Sake to Me: Where to Get Japan’s Favorite Drink in Washington
Celebrate Washington’s cherry trees, gifts from the Japanese in 1912, with a round of Japan’s most well-known drink: sake. Here’s where to get glasses and bottles of the stuff, plus some interesting—and tasty—sake cocktails.
By
Emily Leaman
Published Thursday, March 05, 2009
Mmm, sake.
Asia Nine
This pan-Asian dining room, which seats guests for lunch, dinner, late night, and weekend brunch, serves hot, cold, and sparkling sake. There are also dessert varieties, such as Choya Ume-Plum Wine (Ume-shu), available. During the Cherry Blossom Festival, be sure to try the specialty concoction: cherry-infused sake. Prices range from $4 to $9 for a glass, and $14 to $100 for a bottle.
Cafe Japone
This seven-days-a-week karoke bar/lounge/restaurant attracts a rowdy weekend crowd; karoke gets them into the place, but the sake bombs—a sake-beer combo—keep them there. Karoke starts at 9:30, and although there’s no cover, there’s a $10 minimum per person on weekdays and $15 on weekends.
Kaz Sushi Bistro
Not far from the Tidal Basin, ground zero for cherry blossoms, is this Foggy Bottom sushi spot, which packs a generous sake list. Bottles range from $15 to $120 and are categorized by terms such as “fragrant” or “light and smooth” for neophytes; look to the menu’s right panel for longer descriptions of each category. Six-ounce sake pitchers can be had for $7 to $15, or you can order tastings of three types of sake for $9 or $12. Sake cocktails include martini-inspired concoctions such as the Plum Wine Sake-Tini and the Cosmo Sake-Tini (both $7).
Oya
Twenty sake labels make the cut on Oya’s robust wine list. The Penn Quarter dining room, sister of the new Sei, takes the rice drink seriously: A note on the menu explains that sake varieties—honjozo/junmai, ginjo, and dai-ginjo—are determined by how much of the rice grain is polished away before brewing. Honjozo/junmai is the lowest grade, being 30 percent polished, and dai-ginjo, at more than 50 percent polished, is best. Oya’s sake comes in 6-to-24-ounce servings.
Sake Club
The name of this Woodley Park restaurant pretty much says it all. More than 50 sake varieties, served chilled or warm, are on the menu. Order it by the glass or bottle, or try a sampler during happy hour—Monday through Saturday starting at 5—when it’s half price. The Source
Wolfgang Puck’s restaurant in the Newseum boasts a wine list with nearly a dozen bottles of sake. You can also sample it by the glass or try one of the specialty cocktails, such as the sake-based Asian Pear Drop ($12).
|
Post a comment
Feel free to leave a comment or ask a question. Because of the prevalence of spam, we ask that you fill out the code in the image below to help us eliminate spam comments. By posting here, you affirm that you are 13 years of age or older. Washingtonian.com reserves the right to remove or edit content once posted.
|
|
Three lovely inns where you’ll feel well cared for—and they serve terrific meals
more
Spring fever making you want to picnic outside? Check out our list of markets, sandwich shops, bakeries, and gourmet-food stores where you can find lunches that travel well.
more
Gone are the robust bureaus for the Los Angeles Times, Newhouse News, and other once-healthy news organizations. Digital media bureaus now are taking their places with as many reporters and plenty of swagger.
more
Worried about how you’re going to pull that Thanksgiving meal together by November 26? Luckily, there’s lots of ways to get a takeout turkey-day dinner so you don’t have to lift a finger in the kitchen. When ordering a turkey, keep in mind that a ten-to-12 pound turkey will feed four to six people.
more
|
Share
