Morimoto Napa - Japanese

610 Main St, Napa CA 94559

(707) 252-1600

Parking: parking lot across the street

Hours: Lunch Wed-Fri 11:30am-2:30pm, Dinner Sun-Thurs 5pm-10pm, Fri-Sat 5pm-11pm 

http://morimotonapa.com/

Last Visited: September 24, 2011

Food: 3 stars (was 4 to 5 stars)

Atmosphere: 3 to 4 stars

Service: 1 star (was 3 stars)

Price: $$$ to $$$$$ 

After hearing about a few friends' experiences at Morimoto Napa, I thought it would be the perfect place to celebrate a special occasion.  First, a brief explanation about the multiple ratings.  Those in paratheses indicate what the rating should have been, but after finding a hair in my toro nigiri sushi, and seeing how they handled the issue, the ratings were downgraded accordingly. 

Enter Morimoto Napa and you're greeted by high ceilings and an almost cafe-like atmosphere.  The blackboard shown in the picture features sushi combos and salads to raw meat offerings.  We arrived a few minutes before 5pm and after checking in, we heard the rumble of the staff meeting that was going on.  The staff gathers in a circle near the kitchen, and at the end of their staff meeting, they shout loudly in unison.  While I don't know what they said, it definitely reminded me of the operating style of a Japanese manufacturing plant. 

Table by table, we were steadly seated by the hostesses, although it was past the actual reservation and opening time.  The group waiting to be seated didn't seem perturbed by this though.  The decor is minimalist with lots of clean lines.  It's modern, but I wouldn't describe it as warm.  I did however appreciate the pillows placed along the bench seating against the wall.

If you've ever watched American Idol, you know how the judges tell the contestant to put their unique twist on a classic song and 'make it their own.'  This is exactly what Chef Masaharu Morimoto has done to various ethnic dishes - he put his spin on cultural classics.  If you've ever watched Iron Chef (the original or the American version), you've seen Morimoto's amazing skill and precision.  Too bad that it's not quite so evident here - once one deviates from the norm, you can start to see the flaws. 

The menu boasts a number of appetizers - hot and cold, in addition to nigiri sushi, and a number of interesting entrees.  Since I was hoping for a delightful and memorable occasion, we opted to order the omakase and really see what Morimoto was capable of doing.  As the evening wore on, we learned that some of the omakase items are not available a la carte, which seemed to only add to the mystique of it all.

Omakase $120 per person

As each dish arrived, the person serving, which is not necessarily the server assigned to your table, gives a detailed description of the item and how to eat it.  It's a great foodie experience, but a bit of sensory overload if you want to try to remember it all.

- Toro Tartare - If you've watched the Iron Chef series, you'll know that Morimoto had these trays especially made for him for toro tartare.  The tender toro is served with a dashi soy on the side, and the instructions are to take the paddle and scoop some of the toro.  Then dip the toro into the dashi soy and if desired, enjoy it with one of six condiments - nori paste (slightly bitter aftertaste), grated wasabi (very strong, but refreshing), sour cream, chives, Morimoto guacamole (like an avocado mousse), and fried rice balls (super crunchy).  I enjoyed the lovely presentation in this ice cold bowl, with a leaf behind it.  These were personal sized as opposed to the basically the same sized tray filled with toro and a separate side dish tray.  It's a fun experience to eat this, and of all of the dishes, this was probably the best of the bunch for me.  My favorite was the fried rice balls which have a roasted rice flavor.  When your palate is clean, you can really taste the roasted part of it and the contrast in textures between the tender toro and crunch of the rice ball is really nice.  The red ball is a peach with a pit, grown in a specific region of Japan.  We were instructed to enjoy that if we liked as a palate cleanser when we were finished.  While the flavor the little peach was okay (it wasn't very sweet), the texture was soggy. 

- Kampachi Carpaccio - The second dish was three pieces of kampachi.  This white fish sashimi is actually cooked Chinese style.  Hot oil and soy are poured over the fish to cook it. and microgreens top the fish.  In Hong Kong, you would find pieces of fish that were raw placed in hot congee to cook it and leave it with a tender texture, just barely cooked through.  The portion of this was mighty small, and while it was fresh tasting, I wouldn't necessarily order it on its own.    

At this point, we were waiting for our third course for some time.  A nearby table had also ordered the omakase, and the server, a different one than that whom took our order and that whom brought the kampachi, came with another kampachi.  The waiter of the table next to us caught her eye, and the gal left without a word.  This was the first flaw in service.  While minor, we thought she should have apologized at this point, but we decided to just consider her point of view - perhaps she was too stunned that the error occured.  As the next plate was brought to us by the gal whom just erred, she promptly apologized and launched into the explanation of the bagna cauda.  Things were righted again, and we felt it was just a small slip in service.

- Bagna Cauda (Italian for Warm Bath) - Morimoto's interpretation of fondue with vegetables is beautifully presented.  The spices on the left accent the plate.  The center container is much prettier when further away and it looks like a tealight candle in a candleholder.  The warm olive oil on top contains a garlic and anchovy paste.  While friends said they noticed a difference in flavor as it was heated, I couldn't tell any difference.  The skewered item is chicken tempura.  Toasted bread sticks and a variety of blanched vegetables (including purple cauliflower, radishes, baby turnips, asparagus, and half of a baby orange bell pepper)  make this a fun dish to eat.  The garlic paste is mild and doesn't overwhelm your palate. 

- Foie Gras Chuwan Mushi - Chuwan Mushi literally translates into "tea cup steam", or "steamed in a tea bowl."  Egg Custard is topped with a miso-based gravy and two small slices of duck breast.  Of all of the dishes, this was the richest, but also my least favorite.  To taste the egg in the custard, you need to push away the sauce and scoop a big piece out.  The dish is extremely rich, and while I'm not sure if the original Japanese dish is this rich, I felt this one to be lacking in texture contrasts.  A small dot of wasabi (you can sort of see it on the plate) is served with this to help cut the richness. 

- Intermezzo - Watermelon Wasabi Sorbet - This was a delicious and refreshing palate cleanser.  The quinelle of sorbet is topped with pickled watermelon rind and another microgreen.  I could eat a full scoop of this without any issue.  We later learned, after recommending it to a neighboring table, that it's not available on the regular menu, but if you ask for it specifically, you can still get it.

- Nigiri Sushi - Tako (Octopus), Sake (Salmon), Shimaaji (Striped Jack), Toro (Fatty Tuna), Hamaichi (Yellowtail) Belly - I love fresh sushi, and started eating this dish from left to right.  The octopus was okay, but not the best that I've had.  The salmon was delicious and ranks high on the list for some of the best sushi I've had.  It had been lightly sprinkled with seasoning.  The compressed grapefruit on the striped jack, eaten as one bite with the sushi gave a really nice aftertaste and flavor contrast to the fish.  Then things went south from here. As I pulled the toro out of the lineup, I noticed a black hair sandwiched in between the fish and the rice.   This is the reason for the downgraded food rating. 

While finding hair in my food is becoming more common as I eat out, mostly because the number of times I eat out is just really high, it becomes less about the hair (although you never want to find hair) and more about the way that the issue is handled.  I had a hard time flagging someone down, but finally caught the busboy's attention.  He immediately took the remaining fish and my plate away and told me he would notify my server.  After five minutes, perhaps longer, the server came back into the room and spotted me looking for him.  He came over to apologize and then said that the kitchen was preparing another plate for me.  Fortunately, my dining companion's plate was fine.  When the new dish arrived, the presentation was not the same.  I'm not sure if it was intentional to give me seared toro and seared hamaichi to demonstrate that the pieces of fish were not the same, but I felt like it was a bit odd that they would change it from what was being served in the omakase.  At this point, my countenance had changed from delight to disappointment.  It didn't seem to get any better as the evening continued.  I thought the manager might come over to acknowledge the problem and apologize, but that was the end of the apologies for the evening.  No discounts, no comping, nothing. 

As soon as my replacement nigiri arrived, the entree was served.  I'm not sure how this happened.  Why hadn't our server asked the kitchen to hold on firing the next dish?  What was going on behind the scenes?  Why pay over $100 per person and feel like service isn't perfection?

- Entree Trio - Unagi Toro Wellington  contains unagi, toro, and tofu, wrapped in rice paper.  Then, it's  deep fried.  Then the roll is cut to show the colorful cross section of the roll.  Wagyu Beef Steak that is served medium was in the center of the plate.  It seemed rather boring and didn't have any distinct flavors or textures.  It could have been a Sizzler steak, and I wouldn't have known the difference.  Veal Cheek Tempura is more like a braised short rib in texture.  Beautifully moist and succulent with a slight crust, this was my favorite of the three items on the plate. 

At this point, the waiter came and told us everything was going well - he asked, but never waited for an answer, which basically is just telling us.  I suspect he didn't want to know the answer. 

- Peach and Soymilk Sorbet with Five Spice Churros - The sorbet is served over pureed peach and topped with a peach slice.  A piece of sugar is placed on the sorbet to add crunch.  The sorbet seemed a bit too mild and the peach flavor wasn't really coming out.  On a clean palate, it might have been fine, but it could have been stronger.  The churros were hot and fresh, but one of my two churros was still a little soft inside and could have been fried just a touch longer. 

After removing this plate, our server came by to tell us he had one last thing for us and I thought he would offer to discount a portion of our meal or somehow address the hair issue, but that wasn't the case.  He told us about the petit fours.

- Chocolate Petit Fours - Sesame Caramel and Green Tea Rice Puff - Two squares were given to us, each with their own intense and unique flavors.  Both were enjoyable. 

The bill arrived at full price, and that was the end of our meal. 

Notice that the prices shown the menu featured on their website are no longer valid.  Prices have increased by 10 to 15% for most items.  

Since those serving plates are rarely the actual server, there is a lack of cohesiveness about the way the food is presented.  Sure, they all say the same words, but it feels robotic and lacks warmth.  The failure to hold the final entree until after the new nigiri had been eaten seems to offset the suggestion for the entire table to order the omakase.  The lack of effort to invite your customer back and address the issue by apologizing once shows an opportunity to change Morimoto's restaurant policy.  This explains the downgraded service rating.

After paying, I requested to speak with the manager and met Ms.Cristine Merrigan.  While she apologized for the mishap and gave me a card with her name and contact info, as well as invited me to come again and contact her when I did so, I've seen how issues like hair in your food addressed better by other restaurants and let her know that.  It's unclear whether or not she has the authority to comp or discount, but if she does, neither was offered.  Sadly, despite the creativity and beautiful presentation of the food, I won't be returning.