**SOLD OUT** Sushi for the Senses

-Please note the date for this event has changed-

Sold Out. Sushi has become wildly popular in the U.S. since its introduction in the 1970s, but few Americans have had the opportunity to sample truly world-class sushi or to learn its intricacies. So much more than raw fish over rice dipped in soy sauce, great sushi is subtle, refined, not always raw or fresh, and prepared by a master chef with decades of experience. Join the Asia Society for a sneak peek at KUSAKABE, opening in April 2014 and changing the rules of the game for high-end sushi in San Francisco. The restaurant’s dishes will be prepared kaiseki style, with an exquisite sense of balance, taste, texture, and appearance, emphasizing seasonality and mindfulness. KUSAKABE will feature not only Edo-mae (nigiri) sushi, but a range of classical techniques and presentations. Guests at this standing-room-only program will enjoy 13+ passed courses, sake pairings, and other offerings.

Speakers:

Kusakabe Mitsunori is chef and co-owner of KUSAKABE, opening in San Francisco in Spring 2014. He was previously executive chef at Michelin-starred Sushi Ran in Sausalito and executive chef at Nobu in Miami Beach. He is a past Grand Winner of the World Sushi Award and All U.S. Sushi Technical Skill Champion. Born and raised in Osaka and Kyoto, he trained at Jun-tei, a kaiseki restaurant in Kyoto.

Eric Gower is an expert on Japanese and contemporary cuisine. He is the author of “The Breakaway Cook” column in the San Francisco Chronicle and three cookbooks: The Breakaway Cook, The Breakaway Japanese Kitchen, and Eric’s Kitchen (in Japanese). Eric also runs Breakaway Matcha, a specialty tea company focused on hyper-premium matcha.

MENU 

(draft, subject to change)

Sushi
 Bo-zushi BBQ eel with Arima-sansho pepper
Temari-zushi with sesame shrimp
Crispy oyster sushi croquette with miso tartar sauce
Lightly cherry wood smoked Hamachi with smoked salt & lemon
Tasmanian ocean trout shabu shabu-style with yuzu
Lightly roasted, soy sauce-cured chu-toro
Inari-zushi with caviar

Temaki
Seasonal vegetables, soft-shell crab and tuna

Sides
Seasonal vegetable salad Nare-zushi style with Hokkaido scallop
Shiogama yaki Salt-encrusted crusted Tai snapper with butter lettuce
Albacore tuna sashimi with grilled garlic, onion
Roasted edamame

Dessert (TBD)

Beverages
Sake Pairings
Beer
Wine

Program Agenda: 

5:30 – 6:00 p.m. Registration/Reception
6:00 – 8:00 p.m. Dinner/Sake Pairings & Discussion

Promotional Co-Sponsors: Japan Society of Northern California