Dassai Sake Dinner at Hakkasan in the Fountainebleau

“First the man takes a drink; then the drink takes a drink; then the drink takes the man”

 Japanese Proverb quotes

I am excited about the upcoming events with the Fountainbleau in October we have two events planned with this great property on Miami Beach.  This first one will be an education for most of our customers as Sake is not the focus of our business here at the Wine Watch but I love Sake and am always willing to learn more about this fascinating beverage from Japan. 

The best Sake is served cold so if you have experienced Sake in a Japanese restaurant served warm it is not a very high quality Sake.  Sake is brewed like beer and just as there is a quality revolution in the micro brewing industry here in this country with beer there is a plethora of quality small production Sake coming into this country from Japan.

Our host tonight is Dassai Brewery and Dinner will be served at Hakkasan, whose Japanese inspired cuisine reigns supreme at the Fountainbleau as this is their hottest restaurant on the property at the moment.  Join us as decadent five-course menu prepared by Hakkasan chef de cuisine with sake hand-selected and presented by Winemaker for Dassai Sake Brewery.

The event will begin at 7:30 PM in the restaurant’s private dining room. Seating is limited, and priced at $125++ per person excluding tax and service charge. Reservations are required and can be made by calling 877.326.7412 or visit  fontainebleau.com/cellar1954

Dassai Sake Dinner at Hakkasan in the FountainebleauThursday, October 2, 20147:30 PM

To Start:

Dim Sum Platter

Sesame Prawn Toast

Dassai “50” Sparkling Junmai Daiginjo Nigori (300mL)

Price: $28.25       Sale $24.86          Case $289

Next:

Steamed Red Snapper with Olive Vegetable in Soy Sauce

Jasmine Rice

Dassai “23 Ni-wari San-bu” Junmai Daiginjo

Price: $62.00       Sale $54.56          Case $633 (300mL) Price: $129.00    Sale $113.52       Case $1316 (720mL)

Dassai "23Ni-wari San-bu" junmai daiginjo is the sake that defines Dassai. It is made with rice that has been milled so that only 23% of the original size of the grains remains, this is the highest degree of milling of any sake in the world. Going to this extreme allows us to create a sake like no other, a sake that is the pinnacle of refined elegance, subtlety, and delicate flavors and aromas.

Focused, attention to detail while trying new things, things never considered in the sake world; this is part of what defines Asahi Shuzo and the sake known as Dassai.

and Then:

Braised Tofu with Shrimp in Fish Sauce

Stir-Fried French Bean with Preserved Olive and Dried Shrimp

Black Truffle Roasted Duck

Dassai “50” Junmai Daiginjo

Price: $19.00       Sale $16.72          Case $194  (300mL) Price: $43.00       Sale $37.84          Case $439  (720mL)

Dassai "50" is a premium junmai daiginjo sake, made from only rice milled down to 50%, water and koji mold. Clean, soft and very subtle, the balanced aromas and a mild sweetness envelop the senses making Dassai enjoyable on its own, or with a meal of refined cuisine.

A centrifuge machine used for separating completed sake from the lees. Asahi Shuzo was the first company in Japan to use such a machine.

Still More:

Spicy Stir-Fried Shredded Pork with Green Chili and Szechuan Yusian Sauce

Spicy Beef with Bean Sprouts and Lettuce Root in Szechuan Sauce

Dassai “50” Junmai Daiginjo Nigori

Price: $19.00       Sale $16.72          Case $194  (300mL) Price: $45.00       Sale $39.60          Case $459  (720mL)

Finally:

Vanilla Mousse

Pinenut, green apple, lychee

- See more at: http://www.fontainebleau.com/web/specials/cellar_1954#sthash.tRbRh45P.dpuf

A bit about Dassai Brewery:

The name of our sake, Dassai, means "otter festival," and the origins convey much of what we are about. Part of the name refers to an ancient name for the region here in Yamaguchi Prefecture, as long ago there were many otters frolicking in the nearby rivers. Otters will lay out the fish that they catch on the shore, almost as if they are showing them off in a festival. This led to references to "otter festivals" in ancient poems. But there is more...

A famous haiku poet named Masaoka Shiki that lived about a century ago referred to himself as Dassai, because of his propensity to scatter his reading material all over the floor of his room in much the same way as otter spread out their fish, so much so that there was no room to walk around.

More importantly, Masaoka was instrumental in creating a revolution in Japanese literature during his time. We want to convey that nuance too, as part of our philosophy of sake brewing. The theme underlying Dassai sake is "Making sake is making dreams: opening a new era of sake." To us, this means that we never become complacent with existing tradition and handcrafted techniques, but rather we want to reform and revolutionize how some things are done, and in so doing make superior sake.

Dassai sake is created using a careful combination of tradition and cutting edge technology.　Our brewery is a medley of ancient tools and innovative equipment. We have come to use what works, and leave what does not, choosing what our experience dictates is best from both the old world and the new.

In short, Dassai sake is all about quality, and not quantity, both in how we brew it, as well as in how we hope you enjoy it.

We start with top quality rice, easily the best rice for sake brewing, Yamada Nishiki. We then mill away the outer portion, grinding away the outer half or more of each grain before brewing. Why this extravagance? Because this takes advantage of just what is so special about Yamada Nishiki.

The outer part of proper sake rice is where all the fat and protein resides, with the precious fermentable starches resting safely in the center of the grain. Milling away more and more of the outer part of the grains removes the fat and protein, leaving only the starch behind, leading to the elegant flavor profile that is Dassai sake. Extravagant? Perhaps. Worth it? In light of our pursuit of the best sake we can brew, absolutely. This specially prepared rice is then brewed by our young, enthusiastic brewers using clear, clean local water in the isolated, pristine environment of the mountains of Yamaguchi Prefecture, on the southern tip of Honshu, the largest of Japan's four main islands. The result is sake with an identity; delicate, refined and graceful.

At Asahi Shuzo, we brew only premium junmai ginjo and junmai daiginjo sake. There are but a few breweries in all of Japan that focus all effort on making only top grade sake. Our commitment to this defines every aspect of our brewery's existence