L ast night in Collin County, Dallas Sake Week kicked off in Fairview with a pairing dinner at Profound Foods , which sources some of the best restaurants in North Texas. There were some terrific sakes on hand — a preview for the week to come.
Hosted by Sake Brewers Association of North America and The National Tax Agency of Japan, the dinner was led by sake educator Timothy Sullivan , who flew in from New York for the event. Several years back, I appeared on Sullivan and Sullivan and co-host John Puma ‘s Sake Revolution podcast to discuss my award-winning book The Sake Bible — which Sullivan kindly recommended during the dinner.
An Exclusive Experience
Guests got a short masterclass in sake from Sullivan, who dispelled common misconceptions about the drink and set the stage for an enjoyable evening of food and drink.
Sullivan paired and poured sakes from Dassai , Hakkaisan , Uka , Origami and Yano .
- Dassai and Hakkaisan are famous for their elegant premium sakes, with Dassai being on the sweeter side and Hakkaisan being emblematic of its native Niigata’s kurakuchi (dry) style of sake.
- Uka is a fascinating and unusual expression: The sake is brewed in Japan from California-grown rice, which is different from traditional Japanese sake rice — and the result was nuanced and delicious.
- Origami Sake is made in Arkansas from locally-grown Yamada Nishiki sake rice — their junmai daiginjo was sweet with a touch of tart: green apples in a glass.
- And the Yano sake was a chewy, aged sake, which was served chilled, but would have performed brilliantly warmed, bringing out more umami goodness.
All the sakes complemented the dishes served at Profound Foods, which ranged from an octopus and cucumber, and meatballs to grits and donuts. Sake is great with Japanese food (of course!), but it pairs well with a variety of dishes.
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Participating Restaurants And An Insider’s Recommendations
All of the sakes offered are fantastic, and you cannot go wrong with any. I’ve added a “must-try” recommendation for some of my favs…