A couple months ago I asked @ToddFrench and John Liotta if they wanted to come dine at Hayato with me. The new forum software was launched at the same time so we could celebrate the perfect website overhaul that went off without a single complaint! Such success deserves fine food and finer wine.
Hayato is the only high end traditional Japanese Kaiseki I can think of in America. Seven seats at the counter and one seating per night. Two star Michelin rating. Their reservations open up at 10am the first of the month (for the following month) and are fully booked within seconds. So it was a real treat to be able to do the dinner with the guys.
sappy deep cherry fruit with essence of soil. Mineral laden soil driven palate. Clean acid creates a seamless silk mouthfeel. Really well put together right now.
Both wines were really tight so we hit em with the decanter
2015 Ulysse Collin 60 months Les Enfers
smoky apple , white pepper and the wood gets more prominent with air on the nose. Palate is fairly exuberant energy as I think of Collin. Very acid driven and mouthfeel is intense from the acid and strong bubbles. Very youthful. Even a decant barely softened it. A bit of wood on the back end with some tannin. . Itâs mostly all the youthful austere structure and fruit is still fairly subdued though. Itâs just all acid. All grower champagne.
2015 Ulysse Collin Les Roises
Bit of reduction on the nose. Round sweet subtle apple and Asian pear. Whatâs interesting and brings complexity is the savoriness it pulls. It screams of oyster brine. Broad fruit on the palate. Itâs rounder and more elegant mouthfeel than the enfers. The wine keeps changing significantly with each pour. Decanter really did this wine well. Much more vinous and less of the template high acid and powerful bubbles.
That Clos was extraordinary - perhaps the best white Burg I can recall enjoying, truly - definitely needed air but once it was ready it had great complexity and such a unique âwaxyâ character to the mouthfeel - was wonderful with several of the courses, some âperfect pairingsâ which is what got me into wine in the first place. (though SOME on this thread think wine pairings are b.s.)
Itâs a style of Japanese cuisine. Similar to a Western tasting menu. It has a planned progression during the dinner. Always starts with a certain type of dish and always ends with a type of rice bowl, then miso soup, then teas and finally fruit.
But hayato might be the only place in America doing it at the highest fine dining level in a traditional manner.
N/Naka is another two star Michelin in LA that does Kaiseki but is more a fusion of western and Japanese flavors.
I have to say that the pics on the new site are fire. Love em.
In the last year and a half have had the 08 Clos and Valmur plus the 10 Valmur. Loved the Valmur in both vintages and it is now declared my favorite Rav. The Clos was just too closed.
Might take a little getting used to, but consuming and posting content is sooooo much better on this site. Itâs also super easy to move around text/pictures after uploading.
