Kimchee, Bacon, Blue Cheese Bun / Yuzu Olives / Ojingoh – spicy soy sauce squid jerky / Tako – simmered octopus salad w/mulberry nomi-su ginger dressing / Cuttlefish Pickles / Peanut Sauce Jellyfish with edamame
Hamachi tataki – chopped spicy hamachi, cucumber, tobiko, crispy nori
Green-lip Mussel Souffle / Crab Claw in Soju Sauce
Sake Braised Beef over White Rice
Shiro miso – white miso soup w/fresh tofu & wakame
Orange Candy
If you’d have told me a few months prior that at some point in the future I’d be sitting at a bar having drank too much wearing a Speed Racer helmet next to a woman wearing bunny ears while eating jellyfish, listening to Korean punk music, and watching zombie slasher porn I’d have admittedly looked at you like you were growing a second head – and yet on the eighth evening of February, 2013 that is exactly what I was doing…and there is photographic evidence. Indeed, to some people the very concept of Tanuki may seem off-putting, and yet there I was after a truly beautiful meal at Roe entirely out of my element and thoroughly having a blast.
Stepping back for a second and looking at the night at Tanuki objectively I think I should note that the decision to visit was mine and mine alone; my friend from Portland having never been to the small space and also not as prone as myself to the concept of ‘second dinner,’ but having heard from others that it was an event not to be missed I knew the $15 tasting menu – yes, $15 for five courses – would at least be a good story to tell. What I didn’t know, however, was that the food would actually be quite good.
Beginning first with six items loosely defined as ‘bites,’ including the restaurant’s deliciously flaky kimchee, bacon, and bleu bun served alongside a variety of unique pickled, brined, and cured seafood preparations before progressing into more traditional flavors such as fresh hamachi with nori wrappers, briny mussels baked into a buttery puff pastry, and tender beef over rice I’m not sure whether it was my third drink of the evening, a yuzu and gin cocktail, or the simply the quality of the food in general but taking into account the cost I was more than a little impressed…and all the more so when I found out that only one person, chef/owner Janis Martin clad in a howling wolf’s head during 9:00pm “hat time,” was responsible for all of it.
A truly unique space in a truly unique city I think it should go without saying that Tanuki is not a spot for everyone, yet with that said it will invariably end up being one of my most memorable dining experiences of 2013 – and almost certainly the only one involving zombie slasher porn and a speed racer hat. Next visit – and unless they close up shop that will be sometime soon – I’m going for the $45 tasting and making a special request for the Santa Claus stocking hat. Pictures?
