HomeMy WebLinkAbout2008 Jan 04 - Cape Cod Times ArticleDINING OUT
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A LA CAPE appears every first Friday of the month, $20 PLUS TIP appears every second and fourth Friday and LET'S DO LUNCH, every third Friday.
• A LA CAPE WITH TERRY WARD LIBBY •
FRESH EXOTIC CUISINE THAT CHANGES WITH SEA
SONS
here is nothing quite like
wending your way down
Route 6A on a cold, midwin-
ter's night - and if there's
some snow, all the better - to
arrive at the doorstep of Inaho res-
taurant. From the outside, it looks
to be a typical Cape -style house,
but step inside and you are trans-
ported to a traditional Japanese
ryokan - a country inn - decorated
■ Rating: YYYYY
■ Cost: $$-$$$
■ Reservations: Yes
with shoji screens, bamboo panels
and Japanese art prints. On almost
any night of the year, Inaho will
draw a crowd of devoted regulars
to its intimate dining rooms and its
lively sushi bar, where chef -owner
Yuji Watanabe constructs exqui-
site platters of sushi and sashimi.
Steaming bowls of miso and soba
noodles emerge from the kitchen,
releasing appetizing scents into
the air. If you're lucky enough to
have acquired a taste for it, a cup
or two of hot sake will warm you
through. For me, this is the start
of one the Cape's most novel and
exhilarating dining experiences.
There are thousands of ryo-
kans in Japan, and some are as
famous for their food as for their
accommodations. In the finest ryo-
kans, kaiseki dinners are served,
elaborate tasting meals of many
courses that feature traditional
Japanese fare - the haute cuisine
of Japan. At Inaho, chef Watanabe
can prepare one with 48 hours'
notice, something rarely offered
at Japanese restaurants in the U.S.
The meal will include soup, salad,
handmade shumai dumplings and
others appetizers, vegetables and
fried specialties, and, of course,
a selection of sushi and sashimi
items. Inaho's kaiseki dinner menus
are customized to suit individual
RON SCHLOERB/Cape Cod Times
Sushi is so artfully arranged at Inaho that you may want to sip a cup of sake
and take in the beauty of the creations before picking up your chopsticks.
INAHO
157 Route 6A, Yarmouthport 1 508-362-5522 1 www.inahocapecod.com
Open for lunch and dinner daily except Sunday.
tastes and dietary restrictions
(priced from $80 per guest).
Watanabe and his wife, Alda,
have operated Inaho since 1989.
Their aim, says Alda, has been to
keep their concept fresh by offer-
ing innovative specialties that
change with the seasons. During
winter months, for example,
shabu-shabu, a classic Japanese
comfort food, is offered. A sim-
mering pot of seasoned broth is
brought to the table, along with
platters of thinly sliced beef, veg-
etables and tofu. Diners place
the raw items into the pot and
allow them to cook to the desired
degree of doneness. The result is
a light, clean -flavored stew served
over mounds of steamed rice.
Literally translated, sushi means
"rice with vinegar," and to sushi
connoisseurs, says Alda, the quality
of the rice used to create the many
varieties of sushi is key. Sushi rice
should be firm and the grains dis-
tinct, never clumped or pasty. Just
enough rice vinegar is used to sea-
son the rice - to give it the slightly
tangy flavor that will enhance the
sweetness of fresh fish. Perfectly
prepared rice is the foundation of
every type of sushi presentation.
For those who regard them-
selves as sushi novices, and that
may include a majority of Cape
Codders, this is an ideal spot to
take your sushi experience to the
next level. The menu offers consid-
erable detail, and the servers are
well informed.
My favorite sushi plate at Inaho
is the "Double Dragon," made
with maki rolls, pinwheels of rice
and tender sheets of nori (sea-
weed), stuffed with tuna, salmon
and avocado. The rice -covered
rolls are dusted with brightly col-
ored tobiko, fine, crunchy beads
of fish roe with a mild, briny fla-
vor. Watanabe arranges the maki
rolls on a platter in the shape
of an undulating dragon's body,
with head and tales fashioned
out of elaborately carved veg-
etables. You'll be reluctant to lay
your chopsticks into it because
Watanabe's presentation is so gor-
geous, but this is also a dish that
delivers a great combination of
flavors and textures.
Inaho serves an immaculate
array of sushi and sashimi items
but, for those with more conser-
vative palettes, the menu offers
plenty of outstanding cooked
Japanese preparations too, includ-
ing meat and seafood dishes. The
vegetable and shrimp tempura is
superb. Agedofu, lightly breaded,
flash -fried cubes of tender tofu,
is served in a delicious, hot fish
broth. Whole fried fish is a signa-
ture dish at Inaho, served when-
ever fresh striped bass is available.
Grilled Angus beef teriyaki, as well
as chicken and salmon teriyaki, are
served as entrees, or in bento box
presentations that include tem-
pura, sweet, tangy seaweed salad,
and rice.
In my many trips to Inaho, I've
never been disappointed. The
food is always impeccably fresh.
It is a place where I love to take
friends who are visiting the Cape,
because they are always surprised
by it. Dining at Inaho is especially
pleasing this time of year, in the
quiet post -holiday season, when
its colorful atmosphere and exotic
cuisine offer Cape diners a bit of
adventure during the gray days of
winter.
Terry Ward Libby is a freelance
writer, cookbook author and for-
mer off -Cape restaurant industry
professional. She has written about
American regional and interna-
tional cuisine. She may be reached
at ala-cape@yahoo.com.
MY1 1 KEY: Overall ratings: 1 fork - Not Recommended; 2 forks - Uneven; 3 forks - Good overall; 4 forks - Highly recommended; 5 forks - Superb,
$$$ tell your friends. Cost is rated on one to three $, depending on average entree price, $ - $15 and under; $$ - $20-$25; $$$ - $25 and above