Snackshots: Valentine Tasting Menu at Zenkichi

Yes dear reader, we summoned our courage and braved the Valentine’s Day dining scene this past weekend. And while the blogs are on the hunt for V day horror stories, we had quite a nice dinner at Zenkichi (77 North 6th Street) in Williamsburg, a lovely little izakaya serving delicate bites in individual curtained off booths that are, you know, romantic, in that they prevent me from eavesdropping on other people’s conversations.

Pictured above is a tasty dessert plate of cream puffs, chocolate sesame mousse (my favorite), and, in the cup, some delicious uncooked cheesecake.

More pictures after the jump.

Uni Clear Soup, with the uni formed into a Kyoto kudzu starch cake in a traditional clear soup.  The uni flavor was subtle, very subtle, which depending on how you feel about uni is good or not so good.

A raw tasting plate featured Kumamoto oysters with tosa vinegar jelly; lightly cured Saba mackerel sashimi; Blue Shrimp Sashimi with Tonburi “caviar of the field”; magura capaccio with sesame oil, white soy sauce, green yuzu, pepper, grated onions; Hokkaido Scallop sashimi with Shimeji mushrooms & spinach. The winners here were the incredibly tender shrimp and the oysters with the vinegar jelly, which I could probably eat on its own with a little baby spoon.

Mishima beef tataki wraps with Japanese baby arugula greens, garlic-ginger soy sauce. Just looking at rare beef makes us hungry for more blood.

Tiger Shrimp and Shiitake Mushroom Tempura with green tea salt.

Grilled black cod in Kyoto miso marinade. Yeah, this is a Nobu rip-off, but it tastes really good here too, and you’re in Brooklyn.

Bluefin fatty tuna & Kanpachi young yellowtail sushi. Sorry, flash photography is especially unflattering to sushi. Despite the rubbery flash appearance, I assure you this was some some damn fine melt-in-your-mouth tuna.