Bozu is da’ (sushi) bomb
OK sake fans, run, Run RUN, to Bozu!! This place is da’ bomb. the sushi bomb that is… On Jan 22, I graduated from Feng Shui school and wanted to meet up with some friends the night before the ceremony at a sake-friendly bar to celebrate. I heard about Bozu from Scott and checked it out online – a good website goes a long long way for me. So, I just sent out an email and asked my friends to meet me there at the bar. Turned out to be a wonderful night!
We were the first people to get to get there right when they opened.
The atmosphere inside is dark and filled with black stained wood. kinda gives you the feeling of what an underground sake brewery might be like in Japan. When we sat down at the bar, I was overwhelmed with the sake menu. There was an entire board of sakes by the glass (tasting glass, and masu size), carafe and bottle. They also offered 3 tasting options. I picked the tasting that had the most Daiginjo on it and crossed my fingers. what I ended up having was really yummy but little did I know that I would be drinking those sake’s again just a few days later. The initial tasting I had consisted of 3 sakes by the same manufacturer
1)Tedorigawa yamahai Daiginjo chrysanthemum meadow
2)Tedorigawa Iki na onna lady luck
3)Tedorigawa yamahai junmai silver mountain
All in all, these were very solid sakes, tasting serious, well-produced, smooth and elegant. my tasting glasses were emptied quickly. Since I was in a very festive mood, I began ordering masu (about 3 total) of my old standby the Wakatake Daiginjo – demon slayer. The masu were served in a unique way at Bozu. They used clear acrylic masu boxes set in a shallow blow and overflowed the masu into the bowl. Usually I’ve seen either a round glass overflowed into a wooden/lacquer masu (such as at Decibel) or a round glass overflowed into a shallow bowl (like at yakatori totto). I really enjoy drinking out of the masu, so the sake presentation won high marks.
I also have to mention our bartender. Didn’t catch his name, but you could just tell he was a pro. He knew a lot about his sakes and poured them in front of you, and he was super friendly to boot. Most amazing of all, he was able to pour from a huge 1.5L sake bottle into a 2 oz tasting cup and fill the sake just to the rim and not spill a drop. Quite an expert move. If you’ve ever tried to fill a tiny sake cup from a huge bottle, you’ll know what i’m talking about.
As for food, I ordered off the bar menu and had to try their “sushi bombs”. This dangerous sounding meal was actually just a usually square piece of Sushi turned into a rounded shape. I guess “sushi bomb” had more marketing appeal then something like sushi tennis ball. whatever they’re called they tasted good and paired well with the Tedorigawa sake!
The Wakatake I used to round out my evening at Bozu was just the right note of comfort and elegance. When we left Bozu, I was in the “Sake Zone”. You know, that comfortable feeling of being happy, well taken care of, content… all facilitated by liberal sake consumption and the company of good friends. I want to thank all my friends who trucked all the way out to williamsburg brooklyn to help me celebrate. it meant so much to me. thank you guys. I know I’ll be back to bozu for sure to venture elsewhere on the sake menu and see if I can re-create the magic and find my way once again to my happy place, the Sake Zone.
