Day 360

Toro (Fatty Tuna): Today's new food was an indulgent surprise, but not exactly what I was expecting to eat. Let me explain: I'd been wanting to try uni (sea urchin) for a long time now. I've been eating sushi for years, but never gotten around to trying some of the high-dollar delicacies, like uni or toro. Those are usually out of my price range, and it's not often that I'll devote that much of my dinner budget to something like that (unless I'm in Vegas). I'd been hearing about the deliciousness of uni for years, so my original plan for tonight was to hit the sushi bar at Miso Izakaya (one of my fave spots in town) and finally try it.

My attempt unfortunately didn't go as planned. I eagerly ordered the uni from my server, and she came back a few minutes later and told me they were out of it. Oh well. I thought my plans for finding something new were ruined, but then I saw the toro right below the uni on the menu. And of course, like the uni, only "MP" was listed in the price column. I went ahead and ordered it anyway, price be damned. I'm almost done with this blog, so I deserved to splurge a little for all my hard work.

If you don't know much about toro, here's the scoop: it's widely known as the highest quality raw tuna one can eat. As far as I know, it's usually served alone, without much adornment. Miso's version was simply served as 2 pieces of nigiri over sushi rice, with a twist of lemon as garnish. It didn't have the bright red color of lower-grade maguro tuna, but more of a light pink/beige color. I was curious to find out if toro was worth the hype (and price), so I dug in.

Once I took my first bite, I could tell that it was no ordinary piece of fish. "Buttery" was the first thing that came to mind, and it almost melted in my mouth without having to chew. It didn't have any of the bright, metallic flavor that I've experienced with lower grades of tuna, and it was possibly the richest piece of fish I've ever tried. That's definitely a good thing. I like tuna in almost any form, but this was by far the best. Incidentally, my server recommended that I not use any soy sauce or wasabi with this one, and that suggestion was correct. It didn't need anything at all.

I could definitely see myself eating this again, but only if someone else is paying. Pretty awesome.