Kabuki-Brea, California

Hi Everyone…I have forgotten what sunshine is truly like.  Blessed thing!!!

I have been back in Southern California for a few days now.  I came “home” for my sister Emily’s bridal shower and by happenstance, got to meet a new nephew.  It’s been a lot of fun, but I haven’t done an ounce of cooking since I have been here (although I did do plenty before I left.)
Something amazing happened tonight.  Well, amazing for me.  I ate Sushi.

Let me state that again…I ate sushi.  Not only did I not die or. at the very least, spat it out into my napkin, I actually liked it.

But let me back up.  I live in a small Norther Utah town with an actual decent food scene.  But we do lack Asian foods.  The only exception to this is sushi places.  Doing a quick count in my head, I have come up with six places one could order from and be happy.  I grew up in Southern California primarily eating Chinese or Vietnamese cuisine.  So those are the flavors I crave.  Along the way I picked up Thai and Cambodian foods as well.  Other than teriyaki chicken, Japanese food was not on my radar.  Seafood was never something I enjoyed either, so sushi was not anything I have been remotely interested in.

Then a year or two ago, a local chef and friend took me to task by asking how I could be part of Logan Foodies and not like seafood.  (Logan Foodies is a group on Facebook that I am part admin of with a dear friend Joy, where we celebrate the local food scene.)  I was attending a wine dinner where he prepared a miso salmon dish.  That dish changed my world and I decided I needed to recommit myself to trying different types of seafood when given the chance.  Since then, I have grown to be able to eat many different things, shrimp, red trout, lobster, scallops, king crab, swordfish, mahi mahi.  Just typing that list is surreal.

My friend Colleen loves sushi and tried a while ago to get me to eat it.  That was an epic failure.  The results of which can be seen by clicking here.  She should be very pleased with tonight’s success.

My cousin Stephanie loves sushi and I wanted Asian.  We agreed to go over to Kabuki in Brea.  I ordered my safe dishes, yakitori (Chicken and onions on a skewer with teriyaki sauce) and gyoza (beef stuffed dumpling, this was fried, but I’ve only ever had them steamed and browned before…both delicious)

Talking to our server about my dislike of seaweed, as I recently realized that is what I hated so much about sushi, I learned I could have a soy paper wrapped roll.  Game on!

I ordered a king crab roll wrapped in soy paper and cucumber.  Then it was topped with caviar and dotted with Sriracha.  The texture of caviar will take some getting used to, kinda like couscous albeit fishier.  The flavor with intense.  The crab was perfection, but king crab is, and the bit of sriracha just made it the perfect bite.  I just might have been converted.  Time will tell.

When we get home, I think another trip to get sushi will be in order.