Kata Thai Sushi Kitchen - Raw Power

I have been on the search for some of the more exotic sushi offerings...toro, uni etc, and I found a place in Winter Park that offered these goodies - Kata Thai Sushi Kitchen. The menu looked pretty awesome, so I set off with my girlfriend and friend Marc, who has joined me on a number of these escapades. One of the first things you'll notice about the place is that it's dark...very dark. That aside, the interior is fairly austere as well, but I think that suits a sushi restaurant. Enough of this fluff though, let's talk about the fish!!!

























Well, I lied, before the fish proper come appetizers. We all had miso soup and salad. Not a whole lot to say here, as they were both tasty if completely prototypical versions of these sushi staples.
















After this came edamame, which we recieved gratis due to our 'long' wait time for our orders to come out. I didn't think the wait was too long, but hey, I'll take the free food and cheers to the service!! As far as these little green guys are concerned, they were pretty good, but maybe a little too salty.


















My girlfiend ordered two items. This is the first - a sashimi sampler with Salmon, Tuna and Whitefish. All three were great high quality offerings, being great examples of their respective species. The size was also a bit larger than what one might expect, always a pleasant surprise.

















She then had a salmon roll and a house specialty - the Havana Roll. The Salmon roll is what you'd expect, a generous portion of high quality salmon wrapped in rice and seaweed...good stuff. She was a little less thrilled with the Havana Roll though. Consisting of eel, plantain, avocado and Shiso leaf on top, she said that really the only thing she could taste was mint, so that was rather disappointing for her.

















Marc ordered four rolls, with one of them being the most impressive roll I've ever seen. The first roll (from left to right) was the Crunchy Roll (salmon, crab, roe, cream cheese, scallion, tempura fried). He was very happy with this roll; all of the flavors came together nicely in a fishy, tempura'd amalgam of delicious sushi roll goodness. Next came the ever popular Spider Roll (tempura soft shell crab, lettuce, cucumber, tobiko, mayo, sesame seeds). Again, a very large and very tasty example of this very popular roll. His third roll was his least favorite, the Spicy Krab Roll (krab, avocado, tempura flake, masago). While not bad, he didn't think it was up to par, being relatively bland. His fourth roll was his favorite, and indeed one of his all time favorite rolls - the Lobster Volcano Roll (California Roll topped with baked lobster and mayo). I think the pic says it all - a very generous portion of lobster heaped upon a California Roll and covered in that house mayo sauce. The lobster was cooked well and its flavor really came through...a very strong offering for sure, and one of the most impressive rolls I've ever seen.

















I went for the Exotic Sashimi Sampler. It may look like something of a mess, but let me assure you - this is the best sushi I've ever had. Starting clockwise from the nine o'clock position, I'll bullet point the various items -

• Tempura Sweet Shrimp Head - My first experience with these deep fried wonders, they're absolutely delicious, tasting somewhat of crab rangoon, but much smokier and crispier...I could eat these all day!!!
• Salmon Roe - I've never thought too much of Salmon roe, but this was just on another level. Not overly salty like most varieties I've tried, every little orange orb just burst with intense and delicious salmon flavor...I was impressed.
• Scallop - The scallop is diced and tossed in mayo and lemon juice, then placed inside the lemon peel. I'm not normally the biggest fan of scallops, but this was awesome, just a little difficult to eat with chop sticks.
• Surf Clam - Difficult to see in the picture, it's actually nestled in between the scallop and roe. Unlike any other clam I've had, they almost look like little claws. The meat is very sweet and has a very odd texture...somewhere between squid and salmon.
• Japanese Mackerel - I was a little leery about this fish, because the Mackerel I'm used to is overly fishy and somewhat unpleasant...not so with the Japanese variant!! This was very good, similar to Yellow tail...just better!!
• Sweet Shrimp - My first experience with the sweet shrimp body...the head had been great, but what would the rest taste like? Excellence!!! That is what it tasted like, just the powerful shrimpy flavor bursting onto your palate with a large helping a sweetness that just really made it spectacular. The texture is very interesting too - it's creamy, but in an especially pleasing way.
• Tuna Trio - Maguro, Blue Fin, Toro - The dark red Maguro is the classic tuna that most people are used to and this was a capital example of the fish, just delicious. Blue Fin Tuna is actually endangered, but after tasting it I can see why...it tastes like the pure essence of awesome. The flavor and texture is just so much better than the standard Maguro, it opened my eyes and took me to another level. Lastly comes the Toro, or the fatty belly of the Tuna. Perhaps the most sought after cut of fish by sushi connoisseurs, I know what all the fuss is about now. It doesn't have the most intense tuna flavor, but it is incredibly buttery in terms of both taste and texture...I really enjoyed it!!!
• Baby Squid - The last item consisted of a few medallions of baby squid, which I found much more pleasing this way than in their full grown form. Not nearly as chewy as the adult squid, the texture is much more pleasant, and the flavor is much more intense...talk about a win-win situation!!!

For dessert we all decided to share an order of deep fried ice cream. The tempura'd confection was most delectable (well, I've never had a deep fried ice cream I didn't like) and we made sure that the bowl was cleaned in no time at all.


So, our meal at Kata Thai Sushi Kitchen turned out to be an overall incredible experience, with only a couple of slip ups. Service was very good and the place isn't noisy in the least...in fact it's rather quiet. Now, we only ate the sushi, but a full Thai menu is also offered, we just didn't end up sampling it, so I can't speak for its quality...but rest assured I will be back and will find out!!! Go here and get some great sushi.

Cafe Michel - Ze Bistro

Late May brought with it a very special time for my girlfriend -college graduation. A brief back story for context, my girlfriend and I attended two different schools in the same small town of Lexington, Virginia, but I was a year ahead of her. So I returned to the town of my Alma Mater to witness her own graduation...and to work in a blog post har har. Lexington is a very small place pretty far removed from any larger cities or even towns, so the dining options aren't exactly myriad. There are a few restaurants regarded as fine places to dine in the area, and they like to fancy themselves fine dining establishments. Of this handful, the only one I hadn't been to was Cafe Michel, a restaurant serving up mostly traditional French bistro fair. Based on my experiences at the other restaurants, I can't say I got my hopes up for this particular venture, despite French food possessing all of my favorite ingredients in abundance - butter, cream, meat, mushrooms...it's just that...well, it's Lexington. My girlfriend and her family decided on this restaurant for the big graduation dinner though, so here it goes.

Bread was waiting for us on the table, accompanied by butter and an herbed olive oil mix. Pleasant overall, but the white bread and its simple companions seemed a little basic for a restaurant in this price range.

To begin, My girlfriend's parents both decided to indulge in the lobster bisque. It looked pretty good and they said that it was a very tasty example of the ever popular soup. They were also happy that it actually contained great chunks of lobster, something missing from far too many bisques. Bravo

My girlfriend's older sister started with coconut shrimp. Coconut encrusted and paired with a ginger dipping sauce, these little guys turned out pretty well, with a crisp exterior and creamy - not mushy interior, a far cry from the all too common soggy deep fried seafood

The girl of the hour began with a ceasar salad topped with fried oysters. While the salad wasn't particularly thrilling, the fried oysters on top were absolutely delicious, possessing great flavor and pleasing texture.

I started with escargot. The little snails were bathed in a sauce of butter, herbs, garlic and mushrooms...need I say more? Well, I will. It was very tasty, as the flavor combination basically has to be (if you don't like butter, garlic and herbs, I think there's a good chance you don't have a soul) and it was my girlfriend's first experience with snails, but she has now been converted to the ways of the escargot.

Her little sister just stuck with the plain ceasar salad for the night, but it was a bit dry, lacking in dressing. When she asked for more, she was given additional dressing but then regretted that decision because the dressing was an incredibly thick, odd tasting concoction...not good.

For a main course, her parents both ordered the backfin crab cake with remoulade sauce. Mostly crab and not filler, these ckes turned out quite well and my girlfriend's parents were very pleased.

The elder sister ordered the duck, which was a pan fried boneless breast drizzled in a raspberry sauce. Cooked medium rare, the duck was pretty good and the sauce wasn't bad either, if almost too sweet. As an aside, I just don't think restaurants serve duck in its glorious savory nature enough, it's always being doused with fruity sauces...I want heartier preparations!!!

My girlfriend ordered the filet mignon, which was supposed to come with a burgundy mushroom sauce, but instead was presented au naturale. While a good steak can stand on its own, a great sauce always helps a steak in my opinion, and this cut could've used the sauce. She seemed to enjoy the meat, but my taste was not particularly great at all...lacking in flavor, somewhat dry, and tough for a filet.

I ordered the veal, pan-fried and smothered in a rich button mushroom gravy. Tasty for sure, but hardly worth the cost. Too often these dishes lack refinement and finesse to make them the truly delicious dishes they can be, and this is one such example...just a generic mushroom sauce over the veal in the end. This dish, and all of the other plat principals came with mashed potatoes and a vegetable medley of carrots and lemon grass. Decent examples of their kind, but nothing more.

For desert, Creme Brulee made it's way to the table in short order, as everyone except for my girlfriend and myself ordered it. I didn't taste it, but everyone seemed very happy with it.

My girlfriend and I decided to grab the chocolate volcano cake...let's just say it was very disappointing...bland flavor, and no molten interior...meh.

We split a bottle of wine for the evening, and I'm no oenophile, so I won't pretend to know every last nuance of our bottle, but suffice it to say that it went well with the meal and everyone enjoyed the taste it provided. What more can you really ask for in a wine?

Service was a little slow, but it was an incredibly busy night...our waiter actually looked like he was about to burst into tears at any moment, but otherwise we never felt ignored or anything. Ambiance was OK, but nothing special, just a pink room with white tablecloth adorned tables and a couple of paintings of the French countryside hanging from the walls. Overall, a very middling experience, for me anyway. It seems that some items on the menu are much better than others, so you have to be careful of what you order and be prepared for disappointment...but that just makes the good dishes even more of a pleasant surprise then I suppose.

Saigon Flavors - pho sho

Well, I won't beat around the bush...I love pho!! The rich, comforting, beefy soup just oozes intoxicating aromas and boasts some of the most delicious flavors around. A new Vietnamese restaurant, Saigon Flavors, opened on Aloma and I just had to see how their pho stacked up against others I've had in the area...the quest for pho is never over and can take one to all parts of the greater Orlando area. With that in mind, my dining companion and I ventured to this Vietnamese venue do uncover the mystical wonders...or horrors of Saigon Flavors!!

We began with some of the most well known beverages offered in South East Asian restaurants - my friend with a soy drink and me with a Thai tea (yes, I know it's a Vietnamese place, but I've never been to a Vietnamese restaurant that didn't tout their Thai tea as being just as good as any Thai restaurant's). I have to say, the white soy drink wasn't really to my liking. It tasted very much of just straight soy milk, but my dining companion said that the flavor grew on him throughout the evening. My Thai tea was a decent example - creamy, mildly sweet and offering hints of Chai, I would have preferred a sweeter and more strongly flavored tea in general. So, bottom line on these beverages is that they fit pretty well into the OK category of drinks.

My dining companion then decided to jump to his mainstay appetizer at Vietnamese establishments - Summer rolls. He ordered two types - summer rolls with shrimp and pork, and summer rolls with char-broiled meat balls. It has been a while since this meal, so forgive me if I am a little skimpy on details, but I do believe that he enjoyed both varieties, although he was by no means blown away by their quality.

I decided to begin with a dish that I really ordered just for the sake of getting an appetizer, but I was very pleasantly surprised. The dish I speak of is the Ginger-Lime Chicken Salad. This 'salad' consisted of ground chicken, ginger, scallions, chili, peanuts and a lime dressing. It was delicious!!! Every flavor was very pronounced and worked in perfect harmony...the portion was also extremely generous, something that could easily have been shared, but in my gluttony I unabashedly devoured the entire delectable plate in short order.

My dining companion's plat principal was a big bowl of grilled beef with lemon grass and vermicelli, if my memory serves me right. This bowl comes garnished with lettuce, bean sprouts, carrots, cilantro, green onion, peanuts and a house fish sauce. he was very happy with the bowl, saying that it was a great example of the popular dish. In my own tasting I wasn't as impressed though...it really just didn't taste that special to me, in fact it tasted much like a generic stir fry that one could order in any mall food court. Just my opinion though, so on this dish my companion and I stand divided.

Ahhh, the pho...this is what it's all about. This pho is called Tai Nam Bo Vien, and contained flank and round cuts of beef as well as beef balls. I was somewhat surprised by the relatively small size of the bowl; generally I'm used to eating pho out of a bowl that could double as a bath tub for the contestants in the popular reality series "The Biggest loser," but this bowl was no such behemoth. Size aside, this pho was chock-full of more beef than I've seen in any other pho, always a good thing. While not the highest quality cuts, they did taste very good and added much to the broth. Now the broth - unlike any other pho I've tried, it was distinctly sweeter and decidedly foreign upon the first taste, but my second taste in revealed a very pleasant, deep, rich, beefy flavor. I was happy. After throwing in the garilc-chili sauce and a little oyster sauce to augment the heat and flavor to my preferred level of pain and savory sapor, I just couldn't get enough. While not the best pho I've had, this is certainly a very good one, floating around somewhere in the top rung.

Well, that was it for our meal. Some items were much better than others, but overall I would recommend the restaurant, especially for the pho and the chicken salad. As a side note, the ambiance was easily the most chic I've ever seen in a Vietnamese restaurant, and the service was friendly and efficient.