Hi!!!! I hope everyone had an AMAZING Thanksgiving! We celebrated with  friends from Shanghai, and I actually got to meet up with some of my HS classmates!

While I would have been perfectly content with that one celebration, my mom thought otherwise and graciously decided to treat me to a very special meal. As usual, I’m always on the lookout for great Japanese joints, and our hotel happened to be less than 3 block from a trendy and VERY highly regarded one. Guess where we went 😉

Mifune

Mifune is one of a trio of  upscale Japanese joints opened in 2017 that bring some serious flair to the traditional fare. The head chefs combine their Michelin starred experiences in France and Japan for a truly innovative experience. Mifune specifically incorporates strong French elements into its dining experience while remaining faithful to its Japanese roots. The restaurant is actually named after famous Hollywood actor Toshiro Mifune, but don’t be fooled, there are no cream cheese laden “Dynamite rolls” or mayonnaise drenched “Dragon rolls” here. With that said, let’s eat!

Food

At Mifune, fresh is the name of the game. Thus, while the French inspired entrees were tempting, we stuck to the basics- nigiri and sashimi. 100% no regrets- Here’s what we got:

Appetizer

Steamed Seasonal Vegetables- There’s nothing particularly special about this dish itself, but it highlights Mifune’s incredible ethos of fresh seasonality. Although I usually avoid dips and sauces, the shisho leaf puree (the greed sauce), gave the most amazing pop of umami!

Sashimi 

We ordered the chef’s 3 piece sashimi. Normally, I like picking what I get, but this time, the gamble was definitely worth it. Chef chose King salmon amberjack and seared bonito. The incredibly fresh, perfectly sliced pieces blew all expectations out of the water. The fatty layers literally melted upon contact. In particular, the sear on the bonito created the perfect hint of crunchy char to cut through the fat. While the Chef’s choices were exquisite, none could compete with the literal wild card- wild hamachi unique to the season. The fish wasn’t just fresh and flavuorful, it was silky! Total consumer surplus!

Nigiri

– Sea eel, squid, red snapper, trout

The nigiri was just as amazing as the sashimi- probably more so since the portions of fish were bigger 😉 Needless  to say, the fish was beyond amazing. I was honestly more impressed with the rice- and I don’t even like rice! To start, the rice: fish ratio was perfect. More importantly, each granule was sticky enough to hold together, but retained enough individuality for me to taste the delightful vinegary pop of each grain. To complete the perfect bite, chef wedged in a hint of wasabi and slight drizzle of soy sauce. Simply divine!

Note: We ordered a la Carte, but the prix fixe and omasake menus are also bombs for those who just can’t choose

Service and Atmosphere

The service and atmosphere augmented the experience to the nth degree. The decour perfectly matched the food- traditional Japanese elegance with a modern flair. The wooden paneling, simplistic design and tatami seating bring the Japanese ethos to the core of busy America while the bright lighting takes the restaurant out of the past. Mifune is perfect for every occasion from birthday celebrations to happy hour to business meetings. They’ll even host parties of up to 20 people! We were lucky enough to get seats at the sushi bar and watched the masters at work

Service was also more than exceptional. Our server took care of us from the moment we walked in- taking our bags, giving recommendations and just being exceptionally courteous. The sushi chefs also contributed to the amazing experience. One of the chefs was more novice, and it was amazing to see the “master” mentor the “student”.

Overall Impression

Overall, I couldn’t have been more impressed by Mifune. Sure, it was pricey, but I felt like I got a HUGE consumer surplus. I can’t wait to try the two sister restaurants- Sushi AMANE and Toriko NY. Of course, I’ll be the one inviting my mom next time 🙂

I hope everyone had an amazing, hopefully relaxing, Thanksgiving break! Today marks the official countdown to Christmas- 25 days to go!!!!!!!

Until next time, bye!

 

 

 

• Dining
• Travel