latin influence is in the sauce, which is a deep, smoky, spicy mole.
Tempura special ($8) - Tempura batter is light. And when it coats vegetables like daikon and squash instead of hearty proteins, it's easy to eat an entire plate of tempura-fried food on your own. Honey and soy is served on the side, and it's just the right sauce to take the oily edge off the tempura.
Sardines with ponzu ($13) - One of the many great handwritten specials the night we visited. Sardines lightly battered and quickly fried. The acidity and spice from pickled jalapenos cut through the light tempura batter and fresh lemon juice brightened up the whole package. Fried fish tails? Yea, they're edible.
Kalbi ($11) - These grilled, barbecue beef short ribs are great drinking food. Soy sauce, garlic, and sugar creates a glaze that works its way onto every bite. They're perfect for the person in your party that shamelessly ends up gnawing on the bone whenever the opporunity arises.
Hamachikama ($16.50) - In Italy, it's called guanciale on pigs. In Japan, on fish, it's called hamachikama. In both instances it's the animals jowl. At Izakaya Seki, Mr. Seki shows an incredible understanding for the delectable cut of meat. It's perfectly cooked. The meat is barely held in place on the jaw bone by the fish's skin. It's incredibly tender, meaty, and deeply flavorful. Crushed daikon, wasabi, and lime are served with the jaw, and each plays a vital role in bringing out all the flavors in this Japanese delicacy. Our first time with fish jowl. Not our last.
We felt truly hosted at Izakaya Seki. It was a casual experience. Fun and playful. Sake poured into cedar masu boxes and splashed onto the table. It didn't seem to be for show, just tradition spilling over from hundreds of years. The menu at Izakaya Seki makes drinking fun. And drinking makes eating your way through the menu fun. We had enjoyed our meal as if we called ahead and explained how we wanted it to go. If Izakaya Seki wasn't four and a half hours away, we'd be there again tonight for dinner.
izakaya seki, washington d.c.
Reader Comments (1)
holy hell, Craig. after seeing your pics, i want to go back. now.