Le Critique: Hole in the Wall: Morimoto?s Napa

Morimoto’s Napa

610 Main St, Napa, CA 94559

(707) 252-1600

Morimoto, as an Iron Chef, is pretty main stream and we all know that anything this Japanese genius would venture into is not particularly “hole in the wall”. Nonetheless, that’s the name of our Restaurant Review series.

Morimoto’s Napa is located in Napa’s newly developed Riverfront downtown. It is imposing as it is simple from the outside, with the clean lines of the font and wood doors adjacent to a large window in which you can peer into a couple of tables and a counter, reminiscent of a cafe or a diner. Past those doors, however, Morimoto shows off magnificence in a muted, yet distinctive way.

The large table, which Chef and I were debating if it were truly from a bark of a tree, is a fabulous gathering table for a group of 10 or so. From the door to the bar/lounge and main dining area, you’ll pass through a hall with a large mural of these little fish. Chef and I stared at it, and we thought, this would have been more awesome if it were a different kind of fish. But, oh well. It’s huge.

Past the imposing little fishies is a portion of the kitchen that is really meant to display the action and the commotion that brings about the glamour. And beyond that, it seems to be a different world. Yes more wood but darker, more formal, modern yet rustic. There are four separate dining areas: The first one is that quiet almost take-out vibe in front, then this bar/lounge that also contains large tables perfect for big groups, smaller tables supposedly more intimate (but not really as there’s a seating area against the wall that I felt a tad bit too close with my neighboring diners), and an outdoor dining area.

We obviously took our time admiring the decor, the ambience, and the little touches (such as the light fixtures). But the food. The food was heavenly, at least the ones we ordered. As there were only Chef and I to celebrate our anniversary/my birthday, we didn’t quite order too many dishes. However, there were so many things on the menu that I wanted to try. This is our first time to try any of Morimoto’s brainchildren. Nonetheless, I did hear that he has mixed his Japanese cuisine with a western flair. I wanted to try a classic maki before I ordered anything more elaborate and/or more Americanized. The spicy tuna roll is hands down the best spicy tuna roll I have ever tasted that I think I just drooled a little just thinking about it. It did not look any different to your regular spicy tuna but there was a crunch (from the sesame seeds, I guess) and the spicy sauce made all the difference. This spicy sauce may have been used on the whitefish carpaccio, which was my favorite dish of the evening with the perfect arugula salad, hot oil and matsuba (the Japanese wild parsley). We also ordered clam miso which was seasoned very well and provided some worth on the otherwise breezy evening because Chef was sitting all the way across the table and the newlywed next to me had a very cold personality.

I believe I ordered my entree merely for its funny name – the ishi yaki buri bop, which essentially is the freshest fried rice ever because a server mixes everything up on your table in a very very hot stone bowl. The fish on this dish is yellowtail and I loved how light it was. In fact, I think for the amount of rice I would have wanted more fish, or I can even do with less rice and more fish. Chef’s steamed halibut was okay, I particularly thought the black bean sauce on top of it was quite salty – but I don’t know, maybe my palate isn’t that trained with fish.

It’s the little touches that go unnoticed that also add some flavor. The maitre’d was very good in ensuring our wishes were fulfilled. Each course had a special entrance with the bust boy ensuring our table is as good as new every time. And, the servers were very knowledgeable as they came out explaining each dish and how they’re made. My freshly bottled sparkling water was interesting that now I want to get that machine that’s sold at Crate and Barrel to make carbonated water so that I would stop buying cases of Pellegrino. Chef’s mojito was also different, which Chef enjoyed a lot. I, however, did not as much because it had cucumber and cucumber to me smells (and tastes, I guess) like lotion. That fabulous “Happy Birthday” writing on our dessert plate reminded me, oddly, of the Philippines, where people’s penmanship are actually nice. Having said that, this mango and coconut bubble tea with tapioca was a fabulous way to end the evening. Chef was scooping the tapioca to get all the flavors in one spoon. However, it came with a straw and it made perfect sense to me to take the glass and drink it like the way pearl shakes should be devoured. So I did. The coconut part of the dish is the macaroons. Good but I know I’ve tasted better from the Philippines. Fabulous nonetheless.

I would definitely go back to Morimoto’s, probably with a bigger group. The price is reasonable for a celebrity-Chef-owned restaurant. Despite the many places to dine in in Napa, I would say Morimoto’s definitely brings some freshness here in the valley.